The best flyers from the world of animals. Mammals that can be found in the Philippines The largest wild animal in the Philippines is the Tamoro bull
In the large and diverse world of fauna, mammals that are capable of “flying”, or rather gliding, are very few. The most famous are flying squirrels, spiny tails, marsupial flying squirrels and woolly wings. It's the latter that we'll talk about. Kaguan (Cynocephalus volans), flying maquis, or Philippine woolly wing, or simply woolly wing.
This unusual animal belongs to the arboreal mammals that live in the tropics South-East Asia. In the order Woolwings there are only 2 modern genera and 6 fossil genera. Among the living ones, in addition to the Philippine one, the Malayan (lat. Cynocephalus variegatus) woolwing is known.
From the name it is not difficult to guess the areola of their habitat. The first one chose the Philippines, or rather the islands of Leyte, Bohol, Mindanao, Samar and Basilan. The second is Thailand and the islands of the Indonesian archipelago.
It’s hard to say who this animal reminds more of—some a cat, some. Its dimensions are small - up to 65 cm including the tail, weight is about 2 kg. The small, pretty face has large round dark eyes and small rounded ears.
The small limbs of the woolly wing are equipped with sharp claws to make it more convenient to climb trees and hang on branches. But it is helped to glide between trees by a dense flying membrane that connects all the limbs, tail and neck of the animal. There are also small membranes between the toes.
By the way, the flight membrane of the woolly wing is the largest among other “flying” mammals. On top, it, like its entire body, is covered with small, soft and thick fur, which is why this animal was called the woolly wing. The coat of the kaguan varies from brownish-red to grayish-brown in color; only the light belly and the same light spots on the sides stand out against the general background.
Caguans are nocturnal animals that spend most of their lives in trees. They can be found very rarely on the ground, since they move on it crawling and can easily become prey for predators. Woolwings spend their days in hollows, emerging from them after sunset. It is at this time that you can see their flights. When jumping, they spread their paws in different directions and extend their tail, thanks to this the membranes are stretched as much as possible.
The flight range of woolly wings is up to 140 m, with a loss of height of only 10 m. They fly practically in a straight line for shorter distances (20-30 m). But that's not all. By changing the tension of the membrane, the kaguan can control the direction of flight. They land in the same way as, for example, flying squirrels or. Taking a vertical position at some distance from the target, they land on a tree with all 4 limbs.
The diet of these flying animals is purely vegetarian: buds, leaves, flowers and fruits of various trees. Interestingly, the breeding characteristics of woolly wings are similar to representatives of marsupials, so they are sometimes classified as one of them. The female, as a rule, brings one (less often two) small, naked and blind baby. For the first 5-6 months, he lives tightly clinging to his mother’s belly. Hanging on a branch or simply sitting on a tree, the female bends her tail to her abdomen and creates a kind of protective pouch for the cub. The cubs will be ready for independent life only after 2-3 years.
Yakov Podolny (Israel) / Alexander Altshuller (Kaliningrad region) / Alexey Paevsky (Ukraine)
FIRST ROUND: 1). ABC; 2).Men and women; 3). Flowers; 4). Musical instruments; 5). Islands; 6). …tooth…
1-300 S. Makarov developed the semaphore alphabet for the Russian fleet. AA+
PC: “...Russian semaphore alphabet, there was already a Latin alphabet”
1-400 4-volume “ABC” of stories – by him – by L. Tolstoy. YAP+
PC: “Bravo!”
1-500 Bulgakov's Sharik and Mayakovsky learned the alphabet - from - signs. YAP+
2-500 according to the results of a survey in British families, the word babe ("baby") took first place - in the list - of the most disliked addresses to wives. –
3-400 near the Peruvian city of Moyobamba there are 3,500 species of flowers - orchids. YAP+
3-500 The national holiday of Tajikistan, Sayri-Lola, is dedicated to flowers - tulips. –
In Uzbek, “lola” is also “tulip” (hence, a Persian borrowing), but I don’t understand how to take it without knowledge of regional languages. Well, it’s true that tulips generally dominate among the natural flower flora Central Asia, but this is, I'm afraid, a little more simple fact
4-500 Evgraf Zhivago was surprised to learn that his niece Tonya, like her grandmother, plays an instrument - the balalaika. YAP-
/PC: “Ay-ay-ay. Nobody remembers..."/
5-400 is perhaps the largest vehicle of J. Verne - in the novel - “ floating island" YAP-
/JP: “Uh... a flying island, if I'm not mistaken...”
PC: “No, no, no, the flying island is most likely Swift’s”/
5-500 island-district of Arkhangelsk, where Peter I built a shipyard - Solombala. YAP+
6-500 The nickname of the 8th and 9th models of the Zhiguli due to the body shape is “chisel”. AP+
PC: “Sometimes they also said “chisel””
4-300 auction.
+900 / +300 / +500
AP: “All-in”
YP: “All-in”
PC: “All-in,” says Yakov Moiseevich. I see, I see..."
In the fall of 1941, according to the directive of the People's Commissariat of Defense, 60,000 of these instruments were sent to the front - to raise the spirit of soldiers - harmonicas. YAP-
JP: “Quite logical...”
