Nikolai Drozdov, Alexey Makeev - in the animal world. The most powerful animal in the world. And it turns out that this is not an elephant! Wolf vs puma

An elephant will trample a rhinoceros, a walrus will easily kill a polar bear, and a gorilla will punch a leopard in the face

The answer to the question “Who is stronger: a tiger or a lion, a crocodile or a hippopotamus, a falcon or a hawk?” - it’s not just parents who are being tortured by curious children who are searching. Quite serious scientists and simply lovers of the animal world are also trying to figure out who will defeat whom. It turned out that the most powerful does not always win.

It would seem that what is so difficult here? We need to find out who is the largest and fastest of the animals and who has the stronger jaws. However, victory in a real fight does not always depend on these parameters. American naturalist Joseph Kullmann I set out to find out who is the best in the animal world. He studies all cases of one-on-one fights and identifies features that help to win. We bring to your attention some of the stories included in the book.

In wild nature

* Hunters of the Primorsky Territory talk about fights between tigers and brown bears. The winners are often tigers, who do not just fight for prey, but specifically hunt clubfooted animals. However, there are often cases when rivals, after a stubborn struggle, part ways without finding out who is stronger.

* In fights between elephants and rhinoceroses, the former often win, despite the fact that the rhinoceros’s formidable weapon, its horn, is located at a dangerous angle for the enemy and can easily pierce the elephant’s stomach. However, an angry elephant tramples a rhinoceros, sometimes after stunning it with a blow from a log.

* A hippopotamus broke the skull of a rhinoceros that came to drink with its fangs.

* In India, an 11-meter reticulated python defeated a tiger in a long fight: it strangled it and swallowed it.

* Fights between martens and wild forest cats are not uncommon. Superior in size to their rivals, cats rarely emerge victorious. A case is described in which a marten strangled a cat at the end of a grueling battle.

* On Komodo Island, feeding monitor lizards turns into a real show for the amusement of tourists. One day, a goat intended for dinner tried to fight a giant lizard: it put out its horns and went on the attack. But the monitor lizard dodged to the side, broke the goat’s legs with its powerful tail and, pulling it by the muzzle, broke its neck.

Robot animal fights

Joseph Kullmann also studied fights between robotic animal models created by specialists. They were shown in the “Animal Battles” series of programs on the Discovery Channel. The simulators did not reproduce the animal in full, but had the same jaws, claws, impact and bite force.

Saltwater crocodile vs great white shark

The crocodile damaged the shark's tail fin, then bit through its chest, grabbing a rib. It seemed that he could celebrate the victory, but the shark did not retreat. She swam away and then attacked the crocodile. Locking their jaws, both animals began to drown. The crocodile began to run out of air, and when he tried to surface to take a sip of oxygen, the shark ripped open his stomach.

Wolf vs puma

The gray one grabbed the puma's paw with a death grip, but she threw the toothy one away with a blow of her paw. Then he tried to grab the cat by the throat, and again failed - the cougar seriously wounded him in the stomach with its claws. A “control” bite in the neck - and the puma emerges victorious in this fight.

Hippopotamus vs. blunt-nosed shark

The bleeding wound on the body of the hippopotamus attracted the shark. She could not bite the animal properly - its paws and stomach were too thick. However, the predator did not give up her attempts. This made the hippopotamus terribly angry, and the shark’s next attack ended in its mouth - it swallowed a 3-meter fish, like some kind of sprat.

Amur tiger vs brown bear

The tiger tried to bite the bear by the throat, but was unsuccessful. Then the striped one attacked the bear from behind and grabbed him with its claws. However, the bear threw the tiger off with a blow to the head, broke his spine and finished him off with a bite to the throat.

Polar bear vs walrus

The bear was unable to bite through the thick skin of the walrus. The latter decided to take refuge in the water. The bear went after him, but the walrus wounded him with his fangs. After this, the bear tried to get out onto the ice floe, but the walrus finished him off by plunging his fangs into his back.

Anaconda vs Jaguar

The snake wrapped itself around the cat and tried to pull it under water. The jaguar bit the reptile's tail and almost made it to land. Anaconda made a second attempt, this time successful, and drowned the jaguar.

