Interesting facts about animal behavior. These ten animals have very unusual behavior
Animals are funny creatures. Sometimes their behavior not only surprises, but literally discourages us, intelligent creatures. Looking at them, we sincerely do not understand and are surprised: what is the reason for such strange behavior? We present to you 25 animals whose actions, as it turns out, are quite explainable... although this does not mean that they are not strange.
Fainting goats
In one of our articles we already talked about this unusual phenomenon, like a certain breed of goat fainting (). These household dwellers may fall for no reason, remaining unconscious for about ten seconds. The reason for this is “muscle panic”, which paralyzes the animal.
Winged kamikaze
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India. Jatinga village. Hundreds of birds flock here on moonless nights... to meet own death. Superstitious residents, frightened by such strange habits, came up with their own method of getting rid of the feathered guests: they kill them with spears, the result is a kind of rain of birds... a gloomy sight, I must say. But local residents refuse to believe that birds simply lose their orientation due to natural anomalies, considering them harbingers of trouble.
Drill cows
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To eat, these large-horned animals line up in a row, strictly in one direction. Scientists, as usual, do not see any mysticism in this, although scientific explanation this phenomenon has not yet been found.
Whales switch from baritone to bass: what's the reason?
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Over the past 40 years, scientists have noticed that the pitch of whales' voices has decreased significantly. Different theories: from global warming to noise pollution. But... there are a lot of assumptions, but there is no exact answer.
Animal superpowers
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Since ancient times, animals have been noticed to have an amazing “sense” natural disasters. This is especially true for earthquakes. Many researchers explain this as a mere coincidence, but the fact remains that individual species representatives of our fauna sense the onset of an earthquake in their gut, if one can say so about animals.
Smoking and animals: is it possible?
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It is completely unclear: who and for what purpose introduced the orangutan Tory to such a harmful habit as smoking, but such an experiment clearly demonstrated that animals can also have bad habits. Now if this Indonesian orangutan is not given a cigarette, he becomes aggressive.
Human fight
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All animals are fond of fighting, especially in mating season. But chimpanzees, who are already closest to humans in their habits, know how to fight, as they say, using tactics, using the effect of surprise.
Who's eating who?
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Everyone knows that there are herbivores. Let's tell you a secret: some representatives of the flora themselves are not averse to feasting on the meat of some animal. For example, sarracenia regularly eats careless beetles and other insects. Sometimes even birds and small rodents fall into the “paws” of this flower.
Teenage elephant aggression
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In Africa, scientists have noticed strange behavior teenage elephants. For unknown reasons, these animals sought out and killed several rhinoceroses at once. Zoologists tried to create some kind of program in which young animals are under the patronage of older individuals... I must say, it worked!
Herbivores who are tired of the vegetarian lifestyle
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Sudden predation occurs at times in some herbivores. What is this? Changing of the climate? Air pollution? What makes cows and sheep, no, no, and even eat their own kind? Scientists say that the reason is a lack of microelements and essential vitamins in plant foods. So you come to milk your cow, and at that moment she doesn’t have enough vitamins in her body... brr.
What to do if the “father of the family” did not come forward?
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...Lay big eggs! This is exactly what a bird called . But what is the connection? Ornithologists believe that in a large egg the chick gets more space and nutrients... so to speak, it will not be beautiful, but it will have excellent health. This is “compensation”.
And bloody tears are dripping from my eyes...
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This is not a quote from a horror movie script, this is an ordinary protective reflex that nature has endowed toad-like lizards with.
Dead but not forgotten
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Elephants, it turns out, like people, tend to honor the memory of their deceased brothers. They regularly come to the graves of their relatives, and also “mourn” a dead elephant when the body has not yet been buried.
Reverse speed is "priority"
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There are such underground inhabitants, whose name is bald mole rats. Their entire existence is impenetrable darkness, so nature decided that they had no need for sight. But in exchange for this mysterious creatures the speed of “reverse” was granted, which was in no way inferior to the speed when moving forward.
Underground hazing
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Let’s not deviate from the topic of mole rats, because scientists observe another incomprehensible property in them: in a colony of these animals, only one, the most important, female can have offspring. What about the rest of the females? The evil “leader” organizes real “hazing” for fragile females, constantly bullying them. As a result of such endless stress, other females cannot become pregnant, much less bear cubs.
Grudge crows
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These birds, as it turns out, can remember human faces, especially those people who caused them inconvenience or even offended them in some way. But even if the offender dies, after his death " holy war“his descendants continue... it turns out that revenge is inherited? Scientists have yet to prove this fact.