0 / +300 / +500
4-400 were made from boiled cow or goat ribs - their bones. –
6-400 three rocks form a crater shaft - the volcano on Urup - Trident. AP+
6-300 stage fright will not kill you if the actor has learned the role by heart. AP+
2-400 the only man does not say a word - F. Ozon's film - “Eight Women”. YAP+
2-300, according to legend, infiltrated Caesar, ordering her to be wrapped in a carpet - Cleopatra. YAP+
5-300 cat for Alexander Altshuller. "Sculptures", 500.
sculpture “Russia” 1996 - three objects under the shield - a crown, a scepter and an orb. AA-
For 1-200 agents of the secret organization “ABC”, the letters served as nicknames. AA+
6-200 thylacosmil – marsupial – (marsupial) saber-toothed tiger. –
It’s an easy question; the players were probably confused by the wording. The saber-toothed tiger itself is obviously not a marsupial. It would be better to say “an analogue of this animal among marsupials” or “named after this, also a fossil animal”...
6-100 Moscow Kremlin – 1045 “dovetails” - wall battlements. AA+
3-300, unlike Russia, in the USA and Western Europe considered to bring happiness - a bouquet - of an even number of flowers. AA+
2-200 Suvorov ordered it to be transported “like chickens are transported, but very safely” - a gift to serfs - brides. –
PC: “...Here’s “how chickens are transported” - I don’t know what was meant. As far as I remember, chickens are transported in cages."
AA (smiling): “Well, yes...”
4-200 1712 - made the cello of the Duke of Tuscany - A. Stradivari. AA+
4-100 the attribute of poets is the lyre. AP+
1-100 letter codes were invented by Weil, a colleague of the inventor, S. Morse. YAP+
3-200 popular song performed by N. Sazonova - “The daisies hid.” YAP+
/PC: “Yakov Moiseevich, of course”/
PC: “Bravo!”
5-200 Galeshnyak is nicknamed “the island of lovers” - its shape is similar to a heart. AP+
3-100 auction.
+1000 / +600 / +1500
AP: "1000"
In the Song of Hiawatha, the loving sighs of the southern Shawondazi wind destroyed this flower - the dandelion. AP+
PC: “Bravo!”
+1000 / +600 / +2500
2-100 at the beginning of the play was unrequitedly in love with Rosaline - Romeo. YAP+
5-100 “Communism off the coast of America” - they jokingly deciphered the name - “Cuba”. AA+
RESULTS OF THE FIRST ROUND: +1100 / +700 / +2500
SECOND ROUND: 1). Bridges; 2). Fly hunting; 3). Questions from...; 4). Spiritual matters; 5). Solar system; 6). Length.
6-600 is approximately equal to the length of a human step - the Russian measure is arshin. –
6-800 to calculate the circumference of a circle, you need to know the length of its radius. AP+
PC: “Remember the formula?”
AP: “If the length, then 2πr”
The diameter is exactly the same
5-600 asteroid number 274301 was named after the Internet encyclopedia - Wikipedia. YAP+
At the same time, in Russian Wikipedia they argued for a long time whether this asteroid has any significance for the article. These are such harsh rules...
1-800 Keshwa Chaka - the surviving (last) of the bridges built in the Incan Empire. AP+
5-800 Lada land, Snegurochka plain, Baba Yaga canyon - on the planet Venus. AA+
6-1000 auction.
+1700 / +1500 / +4100
AA: “All-in”
YP: “All-in”
AP: “Pass”
This modern competitive discipline was also included in the program of the ancient Olympics - now the record belongs to Mike Powell - long jump. YAP+
PC: “And the record is 8.95. 8 meters 95 centimeters"
+3400 / +1500 / +4100
4-800 Peter Njegos, canonized as Peter of Cetinje, ruled the country of Montenegro. YAP+
PC: “Cetina – historical capital Montenegro"
4-1000 there is a church “on the blood” in St. Petersburg and the Russian regional center – Yekaterinburg. YAP+
PC: “...At the site of the execution of the royal family”
2-800 Maestro, suspended from flights, took off without a command and shot down the Messer - Grasshopper (film “Only “old men” go into battle”). YAP+
2-1000 thanks to the fur membrane they fly up to 140 meters - the inhabitants of Southeast Asia are woolly wings. AP-
/AP: “These are flying squirrels”
PC: “This animal is called a “woolly wing” and has nothing to do with squirrels”/
There are also flying squirrels, and all flying squirrels are flying squirrels, in Southeast Asia - taguans (and the woolly wing has another name very similar - “kaguan”). In general, it somehow happened that in the region many animals decided to fly - there is also a flying dragon lizard, and flying frogs and even “flying” snakes (the latter only soften the fall a little, but this is good for the snake). But woolwings, of course, are the most sophisticated planners
1-1000 cat for AA. “To be remembered”, 1000.
For 60 years, millions of people have been visiting Anitkabir, the mausoleum of M.K. Ataturk, in Ankara. AA-
5-1000 in 4 years of work spotted more than a hundred planets outside solar system– space telescope – “Kepler”. AP+
/AP: “Unfortunately, two of his three gyroscopes are now out of order...”/
PC: “...Failed quite recently”
5-400 in the Voyager photograph from a distance of 6 billion km looks like a pale blue dot - the Earth. AP+
AP: “This photo is called “Pale Blue Dot””
6-200, the title of the smallest planet in the solar system passed from Pluto to Mercury. YAP+
4-600 the dark-skinned statue of the Savior was brought to Manila by a ship on which, according to legend, this happened - a fire. –
JP: “It’s logical...”