Lion vs crocodile

Sharp teeth and claws did not help the king of beasts break through the dense shell of the crocodile. Once again, having driven the lion away from the river, the crocodile went under the water. Then the lion came closer, trying to understand where the enemy had gone. And he paid for his curiosity: the crocodile, holding the lion’s muzzle in its mouth, pulled him into the water and finished him off there.

Alligator vs black bear

The alligator tried to bite the bear's paw and wounded him, but not too badly. Then he attacked again, but the clubfoot dodged. The tired alligator decided to retreat, but the bear stopped him with a blow of his paw, the alligator turned over and exposed his unprotected stomach to his opponent. Having ripped it open, the black bear won.

Gorilla vs leopard

The leopard had the ability to see in the dark and the agility of a cat on its side. However, this did not help the leopard. The gorilla easily repelled all his attacks and finally delivered a fatal blow with a powerful paw.

Giant squid vs sperm whale

While the sperm whale frightened the squid with sound signals, it attacked the toothed whale, wrapping its tentacles around it. However, the sperm whale did not care much about this. Having stunned the giant mollusk and grabbed it with his jaws, he went into the depths and calmly dined there.

Lion vs tiger

For a long time, the fight between the two cats was equal. Towards the end of the fight, the tiger tried to grab his opponent by the throat, but was prevented by the mane of the king of beasts. But the lion’s attempt to grab the enemy’s neck was successful, and he won.

Everyone will beat the king of beasts

Our columnist Ruslan IGNATIEV is a game biologist by specialty. He defended his diploma under the guidance of Nikolai Nikolaevich DROZDOV, and did an internship under his supervision in the program “In the Animal World.” We asked a colleague who he would bet on in threes: elephant, rhinoceros and hippopotamus; polar bear, lion and tiger; whale, sperm whale and killer whale.

Today we will choose the strongest animal in the world. You will naturally say: “What is there to think about? Elephant!". Of course, if you follow the simple logic: “He who weighs more is stronger,” then, without a doubt, the elephant has no competitors. Well, maybe,

But we will reason like this: strength is manifested not only in body mass, but also in the ability to lift and carry a load that exceeds it. Here, based on this criterion, our top is built: “10 most powerful animals in the world.” So let's get started.

10. Polar bear

It is the largest land mammal. The weight of such a predator is about 500 kg, and its strength is simply amazing: it can pull a carcass weighing half a ton onto the ice, and the bear kills a huge seal with one blow of its paw.

9. Orca

In the northern latitudes there is another strongman, which is not unreasonably called the “killer whale.” In the water, the killer whale swims at speeds of up to 55 km/h, and cannot even fight off this powerful predator. And, having burst into a flock of seals, she easily kills 5-6 individuals.

Oxen have long been used by humans as draft animals. These huge ones have always been a measure of strength. One ox can handle a weight of about 900 kg, which is one and a half times its own weight.

An elephant lifts a load of 9 tons. By the way, the five-ton male “mastered” that much. If we consider the above parameters, this is approximately 1.7 times the elephant’s own weight. Worthy! Moreover, in terms of weight, this is an absolute record in wildlife.

Tigers are very strong. They weigh up to 270 kg and can lift a load twice this weight with their teeth.

5. African crowned eagle

In the bird family, the strongest animal is the crowned eagle, which can carry a load four times its weight in flight.

4. Gorilla

Gorillas cannot be called monkeys. These are serious, terrifying-looking primates with remarkable strength.

There is a known case when an adult gorilla, saving her cub who had fallen from a tree from a lion attacking him, broke the latter’s neck simply by grabbing him by the withers. The lion died on the spot.

The gorilla is a worthy competitor in the fight for the title of “The strongest animal in the world.” She can lift ten times her weight.

3. Leaf Cutter Ant

And, looking at an ant, it is difficult to imagine that it is a strong man. Just think, some little thing is rushing fussily underfoot! But take a closer look, and you will definitely see how this insect is dragging a load that is 50 times heavier than its weight! Imagine that one leaf-cutter ant, for example, can carry up to 50 of its fellows. Can you do that? That's it!