Wild dances
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Martens are ordinary predatory animals with an extraordinary desire for... dancing. When these animals are excited, they begin to make absolutely crazy “steps”, which look like sharp jumps strictly in a sideways direction.
Torture to death
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Representatives of the superfamily of ichneumonoid riders are endowed with such strange qualities of real flayers. These insects lay their eggs in living caterpillars. But their bullying does not end there; the insidious insects paralyze the caterpillar and, while it is still alive, eat away all its insides.
An original way to flirt
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This innovation was invented by hippos. These animals, in order to attract a partner, simultaneously “go to the toilet” in both “small” and “big” ways. As you can see, everyone has their own parameters of attractiveness.
Weird mom
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Female Histiostoma Murchiei ticks do not require a male partner to reproduce. These arachnids have adapted to lay eggs without fertilization. But this is not the most surprising thing. Grown up males, the children of this same female, become for her... mating partners. After the female's goal is achieved, she simply eats her sons without a twinge of conscience.
Is alcoholism the preserve of primates?
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It turns out that alcoholics are not only among people. Scientists have discovered that vervet monkeys, native to the island of St. Kitts, regularly feed on sugar cane. Having become addicted to “strong drinks,” these monkeys began to steal alcohol from tourists visiting the country.
Acrobatics - a remedy for enemies
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To scare a predator, the spotted skunk... no, it doesn't. bad smell, and does a handstand. An original method, but apparently it helps him.
Zombie cows
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Recently in Switzerland a truly incredible event. Local cows committed mass suicide. They just got together, walked up to the cliff and rushed there. If only scientists would quickly find out what the reason was, what if there is something in the air that can have a similar effect on people?
Death loop
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Among ants there is a special group that is blind. These insects move using the scent of a fellow in front. Sometimes a colony of mole rats forms a vicious circle when moving, and then these eternal travelers are doomed to death. They will walk in circles until they die from loss of strength and hunger.
Supersonic shrimp
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Fantastic animal? No - an ordinary sea resident. Just with some, so to speak, deviations from the norm. To stun prey, this “drummer” beats its claws loudly and incredibly quickly. The sound created by the acoustic wave is incredibly loud, so no potential victim can resist such a “percussion instrument.” Scientists have found that during this “drum concert,” the temperature of the water at the site of the click momentarily becomes close to the temperature of the surface of the Sun.
There are many more in the world amazing facts related to animals, we will tell you about them in our next articles.
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Animals are capable of expressing their feelings opposite sex in ways that are surprising to them. And some of them are cunning and deceive members of their own species.
Animal behavior plays important role in their adaptation to their environment. As a result of evolution, they acquire behavioral patterns that successfully help them survive. In this case, behavior during the life of one individual can be divided into congenital and acquired. In the latter case, an example would be training a dog and following its human commands.
But in general, behavior is a complex process. It is usually controlled by the brain. At the same time, most of the actions in the animal world are aimed at obtaining food, escape from danger, reproduction and survival in harsh conditions. But sometimes the behavior established by natural reflexes and instincts deviates from habitual by nature framework, and can be quite surprising. Animals are capable of expressing their feelings to the opposite sex in ways that are amazing to them. And some of them are cunning and deceive members of their own species. At the same time, oddities and unexpected reactions can be noticed even in the most ordinary worms!
- Naked mole rat. Nature has gifted this one small rodent the ability to be forever young. Even in the wild, he is able to live more than 30 years, while remaining the same in health as at birth. The naked mole rat is not sensitive to pain, be it cold, cuts or splashes of acid. Moreover, this only mammal, living in a flock according to the principle of eusociality, like bees in a hive. In the pack naked mole rats there is a queen, scouts and gatherers. In this case, only the queen produces offspring, and the rest of the community members lose their ability to reproduce.
- Dung-beetle. These beetles spend almost their entire lives among animal excrement. Manure completely satisfies all their vital needs. This is food, housing for their larvae, and shelter from predators.
- Cuckoo. These birds throw their eggs into other people's nests. The cuckoo marks the time of the appearance of a clutch of eggs in the nest of the selected bird and regulates the pace of development own egg, periodically placing it in cold water. When the time is right, the cuckoo waits for the right moment and throws the egg into the nest of another bird. The behavior of cuckoo chicks also leaves much to be desired. Having hatched, they often throw their “foster parents” chicks out of the nest.