1-600 1982 - 200 students, hastily gathered in Ostankino, participated in the first event - a teleconference (USSR - USA). AP+
3-200 questions are asked by makeup artist Natalya Orekhova.
While checking the makeup of Josephine and Daphne, the director of the film Some Like It Hot forced them to go into the establishment - the women's restroom. AA+
PC: “Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis walked into a women’s establishment in women’s makeup, no one recognized them as men, and after that they started filming...”
3-600 if the actor’s lower eyelid is smeared with a special pencil, then the actor will do this and cry. AP+
PC: “...There is such a special tear pencil”
AP: “But according to Stanislavsky it’s not supposed to be like that!”
PC: “I know, I know... Well, what can you do. On some sets they shoot 15 takes..."
AP: “Well, yes”
PC: “...I went through this myself. Cry with your left eye 15 times..."
/Alexey Paevsky laughs/
PC: “...This, I think, is very difficult”
3-800 film “Spring”: “Medium plump, sexy number 4!” - about – lips. AP+
/AP: “Nowadays people don’t wear lips like that at all”/
3-400 special black varnish creates the illusion of a missing tooth. AP+
3-1000 adding talc, zinc oxide, chalk to starch - you get powder. YAP+
/SP: “Whitewash”
PC: “Whitewash?”
YP: “Well, powder”
PC: “Powder, yes, Yakov Moiseevich, powder”/
I doubt the validity of the offset
2-600 in the photo is a stag flying about two meters above the water - a stingray. AP+
PC: “Bravo!”
1-200 microdistrict Khimki and the transition bridge to the ship - Skhodnya. YAP+
2-400 were afraid of competition with brooms - J. Rowling: The Ministry of Magic banned the import into Britain - vehicles- flying carpets. AA+
PC: “Although they obviously haven’t read it or watched the movie”
6-400 Bible: building made of gopher wood 300 meters long - Noah's Ark. AP+
4-200 accompanied Muhammad during his ascension to heaven - the archangel - Gabriel (Gabriel). YAP+
Rotterdammers nicknamed 1-400 “swan”, and official name bridge - in honor of the great native - Erasmus of Rotterdam. –
4-400 Teffi: either they will crush the tail of a sacred cat, or they will point at a sacred dog, or they will eat a holy fly in borscht - the ancient Egyptians. YAP+
RESULTS OF THE SECOND ROUND: +8000 / +1100 / +7900
THIRD ROUND: 1). Factories; 2).I am sitting behind bars; 3). Spices; 4). What from what; 5). The Bears; 6). Stairs.
4-900 in the photo - S. Stockwell assembled a world map - from - microcircuits. AP+
As with the recent question about bottle cap paintings, I had a hard time making out any elements at all, let alone identifying them. It looks different from the player's table, right?
4-600 ugali, hominy, polenta are made from corn flour. YAP+
2-1200 During the Cold War, the 4 victorious powers jointly operated the prison in West Berlin - Spandau. YAP-
PC: “...In which Nazi criminals sentenced to the Nuremberg trials served their sentences”
2-1500 Louis XI called “daughters” - innovations in prisons - iron cages. –
1-1200 1922 - The Petrograd Knitting and Hosiery Factory received a new name with the order - “Red Banner”. –
From the wording of the question it can be understood that they did not just give an order and rename it, but named it after the order. Well, there was only one order back then. Not a bad question
1-1500 cat for AA. "Soups", 1500.
French bouillabaisse, Spanish gazpacho, Finnish lohikeitto, German bread soup - they are cooked in cast iron and left to steep for another day - lohikeitto. AA-
/AA: “Mmm...”
PC: “Let me remind you. French. German. Spanish gazpacho. Finnish"
AA: “Well, let there be gazpacho”
PC: “What are you talking about? “Gazpacho... uh, well, at least, it’s the most famous in Russia, of all these soups. Well, at least bouillabaisse and gazpacho – I, for example, have some idea of what they are, yes”/
Just having a general idea of what gazpacho is (“this is a special soup that is cold”), I also answered it. Plus, “Spanish gazpacho” among simply “French”, “German” and “Finnish” soups could seem like a clue
5-900 having got to the gypsies, he began to “go around the villages with a bear” - Pushkin’s hero - Aleko. AA+
5-1200 “Bear Circus” was created by V. Filatov. YAP+
PC: “Valentin Filatov, bravo!”
5-1500 taken under protection - bears from an island near Alaska - Kodiak. YAP+
6-1500 six confessions agreed not to change anything without common consent - in the temple - the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. YAP+
The staircase, which has stood on the cornice for two centuries, is a very interesting and fun fact, thanks to the editors! But I’ll grumble a little: the question is clearly cheaper
3-1200 the road in front of Nero was sprinkled with water and an expensive spice - saffron. –
Well, the Romans didn’t know many spices, plus it’s clear from the look that the raw material is floral
3-1500 Guatemala is ahead of even its homeland, India, in production - “green gold” - cardamom. –
4-1200 auction.