2. Rhinoceros beetle

Another contender for the title of “The strongest animal in the world” lives in the tropics. This is a rhinoceros beetle that can lift 850 times its own weight. It is obvious that these insects, despite their size, are strongmen.

1. Oribatid mite

And now, to the sound of fanfare, the winner stands before us. Meet the most powerful animal in the world - the oribatid mite! This, of course, is not an elephant or a polar bear, but its strength is many times greater than that of the aforementioned giant representatives of the animal world.

A tick can easily lift and carry a weight 1180 times its own weight! Just imagine for a moment a tick the size of at least a cat... It’s good that it’s so small! Hurray for the winner!

Ecology

Below is a list of the ten animals with the most powerful bite forces in the animal kingdom. There are animals that should also be on this list, but they are not here due to the lack of research into the strength of their bite due to the problematic or expensive nature of this measure.

A notable exception is the great white shark, however, there is only theoretical data. The Tasmanian devil appears to have the most powerful bite relative to its body size (about 14 atmospheres).

10. Leo

Bite force – 41 atmospheres

An unexpected position for the “king of the jungle” (although he never lived in the jungle). Lions are the only social cats in the world. They love to cooperate so much when hunting that this may be one of the reasons why they have evolved to have a bite force comparable to that of a panther or other similar cat.

Another reason may be hunting habits, since the lion strangles its prey by biting its trachea, that is, there is no need for a strong bite. Lions, as a rule, hunt at any time of the day, but often go for large prey at night. They also need water, so they drink daily, but can live for about five days without it.

9. Tiger

Bite force – 71 atmospheres

The largest species of the cat family, the tiger is a solitary hunter. Its body length can reach 3.5 meters, and it can weigh up to 388 kg. It hunts and stalks its prey at night. Like lions, they tend to bite their victims' throats to reduce the flow of air and blood to the animal's head.

Their bite is very powerful, almost twice as strong as a lion's bite. There are fewer tigers in the wild than in captivity. They generally avoid people, however, attacks on people and livestock have been recorded throughout the world.

8. Spotted hyena

Bite force – 75 atmospheres

Most sources claim that the bite force of a hyena is 75 atmospheres, however, Wikipedia says a higher figure, but there are no other sources confirming the information in the online encyclopedia. Speaking about the fact that the hyena has one of the most powerful bites in the animal kingdom, it should be noted that as a result of its attack, even the bones of a giraffe are crushed.

The reason for its bite force is that it needs to get at least some food after lions and other large predators leave the remains of their prey.

Even though they look like dogs, hyenas are actually more closely related to cats. It has been discovered that a hyena can kill a dog with a single bite to the neck. Contrary to popular belief, hyenas hunt, and ironically, lions often steal their food. Like lions, they are very social and cooperative animals.

7. Grizzly bear

Bite force – 81 atmospheres

This North American subspecies of brown bear is known for its incredible size and aggression. Despite its large size, a grizzly bear can reach speeds of up to 56 km/h. They feed mainly on berries and nuts, but also hunt. In Yellowstone National Park, they were spotted and filmed while hunting game.

Grizzlies are considered more aggressive than other bears. It is believed that due to their size, these bears cannot climb trees, which is why they developed this protective mechanism to get food for themselves. This is likely the same evolutionary path that gave the bear its powerful jaws, which help it defend against wolves and other attackers.

They can weigh from 270 to 450 kg. They can pose a danger to humans if frightened or if they are with cubs, but in general they rarely, if ever, hunt humans.

6. Gorilla

Bite force – 88 atmospheres

Some people may be surprised to read this, given the vegetarian nature of these creatures. However, gorillas are the formidable "residents" of this list. Their jaws are primarily adapted to chewing tough plants like bamboo, which gives them incredibly strong jaw and neck muscles.

The gorilla has traditionally been seen as a big scary monster, but in recent years its image has become "softer". They are our closest relatives after chimpanzees, and their numbers in the wild are rapidly declining, with about 700 mountain gorillas now remaining. Gorillas can climb trees, but usually live on the ground in communities of up to 30 individuals led by a dominant male. Gorillas are generally gentle creatures and pose no danger to humans.