- Brown trout. The females of this fish imitate orgasm in 70% of mating acts. Did you think only human women could do this? The deception is justified by preserving the eggs for a large and attractive male. If he ignores the female's attention, she returns to the more inconspicuous male.
- Zebra amandina. These are surprisingly loyal birds to their partner. Their behavior is determined at the genetic level. If a female finch gets a weak male, she lays large eggs so that his genetics are not passed on to the offspring.
- Adelie Penguin. These birds have the most beautiful marriage ritual in the animal world. The male even gives the female a stone as a gift, like a groom giving a ring to his beloved. As a sign of the seriousness of his intentions, the male brings a stone to his beloved. If the female accepts the gift, she sings a song to him, and the pair retires to the nest.
- Bowerbirds. The behavior of the males of this bird is very interesting. To attract the opposite sex, male bowerbirds build a nest shaped like a hut and compete with each other in decorating it. Birds group decorative elements in the idea of pebbles, candy wrappers, feathers by color and combine shades with each other. At the same time, the youngsters learn to build and properly decorate a “house” so that capricious “ladies” will like it, watching more experienced males. Another one characteristic Shalashnikov - meanness. They may envy their more talented relatives. Cunning bowerbirds can wait until the owner leaves the nest and destroy the entire structure.
- Toad lizard. These reptiles have developed a curious defense mechanism against coyote attacks. When meeting a predator, these lizards turn to face it and release streams of blood in its direction from the glands in the corners of their eyes, and then take off running.
- Elephants. Elephants' behavior is very similar to human behavior. The most striking thing is their emotional side. They not only mourn their dead relatives, but also know how to bury them. Moreover, they visit burial sites and can stand at the “grave” for several hours, making mournful sounds.
- Flatworms. These invertebrate animals are hermaphrodites. To find out who will play the role of male and female, they arrange the so-called “penis fencing”. The one who hits the opponent with the genitals will play the role of father, and the loser will bear the offspring and take care of them.
Animals are unpredictable - mainly because they speak a different "language". However, to some extent, the behavior of most animals is relatively similar. However, there are some animal habits that can range from incredibly cool to truly scary. From a shrimp that can create supersonic pops underwater to goats that faint in surprise, here are 25 weird animal habits you didn't know about!
25. Goats fainting
Fainting or myotonic goats are domestic goats whose muscles freeze completely for about 10 seconds as they panic. This usually results in the goat falling on its side.
24. Kamikaze birds
On the dark, moonless nights of September and October, hundreds of birds fall to their deaths in the village of Jatinga, India. However, contrary to some rumors, birds do not actually throw themselves to the ground. They are usually killed by superstitious locals. Scientists believe that some combination of factors environment disorients the birds and they fly towards the light of the village. Several attempts have been made to explain to the local population that the birds do them no harm.
23. All cows look in the same direction when grazing.
Usually cows choose one of two directions, either north or south. Scientists still don't know why they do this.
22. Whale voices get deeper every year
The decrease is only a few hertz, but over the past 40 years, virtually all whale songs have become deeper over time. Several theories have been put forward about this, including noise pollution and global warming.
21. Predicting earthquakes
From worms to dogs, many animal species appear to have this “superpower,” which has been documented since Ancient Greece. Moreover, some species can predict an earthquake a week before the actual event. As usual, we don't know what explains this ability, and some scientists even deny its existence, claiming that it is just a coincidence.
20. Smoking
Yes, even animals can buy this bad habit, as in the case of Tori, the Indonesian orangutan. Zoo staff even have to calm her down if she doesn't get her daily dose of nicotine.
19. Warring chimpanzees
Most animals fight, but chimpanzees do it in a particularly humane way. They carry out raids, use various tactics and seize territories.
18. Carnivorous plants
Carnivorous plants typically feed on beetles and insects. However, sometimes they even feed on rodents and birds.
17. Troubled teenagers
For the past few decades, young elephants across Africa have been finding and killing rhinos for unknown reasons. The rangers decided to introduce a "big brother" program, in which young elephants were paired with older elephants, which was supposed to prevent difficult teenagers from running amok. Surprisingly, the program worked and the number of rhino deaths decreased.
16. Predatory herbivores
Plants aren't the only unexpected predators. Some herbivores, such as cows and sheep, can adopt a carnivorous diet if their food is lacking in nutrients.
15. Compensation for deformity
Zebra finches tend to lay slightly larger eggs when their mate is considered less attractive. According to some guesses, additional nutrients and space for growth must compensate bad genes father.
14. Blood spatter
Spattering of blood in the form defense mechanism This is already quite a strange phenomenon, but toad lizards also do this from their eyes!