+11600 / +500 / +8800
YP: "8800"
PC: “Bravo, Yakov Moiseevich! Bravo"
This was made in Venice the purest sand from the Po River, or even imported - from Istria - Venetian glass. YAP-
/JP: “For the construction of this?”
PC: “Yakov Moiseevich, in my opinion, you are pretending to be deep in thought.”
JP: “Beaches”/
Judging by the word “structure”, Yakov initially misunderstood the question and imagined some kind of construction
+2800 / +500 / +8800
PC: “It’s a shame. Keep playing, don't be upset"
4-1500 from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts annually sent a steamship with rags to England, receiving paper back. AP+
6-900 century before last - the world's first escalator appeared in a New York park on Coney Island. YAP+
2-900 is now a museum and most popular place holidays near Cape Town - Robben Island. –
PC: "Very famous place"
1-900 auction.
+3700 / +500 / +10300
YP: “All-in”
PC: “Alexey, take a risk”
AP: “No”
PC: “We’re playing with Yakov Moiseevich. Let's try our luck again."
A century and a half ago, on the Menshikov estate near Klin, they began to make such toys - the factory still stands - Christmas tree toys. YAP-
/JP: “Uh, wooden, as far as I’m concerned... Locally they are called... Carved wooden...”
PC ( for a long time without interfering): “No, Yakov Moiseevich...”/
But this, IMHO, is a real complex auction, in which the answer may “click” if it is invented, but there are no obvious clues in its direction. This should be set at 1500 so that players understand where they are going..
By the way, it’s also interesting: how were toys made there during the New Year ban?
0 / +500 / +10300
3-900 region of Liberia, from where the Portuguese exported the melegetu pepper, to old maps called the Pepper Coast. YAP+
PC: “Bravo!”
Personally, I know it as Pepper Coast. Are both options correct, or did Pyotr Borisovich, delighted with the answer, not even bother to correct it?
5-600 in a house in the village of Jarfjord, a mother bear and three cubs destroyed sweets, washing them down with beer from cans. YAP+
2-600 sent academician of architecture A. Tomishko abroad to study prison affairs - the Ministry of Russia - the Ministry of Internal Affairs. AP+
6-600 at the third Odessa International Film Festival, “Lights” was shown with live music big city"- there - on the Potemkin Stairs. YAP+
/PC: “Odessa citizen, give an answer!”/
PC: “The answer was given by a man who lived most of his life in the city of Grodno”
Wow, I came up with a toast to Yakov Moiseevich: so that the part of life lived in Grodno, from a larger one, becomes much, much smaller!
1-600 The Romans used the word fabrica to describe a small enterprise - a workshop. –
One of those questions where the answer is approximately clear, but you don’t understand what word they want to hear...
3-600 is dried strips of bark - cinnamon. AA+
3-300 when growing “organic food”, they spray an infusion of hot pepper for the purpose of protecting against pests. AA+
PC: “...Instead of conventional insecticides, harmful ones”
5-300 is the “youngest” species of bear, separated from the brown one - polar bear. YAP-
PC: “...And this happened, according to biologists, from 150 to 250 thousand years ago”
AA: “Yesterday”
2-300 G. Efron called “Bottles” - Butyrka prison. AA+
PC: “As they used to say back then – “Butyrki””
4-300 at the Winter Smile festival in Arkhangelsk region managed to melt a stove made of snow. AP+
Cool!
6-300 drawing in a cave in Valencia, which is about 100 centuries old, is the ancestor of a ladder - a stepladder. AA+
RESULTS OF THE THIRD ROUND: +1800 / +2000 / +11200
Players remove topics:
JP: “It’s all rock and roll”
AA: “Moscow Museums”
AP: London
JP: “Everyone knows them”
AA: "Encyclopedias"
AP: “Signs”
The theme “Around the Music” is played
Tchaikovsky dedicated three for piano, violin and cello to his memory. And in the Great Hall of the Conservatory, his portrait occupies a central position - above the stage. Who are we talking about?
Yakov Podolny: answer “Rubinstein” - correct - bet 600 (2400)
Alexander Altshuller: answer “Cui” - incorrect - bet 2000 (0)
Alexey Paevsky: answer “Beethoven” is incorrect – bet 1000 (10200)
PC: “...I would like to remind you that Nikolai Rubinstein had a direct, if not the main, strictly speaking, relation to the creation of the Moscow State Conservatory - that’s why his portrait is in the very center, in the Great Hall...”
FINAL GAME SCORE: +2400 / 0 / +10200
FINAL TEAMS SCORE: +5700 / +4600 / +32400
Cumulative prize fund:
1st place: 361.423
2nd place: 151.534
3rd place: 52.711
N. DOMRINA
Be able to fly! From time immemorial, man dreamed of being free, subjugating air space. But, striving for flight, he managed to create for himself only “improvised” mechanisms. He has not yet managed to get into the air himself. Birds and even insects are predestined to be skilled flyers, since they rely on the lifting force of their wings and a lightweight skeleton. But it turns out that there are other inhabitants of the animal world, not equipped with anything special for flight, but capable of lifting themselves into the air and existing there for some time. A strange community of a wide variety of animal forms, including fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. The ability to actively fly, of course, is not typical for them. But they can float, glide through the air, and then land softly. And do it boldly, purposefully or, conversely, slowly, as if enjoying your magnificent skill. From leaping to gliding flight, there is a range of aerial exercises performed by these unusual and mostly not very well-known land creatures. This is probably how birds once began their flights, eventually conquering the expanse of heaven. But now we will talk about animals living in forests and trees. Jumping or, if you like, flying from one tree to another in search of food and shelter, these “smart” creatures simply save themselves the ascent and descent. In areas where the trees do not grow too closely, ordinary jumping from branch to branch was not enough. And I had to master gliding flights - both for life and for survival.