5. Hippopotamus

Bite force – 124 atmospheres

This is one of the most powerful herbivores. The hippopotamus belongs to the category of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Living in a specific territory, and being very aggressive, there are known cases of attacks on small boats and their crews. Scientists were only able to measure the bite force of the female hippopotamus because males are extremely aggressive.

The word hippopotamus (Hippopotamus) comes from the Greek for "river horse" due to its incredible love for water. The hippopotamus's closest relatives are whales and cows. They belong to the order Artiodactyla, so camels, horses and goats are also relatives of the hippopotamus.

4. Jaguar

Bite force – 136 atmospheres

The jaguar has the strongest bite of any cat and has the strongest bite of any mammal. Being the true king of the jungle, the jaguar lives in the territory from Mexico to Argentina. The jaguar kills by biting its prey on the head. Like most other big cats (except the lion), the jaguar is a solitary killer.

Among the victims of this animal are anacondas and caimans. Its bite is so strong that it can easily bite through even a turtle's shell. The animal got its name from an Indian word, which translated means “one who kills with one jump.” Although smaller than its African and Asian cousins, the jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas. The largest populations of jaguars, according to recent data, live in Belize.

3. American alligator

Bite force – 145 atmospheres

The American alligator is one of only two remaining species of alligator in the world, the other being the Chinese alligator. Its population is about 5 million, with more than 1.2 million living in Florida, with the rest settled in Texas, Louisiana, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. They share this territory with crocodiles.

Their diet includes mainly fish, turtles and small mammals. In a recent National Geographic study, scientists measured the bite force of an American alligator to be 145 atmospheres, however, it is worth considering that the study involved fairly small alligators, so it is likely that the figure could be higher.

2. Saltwater crocodile

Bite force – 251 atmospheres

Saltwater crocodiles were rated highest by the National Geographic team in bite force measurements. However, they again measured the strength of several small crocodiles. Experts say that if the strength of a small crocodile is converted into the strength of a 6-meter monster, then it can reach up to 480 atmospheres. These monsters live in Eastern India, Southeast Asia and Northern Australia.

Saltwater crocodiles eat everything that comes their way. Australians affectionately call them “pickles”, however, they are not at all affectionate when it comes to this giant. They are responsible for most of the known cases of attacks on people, but they are responsible for no less human lives than the animal at the top of our list.

1. Nile crocodile

Bite force – 340 atmospheres

In an experiment conducted by National Geographic, the bite force of a Nile crocodile was estimated to be lower than that of a saltwater crocodile, but most other sources say 340 atmospheres. The Nile crocodile, as a rule, is almost the same in size as the saltwater crocodile, and accordingly its bite force is approximately in the same range.

These two are interchangeable when it comes to placement on this list, and their bite force will vary depending on the difficulty of measuring it on a crocodile of the desired size. Nile crocodiles feed mainly on fish, but like their brothers, they attack anyone who has the audacity to cross their path. This applies to zebras, birds and even small hippos.

March 18th, 2015

Many people believe that hippos are slow and clumsy because of their size, but this is a dangerous misconception. Here's a video of a hippopotamus chasing a motorboat in Chobe National Park in Botswana. The boat driver manages to accelerate in time before the huge animal emerges from the water.

In 2014, a hippopotamus attack on a boat on a river in Niger killed 12 schoolchildren - seven girls and five boys. This data from the country's authorities is provided by Agence France-Presse. The incident occurred near the capital of the country, Niamey. There were at least 18 people in the pie. Most of them were 12-13 year old children who were on their way to school located on the other side of the Niger River. Authorities did not specify how exactly they died.

Hippopotamuses, which often approach Niamey in search of deep places in Niger, frighten local residents. Experts note that adults are most aggressive when their young are around them. In such situations, hippos often attack cattle that graze on the banks of the river.

Let's find out more about these animals...

Photo 1.