With the help of its fluffy tail, the squirrel “steers” in the air.
While in the air, the flying squirrel stretches its leathery membrane between its front and hind legs, which gives the hovering animal’s fur coat a very elegant look.
The flying dragon is a rarity among reptiles.
The three-phase flight of the flying squirrel can be revealed by multiple exposures.
Despite his great growth and the lack of special devices for flight, the sifaka from the island of Madagascar became the best aerial acrobat among his relatives - prosimians.
Having stretched the membranes between the fingers and toes, the flying frog borneo islands makes flights over short distances.
In flight - a folded gecko from South Asia.
Flying Dragon. This small lizard of the agamidae genus received its name for its unusual ability for gliding flight for reptiles. As a special device for moving through the air, flying dragons have something that somewhat resembles bird wings - two wide folds of skin. These folds are located on the sides of the body and are supported by the greatly elongated last five to seven false ribs, which provide the mobility of the dragon's "wings". In the normal state, the “wings” are folded and adjacent to the body; only in the air does the flying dragon spread them, like a braking parachute. Another pair of flat skin projections is located on the sides of the neck.
Flying dragons live in tropical forests, their main distribution areas are: the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sumatra, Borneo, South India. Most Dragons spend their lives in trees. They descend to the ground only to lay eggs or if the flight from tree to tree is unsuccessful, which, however, happens extremely rarely. As a rule, dragons climb the tops of trees. From there they jump down, then go into controlled gliding flight at a fairly high speed, sometimes changing direction in both the vertical and horizontal planes, and after a braking phase they land precisely “in a given area.” In open areas, flying dragons are able to travel 60 meters or more in the air, although, as a rule, their flight range still does not exceed 50 meters.
After landing, flying dragons immediately climb up the tree trunks again, devouring the insects living there along the way.
Flying dragons are rarely seen by people because they have adapted remarkably well to environment and know how to remain invisible.
Squirrels. Squirrels, of course, cannot keep up with the outstanding achievements of flying dragons in soaring in the air. They do not have a "sail", that very special device on the body that most good flyers have. But squirrels have learned to do without such special devices.
Jumping from tree to tree is vital for the squirrel: this is how it finds food and escapes from enemies. The squirrel does not make long, power jumps and, having chosen a target, reduces to a minimum the distance between the starting point and the “greeting” point. For jumping, squirrels use the outer area of the crown, jumping from the thinnest branches that can barely support their weight. Therefore, it is quite possible to say that proteins travel through the air purposefully. The steering wheel is the tail. Having fluffed it up, the squirrel slows down free fall, keeping in a given direction. However, despite this, squirrel jumps always take place with a significant loss of height.
Flying squirrels. In terms of living space and food needs, those living in Asia, Europe and North America Flying squirrels are almost no different from ordinary squirrels. They also live in forests, they are the same nutcrackers and fruit lovers, they are just as curious, playful and good-looking. But when it comes to the ability to fly, there are significant differences. Despite all their acrobatic walks through the treetops, ordinary squirrels cannot stand any comparison with flying squirrels.
The advantage of flying squirrels is the presence of a leathery membrane. It is located between the front and hind legs and, at rest, surrounds the body of the animal, like a coat. In preparation for flight, the flying squirrel protrudes special cartilages or crescent-shaped bones on its wrists, which stretch the membrane.
In a weightless gliding flight, the dwarf squirrel (its body length is maximum 15 centimeters, weight 70 grams) flies 50 meters. The flying rodent regulates its flight altitude, direction and speed by raising and lowering its “arms”, as well as using its long fluffy tail.
The largest among the flying squirrels is the giant flying squirrel, or taguan.
Its body length is more than 60 centimeters, its tail is the same length. In flight, the animal resembles a small airship. Like all flying squirrels, it is active mainly at night. Prefers to feed on foliage. Taguan often takes up residence near humans: in gardens, in bird houses or on the roofs of houses. But he behaves so secretly that almost no one notices him.
Geckos. These prehensile-footed lizards are widely known for climbing upside down steep slopes thanks to microscopic bristles on their toes. There are half a million of these bristles on each paw, and each bristle is also covered with tiny hairs. Geckos are found throughout the tropics and subtropics.
Of course, someone born to crawl cannot fly. And most of the 670 species of geckos adhere to this rule. Only the Madagascar flat-tailed gecko and the South Asian lobed-tailed gecko are at risk of undertaking short-distance gliding flights. Their ability to fly is provided by wide folds of skin bordering the body and legs, and a flat leathery fringe on the sides of the tail.
Frogs. When talking about frogs, people think about their ability to swim and jump, but hardly about their ability to fly. However, the Borneo flying frog and its related tree frog can do it. Both have highly developed membranes between their fingers and toes that expand in the air and significantly reduce the speed of falling. The tree frog, whose body length is about 7 centimeters, can cover a distance of several meters in gliding flight.
Snakes. There are many adventure stories about reptiles, but flying snakes don't account for many pages. Only the ornate tree snake and the common ornamental snake from South Asia can fly. These snakes throw themselves down from a height of 15-20 meters of coconut trees. During the jump, the snake flattens its body in a horizontal plane, strongly drawing in its stomach. At the same time, the abdominal and caudal scutes, equipped on the sides with a sharp longitudinal keel, form a small air cushion, which slows down the free fall so much that fragile animals do not receive damage when they hit an obstacle.
The decorated tree snake performs its airborne exercise when it eats all the lizards and geckos on the palm tree where it sits. Having moved to another tree, the snake again rushes into the depths of the branches.
Marsupial flying squirrels. Australia's climbing marsupials took to the air in three different forms: the pygmy flying cuscus, the marsupial flying squirrel and the giant flying cuscus (aka the great flying glider).
Among all the flying marsupials, even in its homeland, the Australian dwarf flying cuscus is a perfect baby, since this acrobatic is barely the size of a mouse. Despite the fact that he is not afraid of being close to a person, no one knows who is hunting insects in the garden in the middle of the night.
Much more noticeable are marsupial flying squirrels, like all flying marsupials with typical membranes on the sides of the body. As if on an inflatable pillow, these by no means rare cat-sized marsupials glide at a distance of up to 50 meters. And it happens that mothers fly with children on their backs or babies in a bag.
Even more impressive than the marsupial flying squirrel is the giant flying cuscus, its body length reaches 50 centimeters. True, it does not belong to the squirrel marsupial, but to the koala family. In marsupial squirrels, membranes are found on the outer fingers, while in “giants” they are membraned only on the elbows. This determines the different flight trajectory: for flying squirrels it is rather rectangular, for giant couscous it is closer to triangular.
Prosimians. Among lemurs, the most diverse family of prosimians in Madagascar, sifakas (or crested indris) are absolute masters of jumping and flying. When traveling by air, they rely not on an airbag or sailing equipment, but only on the strength of their legs. Head first, the sifaka quickly flies from trunk to trunk and from branch to branch. Jumping 10 meters or more is not uncommon for him.
Woolwings. These animals, native to Southeast Asia, stand isolated from all mammals. Their "flight suit" consists of a dense, fur-covered membrane that connects the neck, fore and hind limbs, and tail.
Woolly wings live in trees in tropical and equatorial forests. Having climbed into the upper part of the crown, they rush into the air and silently soar, almost without losing height. They easily fly between trees growing from one another at a distance of up to 70 meters. And the maximum flight range of woolly wings is 130-140 meters, while the loss of height is only 10-12 meters.
We will continue the story about unusual flyers next time.
Based on materials from the magazine "Das Tier" (Germany).If you hear a contented grunt in the Philippine forest, this does not necessarily mean that a big-faced piglet is hiding in the foliage. A very similar sound is made by the binturong, a rare inhabitant of Asian forests. He doesn't always grunt, but only when he's happy with something. If the bear is not happy, then it emits alarming cries. Bearcats are nocturnal and move along branches using their long tail. Bearcats feed on eggs, leaves and other vegetation. Sometimes it can dine on small chicks. In captivity, it lives for about 20 years. On the island of Palawan, in the zoo near Puerto Princessa, you can see these funny little bears.
Flying lemurs live in the Philippines - one of the most amazing animals on the planet.
The flying lemur is a very original animal living in the countries of Southeast Asia. It does not have wings, however, it can fly up to 100 meters in one jump. Like ordinary lemurs, the flying lemur is engaged in flights and other active life activities at night, and during the day he sleeps, tenderly hugging some tree. The head of a flying lemur is somewhat reminiscent of a dog, but the body is very similar to a flying Canadian squirrel. In Mindanao, flying lemurs are called "kagwangs". Representatives of this rare family of animals live in Malaysia.
An ordinary kagwang weighs from one to two kilograms. He has small ears and huge eyes to help him see better at night. Its membrane stretches from the front paws to the tail. She helps the flying lemur escape from all sorts of predators, including the Philippine eagle.
The flying lemur is found in Basilan, Leyte, Samar, Bohol and Mindanao. The population of kagwangs in our time is not counted, however, the Philippine government included the flying lemur in the list of endangered animals on the planet and banned its commercial use.
Philippine tarsier, or maomag
The ghost tarsier (Tarsius spectrum) is a tiny animal that lives on several islands in the southern Philippine archipelago and is an endemic and critically endangered primate species.
Tarsiers have lived on Earth for at least 45 million years and are one of the oldest animal species in the Philippines. Tarsiers were once widespread in Europe, Asia and North America, but now they can only be found in remote corners of the planet. The size of an adult tarsier is comparable to the length of a human finger
The dimensions of the Philippine tarsier are small; the body of an adult animal (except for the tail) is no larger than the width of a human palm, about 100 mm. The tarsier's tail is longer than the body. The average weight of males is about 134 g, females - 117 g.