Hippos are rightly considered one of the most dangerous African animals. But they pose a danger only to those who themselves try to threaten them. In fact, the hippo's personality has traits that many of us would envy. In this article we will try to tell you more about these amazing animals.

The life of a hippopotamus is somewhat reminiscent of the life of a retired heavyweight boxer. Calm, outwardly clumsy and phlegmatic, a little gloomy, but not an aggressive homebody. There are practically no enemies, all the neighbors know him well and are the first to greet him, and those who don’t know him try to stay away just in case. He doesn’t hurt little ones, and he can even provide help on occasion. Home, family, wealth - he has everything, and he doesn’t need anything that belongs to others. But if the “gopniks in the gateway” pester you, then...

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Don't believe me? Judge for yourself: predators are afraid to attack a hippopotamus because it is too terrible in anger, and it is well armed. Despite the fact that the hippopotamus is a herbivore, its teeth are perhaps the most terrible ones imaginable, especially the lower fangs. They grow throughout their lives and reach a length of over half a meter. In a fit of rage, a hippopotamus easily bites a giant Nile crocodile in half.

The African fat man is also no stranger to cunning and ingenuity. There is a known case when a hippopotamus, while grazing on the shore, was attacked by a lion. Probably, the king of beasts was too hungry, or something happened to his head, because lions usually avoid hippopotamuses. But, one way or another, this lion set his sights on the grass-chewing hippopotamus, and he paid for it. He didn’t even begin to tear him with his fangs and trample him with his strong legs, but simply grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him into the water, where it was deeper. There the poor lion choked to death.

Photo 3.

Here's another case: a hippopotamus resting in the river was attacked by... a shark. It was a fairly large (about two meters) specimen of the so-called herring shark, which lives mainly in the ocean. But by some miracle it was carried not just into the Mediterranean Sea, but also into the Nile Delta. And I must say, the herring shark is unusually aggressive and dangerous. Her teeth are long, sharp, curved back and form a continuous palisade. In her element, she does not let anyone through: a fish, a sea animal, a person - everything goes to feed her.

And this predator decided to feast on the hippopotamus, but literally attacked the wrong one. Unlike the case with the lion, the hippopotamus did the opposite with her - he dragged the sea monster to the shore and trampled her there. Who will now doubt that hippos have brains?

Photo 4.

Of course, there is a predator on earth - cruel and merciless, capable of destroying any animal. This is a man. But people, oddly enough, don’t need anything from hippos (as, in fact, hippos don’t need anything from people). They do not have valuable tusks or horns, and their teeth are not listed on the market. All that a hippopotamus has is just meat, and even that is far from a delicacy. During slavery, whips were made from the skin of hippopotamuses to drive slaves, but slavery was officially abolished, and the production of whips disappeared with it. So even people don’t touch hippos.

Photo 5.

Hippos lead a secluded life. You can walk several kilometers along the banks of the Nile and not see a single hippopotamus, and then suddenly it turns out that you passed dozens of animals and simply did not notice them. You can sail a boat a couple of meters from a hippopotamus and not pay attention to it. Among the debris that the Nile carries into the sea, it’s oh so difficult to spot a couple of small black “floats” - this is a hippopotamus escaping the heat, with only its eyes and nostrils exposed. During the day, animals lie at the bottom of the river. Their ears are “plugged” with special membranes that prevent water from entering. So during daylight hours the hippopotamus goes hungry, and only goes out to the promenade at night, and here, in terms of feeding, it has a blast. To feed itself, a hippopotamus has to eat 50-60 kilograms of grass per day.

Photo 6.

Of course, among hippos, like any other, there are conflicts. Sometimes during the mating season or when distributing food places, it ends in a fight and blood is spilled. But often the dispute over brides and territory is resolved quite peacefully. Male hippos periodically find out which of them is bigger. Usually, a contender for power approaches the commander-in-chief of the clan and stands next to him. Both hippopotamuses carefully examine each other, and the one who is not tall shyly retreats back home, and the larger specimen becomes (or remains) the “boss.” A war can only begin if both contenders have the same weight category.

Photo 7.