The first thing that attracts attention in the appearance of tarsiers is their disproportionately huge eyes, adapted for hunting in the night forest. The tarsier's rounded head can rotate more than 180 degrees in both directions, meaning the tarsier can easily look behind itself. The ears are also very mobile, almost always in motion. The tarsier has facial muscles on its “face”; it can change the expression of its cute little face, which makes the animal very “human”.
The tarsier's fur is thick and silky, from grayish to dark brown. The long hairless tail is used for balance. The toes on both the front and hind limbs are developed and very long. The ends of the fingers are flattened, forming pads designed for climbing tree branches. All fingers, with the exception of the second and third, have flat nails; the second and third have sharp claws, used by the animal when combing its fur. The fingers in the hand are not truly opposable, but when climbing, the tarsier grasps the branch, leaving the thumb behind.
The hind limbs are more developed, the ankles of the “legs” are elongated. The tarsier can jump sharply and far both when in danger and when moving from tree to tree. The length of the jump can be several meters (and this is for such a baby)!
If a tarsier is very dissatisfied with something, it emits a thin squeak. With the help of their voice, tarsiers can communicate, communicate the boundaries of their territories and call partners, but in general it is noted that tarsiers use their voices much less often compared to other primates. The maximum recorded lifespan of the Philippine tarsier is 13.5 years (in captivity).
Cynomolgus macaque
The cynomolgus macaque - Macaca fascicularis - is a medium-sized monkey. Body length is from 40 to 60-65 cm. The weight of an adult male is 4 - 8.5 kg, females 2.5 - 3.7 kg. The tail is about half a meter long, the limbs are short. The coat is gray with a greenish tint, there is a dark crest on the head, and light mustaches and sideburns are characteristic. Reproduce all year round. This species is famous for the fact that individuals living near sea coasts, are able to dive in rivers and lagoons in search of crabs and other edible marine life, for this they are often called crabeater macaques. Some individuals can even kill large crabs on land with stone blows. Monkeys of this species have well-developed cheek pouches in which food is carried. The basis of the diet consists of leaves, grass, insects, young shoots, and flowers. In search of food, macaques raid rice plantations. Cynomolgus monkeys are not as aggressive as other macaques.
Pilandok, Palawan mouse deer
Pilandok, Palawan mouse deer- Tragalus nigricans - an adult weighs only 2 kg, about 40 centimeters at the withers, this is the smallest ungulate. Its other name is kancil. Contrary to its name, this deer is not a member of the deer family. Males do not have horns. For self-defense, it uses the fangs on its upper jaw.
The body is similar to a hare, the fur is brown and white. A dark line runs from each ear past the eyes to the nose. The legs are slender, the size of a pencil, with small hooves at the end. The most notable feature is the pig's conical snout.
Pilandok is a solitary nocturnal animal that feeds at night on leaves, fruits, flowers, branches, shrubs and other vegetation in forests or near mangrove swamps. During the day, it remains in the forest, often spending long periods of time motionless, sometimes resting in the branches of low trees. An extremely territorial animal. Marks territory with urine, feces, and secretions from the gland under the chin.
Philippine sambar
Philippine deer, or Filipino sambar- Cervus philippinus or Rusa marianna is larger than the Philippine spotted one, and its fur is dark, black-brown, without any spots.
Philippine sika deer
The Philippine spotted deer - Cervus alfredi - is a close relative of the sambar. Its fur is a rich dark brown color with yellowish-white spots. Height at the withers is 71 cm. The species is found on most islands of the Philippine archipelago.
The largest wild animal in the Philippines is the Tamoro bull.
Tamoro bulls are rare animals found only on the island of Mindoro. Outwardly, they are similar to carabaos living in other countries of Southeast Asia. Such a bull weighs about 300 kilograms. Its distinctive feature is the ability to climb up almost vertical mountain ledges. Once such a bull was discovered at an altitude of 2 kilometers above sea level. Most often, Tamoros like to graze somewhere in the vicinity of a water source.
Buffalo carabao
The Philippines holds a water buffalo (carabao) festival. At this time, residents carefully clean the buffaloes, shave, cut their hair, massage them with aromatic oils and put on crowns of flowers. Each family then proudly brings the groomed buffaloes to the square in front of the church, which results in a colorful procession decorated with flowers, fruits and plants of a wide variety of colors. The clergy bless the buffaloes, wishing them good health in the coming year. It’s also interesting to see how the buffaloes “take up the dirt” again.
Eastern clawless otter
Eastern clawless otter (Aonyx cinerea - It is slightly less than 1 m in length (including tail), weighing up to 5.5 kg. It is usually dark brown in color. Otters of this genus have unusually reduced claws on both pairs of limbs. They look like fingernails. The front feet are hand-like and partially webbed, with toes used for catching prey, a feature not found in other otter species.
bearded pig
The bearded pig - Sus barbatus - is the same size as a wild boar, or slightly smaller (body length 100-160 cm, weight about 100 kg), but relatively taller. It got its name from the elongated light bristles that frame the muzzle from the corners of the mouth almost to the ears. The body is covered with sparse bristles, through which the gray or grayish-pink body is visible.
Kaguan, or woolly wing
Woolwings - Dermoptera - are mammals capable of flight (or rather, gliding) at a distance of up to 140 m. Gliding is carried out due to the “wing” - a fur-covered membrane connecting the limbs, tail and neck of animals. The Philippines is home to an endemic species, the Philippine woolly winged lemur, also known as the caguan or “flying lemur.” Body length (without tail) up to 42 cm, weight - 1.7 kg.
Fruit bats (flying foxes)
Fruit bats (flying foxes) - Pteropodidae - reach large sizes: body length up to 42 cm and wingspan up to 1.7 m (flying foxes). However, there are also small nectar- and pollen-eating forms measuring only 5-6 cm, with a wingspan of 24 cm. Weight varies from 15 to 900 g. The tail is short, underdeveloped or absent; only in long-tailed fruit bats (Notopteris) is it relatively long. Fruit bats are active at night and at dusk. The day is spent in the crowns of trees, under the eaves of roofs, in caves, and less often in large hollows. There may be no permanent shelter, as fruit bats migrate in search of food. They can make flights of up to 15 km from their daytime sites to their feeding sites, and in total fly up to 90-100 km per night. Small species are solitary; large ones usually accumulate in large groups during the day. Thus, palm fruit bats (Eidolon) sometimes form noisy settlements of up to 10,000 individuals even in major cities. Some species are active during the day. When resting, the fruit bat usually hangs upside down, clinging with its sharp claws to a branch or to an uneven surface of the cave ceiling; sometimes hangs on one leg. The body is wrapped in wide leathery wings, like in a blanket; in hot weather he fans himself with them like a fan. Fruit bats, as a rule, do not hibernate.
Dugong, sea cow
Dugong - Dugong dugong - an aquatic mammal, body length up to 4 m, weight up to 600 kg. The name "dugong" comes from the Malay duyung, meaning "mermaid", "sea maiden". The small, sedentary head turns into a massive spindle-shaped body, which ends in a horizontal caudal fin. The head is small, round, on a short neck. There are no auricles. The eyes are small, deep-set. The nostrils are shifted upward more than in other sirens; equipped with valves that close under water. The muzzle appears chopped off; ends with fleshy lips hanging down. The two blades of its tail are separated by a wide central notch and pointed at the ends. It is on the verge of extinction and is listed in the International Red Book. Can be found in the Philippines (usually in the province of Palawan).
Africa in miniature
Extinct animals
With the discovery of fossil animals in the last century, scientists believe that elephants, rhinoceroses and stegodons (pygmy elephants) lived in the Philippines. Two species of elephant and one species of rhinoceros have been identified, namely Elaphas beyeri, Elaphas namadicus and Rhinoceros philippinensis. Four species of Stegodon are found in the Philippines: Stegodon trigonocephalus, Stegodon luzonensis, Stegodon sinensis and Stegodon mindanensis.
With a set of groups in the Celestial Empire, in Lately, things were not going particularly well, and God himself ordered me to move further to the south and east in my study of the Asian part of the world.
The route I chose is as follows:
Novosibirsk - Vladivostok - Singapore - Manila - Palawan Island (Philippines) - Hong Kong - Macau - Novosibirsk.
It (the route) began to look exactly like this due to numerous air ticket sales.
For example, the Vladivostok - Singapore section, with a transfer in Hong Kong, cost me only 10,000 rubles. Well, how can we resist here? Other flights were also pampered with low prices. Flying within Asia is generally cheap. You just need to catch one of the sales on local low-cost airlines, and for this, in turn, you need to constantly monitor the websites of several airlines for a long time.
Singapore.
In my opinion, everything has already been written about this miracle city. I will voice my opinion about my three-day stay in this city-state.
I did not apply for a visa, since 96-hour visa-free transit is provided for Russian citizens. In principle, this time is enough to explore the main attractions of Singapore.
I would like to especially mention Singapore Airlines. I flew the Hong Kong - Singapore flight on the largest Airbus A-380. It's a real pleasure to fly. The level of comfort in the local "economy class" is far superior to our domestic "business class" in everything.
In my opinion, the claim that Singapore is a very clean city is a bit overstated. The city center is polished, but once you visit the Indian Quarter, everything will become clear. Dirt and stink.
Everyone smokes only in designated places. These places can be identified by the presence of an urn in them. Somehow unusual and wild!
Prices in Singapore are very high for everything. After China, it was very unpleasant for me to pay 15-20 singa dollars (1 dollar - 27 rubles) for lunch or dinner. And this is in a regular diner. I didn’t drink beer at all, because 250 rubles for a can of this drink is a crazy price!!!
Where have I been...
Sightseeing tour by bus around the city, took a ride on the local Ferris wheel, the “Magic Gardens” of Marina Bay, the beaches of Sentosa Island, where I reached by boat cable car, and, of course, the Singapore casino!
The casino at the Marina Bay hotel left the most pleasant impressions. This is both the setting and the result of the Poker Game. I won’t announce the winning amount, but Singapore cost me free...
By the way... Not a bad option for traveling. I came, admired the sights, rested, played in the casino, won, and left with my own people. But for this option, the main thing is the latter... It depends on your luck.
Also caught in the local type of rain! This is certainly SOMETHING... A solid wall of water falling from the sky! It rains every evening in Singapore!
Well, a couple of photos for the crowd.