As for hippo traits such as kindness and generosity, here are a few examples.
The famous zoologist Dick Recassel witnessed how one of the antelopes that came to drink was attacked by a crocodile. A hippopotamus resting nearby came to the aid of the animal struggling in the teeth of the alligator. He fought off the antelope from the crocodile, pulled it ashore and began... licking its wounds. “The rarest case in the animal kingdom,” comments Recassel. - A real manifestation of mercy, and to a representative of a completely different species! Alas, help came too late. Half an hour later the antelope died from shock and blood loss. But the hippopotamus remained near her for another quarter of an hour, driving away the vultures that had flown down, until the sun forced him to return back to the river.”

Photo 8.

And just recently, visitors to a reserve in Kenya had the opportunity to observe the actions of a hippopotamus - almost a professional rescuer. Here is how it was. Wildebeest and zebra crossed the Mara River. The antelope calf, separated from its mother by the current, began to drown. Then a hippo emerged from the water and began to push the baby towards the shore. Soon he safely made it to land and joined his mother, who all this time could only helplessly watch what was happening. Less than ten minutes had passed before the same hippopotamus saved a drowning zebra. He helped her keep her head above the water and, like the “antelope,” pushed her towards dry land.

So these hippos are not such simple animals.

Photo 9.

Common hippopotamuses spend almost all their time in water, most often in fresh water bodies. They can occasionally go to sea.

If earlier the animal was found in many places on the globe, now a very small number of them are preserved only in areas south of the Sahara. But even in Africa there are fewer and fewer of them due to the fact that they are being exterminated in large numbers by the local native population. Hippopotamus meat is their main meat food.

Hippos adapt well to captivity, which is why almost all zoos keep this interesting animal.

Photo 10.

Who are hippopotamus and hippopotamus? Many people do not know that these words mean the same animal of the artiodactyl genus. The first name is translated from ancient Hebrew as “beast,” perhaps due to the massiveness of this beast. The second is translated from Greek as “river horse” - hippos really love water.

Photo 11.

His body resembles a huge barrel, his legs are thick and so short that his stomach almost drags along the ground when he walks. The length can be up to 4 m, and the weight is simply fantastic - up to 5 tons! After elephants, the hippopotamus is in second place in size, as is the rhinoceros.

The tail is short, but quite mobile, with the help of it it sprays droppings and urine - it marks the territory.

The paws have 4 webbed toes. When walking through mud, the toes spread out, and the taut membrane helps prevent slipping and falling through.

Photo 12.

The ears are small, but with them he constantly tries to ward off insects. The head resembles a roughly hewn rectangle, and the muzzle is covered with special sensitive hairs. In many photos, the hippopotamus is captured with its mouth wide open - and indeed it can open it up to 150 degrees.

It contains 36 frightening-looking fang teeth. He uses them as protection or digs the ground.

The eyes are very small, with large folds of the eyelids around them.

Photo 13.

These animals communicate unusually with each other - by voice. They even have their own signal sounds to indicate fear, aggression, and danger. They express them with a roar, sometimes the sounds are similar to a horse neighing or grunting. The roar of hippopotamuses is very loud, spreading far across the African expanses.

Photo 14.

Hippos live for about 40 years and die more often from diseases. In nature they are not afraid of anyone except the lion. Nobody dares to attack them anymore. And a lion that has encroached on a cub can be drowned in silt by the female in a rage or simply trampled.

Photo 15.

The biggest threat is humans. Poaching for hippopotamus meat, tusks and bones is significantly reducing their numbers. Despite the fact that any child knows the phrase “oh, it’s not an easy job to drag a hippopotamus out of the swamp,” these animals have not yet been studied enough. Most likely, this happened because they are difficult to observe, since they spend most of the day in the water.

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Do you know what the hippopotamus is doing in this GIF? I'll tell you now.

Hippos do not like to travel; they do not search for food in distant lands, but prefer to grow grass themselves, in their own “garden,” so to speak. They do this in the following way: having limited a certain area for feeding themselves and their family, these animals regularly and diligently fertilize it with their own feces. And in order for the fertilizer to be distributed evenly, the animal “in the process,” so to speak, vigorously twirls its tail, like a propeller. As a result, the hippopotamus’ “vegetable garden,” like that of a good farmer, is always well-fertilized and produces an excellent harvest. And you don’t have to go far to find it.

It is worth noting here that female hippopotamuses, when searching for a betrothed, meticulously monitor not the ability of males to care for the opposite sex, but rather their success in agriculture. The more powerfully the tail of a male hippo spins, the more feces he produces and the farther he scatters them, the greater the groom’s chances: this means that his family will live in abundance and will not die of hunger. A real marriage of convenience. But perhaps in this case this is the right approach.

How does a giraffe sleep? or maybe you don’t know what it looks like. Find out why and be sure to The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

WHO IS STRONGER THAN WHO?

Many children often ask: “Who is stronger - a crocodile or a hippopotamus, an elephant or a lion?” We asked biologist Vadim Maksimovich Gudkov to answer this and other questions. This is what he told us.

Hippos have few enemies; only a lion sometimes dares to attack an adult animal. But the cubs of these pachyderms often become prey to lions, leopards, and hyena dogs.

Crocodiles do not even attack young hippos. And if a hippopotamus did not die in childhood from a lion or a pack of hyena dogs, or was not accidentally trampled by an old, clumsy hippopotamus, then it usually lives a long time - up to 50 years. It happens, however, that adult hippos also die. Once, having met a rhinoceros, the hippopotamus did not want to give way to him, and during a fight they killed each other. It happens that adult males kill the weaker one during a fight among themselves. But this rarely happens.

The African elephant is the strongest land animal. The lion does not attack an adult elephant, and the baby elephant is under the reliable protection of the elephant. The white rhinoceros, the second largest animal in Africa, always gives way to the elephant.

Indian elephant cubs are very rarely attacked by tigers. A case is described when residents of an Indian village heard the cracking of branches and the trumpeting voice of an elephant all night, interrupted by the ferocious roar of a tiger. In the morning, following the tracks, they were able to reconstruct the picture of the battle. The tiger attacked and killed the baby elephant. When the elephant rushed to the rescue, the predator jumped on her back. With a roar, the elephant rushed through the thicket of the forest, trying to throw off the tiger, but died in this struggle. People found the corpses of a baby elephant and a badly tortured female elephant. Since the tiger did not touch the killed elephant calf, people decided that the predator was badly wounded and had no time to eat. But the animal could not be found. Whether he remained alive after this battle is unknown.

From time to time there are reports in the press that mass shootings of elephants are carried out in some national parks in Africa, but it is known that they are protected there. What happened?

We asked Academician V. E. Sokolov, who has visited African national parks more than once, to answer this question.

Vladimir Evgenievich, what is especially characteristic of African animals?

First of all, their large number. Huge herds of ungulates - zebras, antelopes, gazelles - are still preserved there; The fauna of Africa is characterized by large animals. The African elephant, the largest living land animal, and the giraffe, the tallest, live here. There are rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, the largest of the primates - gorillas, giant ostriches. And many of them are still numerous.

A particularly impressive sight is the migration of animals. During periods of drought, elephants, antelopes, and gazelles move through areas where water and green food are available. For example, animals living in the vastness of the Serenget Plain, during periods of drought, huge herds head to Lake Victoria or move to the Ngoro-Ngoro crater.

Have you ever observed such migrations?

I remember how I moved from the Ngoro Ngoro Crater area to the Serengeti and found myself in a huge concentration of wildebeest. Only in a circle of about 70 meters from the car were they not present, and further, right up to the horizon, thousands and thousands of animals stood, grazed, and played. An unforgettable sight! It must be said that wildebeests are the most numerous in the Serengeti, there are about 800 thousand of them. Zebras form large aggregations; there are about half a million of them in the Serengeti, and Thompson's gazelles number more than 600 thousand. Large concentrations of birds. The relatively small Lake Nakuru, near the city of Nairobi, in Kenya, is home to hundreds of thousands of flamingos.

What attracts attention is that animals are not shy, this is especially important for scientists. You can spend hours observing in close proximity the behavior of antelopes, gazelles or such cautious predators as cheetahs and lions. You follow them in a car for hours, and they don’t pay attention to you.

Vladimir Evgenievich, everything you are talking about is probably not typical for all of Africa?

Of course, not the entire continent is suitable for wild animals to live in. Approximately 40 percent of Africa is desert. The fauna there, particularly in the Sahara Desert, is very poor. And Western and Central Africa are occupied mainly by dense tropical forests, where living conditions are not so favorable for large herds of large animals. In addition, it is not so easy to see them here. Another thing is the savannas of East Africa. These are unusually productive steppes with clumps of trees or individual trees, sometimes shrubs. The plant mass is so abundant that it can feed a huge number of herbivores, and they, in turn, serve as food for numerous predators.

Are mass gatherings of wild animals protected everywhere?

Currently, large herds of ungulates and elephants are preserved only in national parks or on the territories of large farms. For example, according to the laws of Kenya, every farmer has the right to destroy all wild animals that live on the territory of his farm. However, he is not the owner of these animals and does not have the right to use meat or skins of hunted animals. He can only protect his crops.

I was able to visit El Karama Farm near Mount Kenya. Here, on a relatively small area - 12 thousand acres - about 2,000 head of cattle graze. In addition, 420 giraffes live here. But they do not compete with livestock in the use of food resources, because they feed on the leaves and shoots of acacias high above the ground, where they cannot be reached by cattle. In the savanna it is clearly visible: all the acacias are “trimmed” at the height of giraffes.

Are national parks likely to have conservation problems?

Many national parks are now overpopulated with animals. The food supply no longer corresponds to the high number of animals, so the question arises of artificially regulating their numbers. The largest national park in Africa, Tsavo National Park is located in Kenya; it ranks second in area in the world. This park was established mainly to protect elephants, of which there are a lot here. The food supply for them is already insufficient. Most of the baobabs have even been destroyed by elephants. These trees have soft wood; elephants use their tusks to destroy the tree and eat it. However, regulating elephant numbers is not easy. They can be shot, but then the elephants will become cautious, will not allow people to approach them and will no longer be accessible to tourists.

The abundance of elephants has a detrimental effect on the vegetation of national parks, so in some they are shot in the hundreds, or even thousands. This measure is forced. After all, elephants have nowhere to settle - all around are lands developed by humans. Thus, in critical situations, a person takes on the role of a regulator of the number of certain species of wild animals. Apparently, in the current situation in some national parks in Africa, this measure is inevitable.

Is there any danger in traveling through a national park if there are many such large animals around?

You can only get to the park by car. Walking is not allowed, and getting out of the car is also prohibited. Notices at park entrances state that you enter the park at your own risk. The administration does not bear any responsibility for your safety. But this means that animals get used to the fact that cars and people will not harm them, so they are not afraid of them at all.

The nature of Africa is a value of global importance. And fortunately, many people now understand this. We can hope that the nature and fauna of this continent will be preserved.

PROFESSION - LOVE OF NATURE

Making a truly interesting film about the life of animals is a huge job. These "actors" are reluctant to pose in front of movie cameras.

As a rule, they do not look for meetings with a person, they hide and lie low. The profession of a film director or naturalist cameraman is fraught with many difficulties. Often you have to feed mosquitoes somewhere in a swamp or in the tundra, go for many days without hot water and other amenities of civilization, you end up freezing high in the mountains or near ice floes on which walruses are located... Communication with animals and with nature pays off all the inconveniences expedition life.

FILMS OF KONSTANTIN GRIGORIEV

The wonderful Bulgarian film director, cameraman and screenwriter Konstantin Grigoriev has been making films for over 40 years. He has created more than 60 documentaries and popular science films, half of which talk about the nature of Bulgaria and the wild animals inhabiting this sunny region.

Films by Konstantin Grigoriev have been awarded many times at various international film festivals. During Grigoriev’s visit to Moscow, we managed to talk with him.

Tell me, Konstantin, why did you start making films about nature and wild animals? What prompted you to do this?