13. Grief and funeral
Elephants exhibit rather human-like rituals associated with death and the dead. For example, they have been observed to regularly visit burial sites, bury dead elephants, and even grieve for a while near the bodies of their dead relatives.
12. Running backwards
Completely blind naked mole rats can run backwards at the same speed as running forwards.
11. Underground badasses
While we're on the topic of naked mole rats, the queen naked mole rat is the only female in the colony that can have offspring. Why? She is aggressive towards other females, causing them stress and thus preventing the possibility of them having offspring.
10. Holding a grudge
Crows have the ability to remember people's faces and, apparently, if they don't like you, they won't forget you. Scientists who captured several ravens for research found that the birds constantly made noise when one of them entered the laboratory. Using masks, they discovered that the crows actually held a grudge against the people who caught them. What's even more interesting is that the raven chicks then also treated those same people poorly.
9. War dance of ferrets
When excited, ferrets perform several strange jumps.
8. Torture of animals
True riders find prey (usually a caterpillar), lay their eggs in the victim's body, paralyze it and then eat it alive. The worst thing about this is that the wasps first eat the fat deposits and digestive organs. This keeps the caterpillar alive for as long as possible.
7. Fecal attraction
Hippos attract mates by urinating and defecating at the same time.
6. Making a Husband
Histiostoma murchiei, a female mite, lays eggs without fertilization. When her sons grow up, she mates with them, after which the sons soon die.
5. Alcoholic monkeys
On the island of St. Kitts, vervet monkeys developed a taste for alcohol thanks to centuries of eating fermented sugar cane. Recently
Overall, the animal kingdom is a fairly practical world. Animals have to be practical, given that they the main task is to survive. When you're worried about how you'll find your next meal, whether or not you'll be able to pass on your genes to the young, and what's lurking around the corner to eat you, there's simply no time for creativity. However, there are certain types animals that behave absolutely extraordinary. Some of their actions shock scientists, while others puzzle them. Below is a list of ten examples mysterious behavior animals that scientists cannot explain.
10 Fur seals mating with penguins
In 2006, researchers observing the endemic species of Marion Island in Antarctica saw something that puzzled them - a fur seal was trying to mate with a king seal. They noted the incident in their study, but considered it an unusual and unique incident. At the time, they thought it was an accident, maybe a Navy SEAL's game that turned weird, or that he was in a mood before eating.
However, in Lately Representatives from the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, have noticed that it is happening again. And again. And again. Such attempts are always cruel and at least in one case ended with a fur seal killing and eating a penguin.
Until 2006 seals and their closely related species have never been seen attempting to mate with anything other than themselves own classification, so it seems as if they are learning this somewhere. Scientists have been carefully monitoring the island for 30 years and have almost thoroughly studied not only the island itself, but also all its inhabitants. That is why this sudden and strange behavior truly puzzled scientists.
There are several theories about what's going on. However, they are all just guesses. The lack of females on the beach may cause young males to direct their attention elsewhere, however, typical reasons arousing desire In this case, there is no chance of mating with another species. In some cases, interspecific mating can lead to hybrid young, as in the case of mules, but in this case it is absolutely impossible.
9. Collective apathy of baboons
In 2013, the usually restless colony of baboons at the Emmen Zoo in the Netherlands was struck strange case mass hysteria. They stopped all their usual antics: games, fights, greeting their caretakers. They just sat down and sat in silence.
The strange event began with a huge outbreak of chaos, which suddenly stopped. One group sat high in a tree and refused to do anything, and the apathy spread throughout the entire colony. This is not the first time this has happened. In 1994, 1997 and 2007, similar cases of mass apathy occurred with other groups of baboons. During the previous incident, they were all sitting motionless in their enclosure, looking in the same direction. They did not eat or communicate with each other. They just sat there. Nothing like this has happened in any other zoo. The event was also not associated with a unique quality or character trait of the dominant member of the pack, since in all these cases the leaders of the colony were different.
Very slowly the baboons began to emerge from their trance state. The young baboons began to fool around again, the older ones took up their parental duties and gradually they all began to look for food again.
There are many theories about what exactly causes this condition in baboons. The reason may be insignificant, for example, small earthquakes or a random fright from the fact that one of the visitors came wearing a T-shirt that was scary for them. Despite the abundance of such theories, none of them have been proven. And the baboons at the Emmen Zoo have already returned to their usual activities at this time.
8. Changes in blue whale songs
For decades, scientists have been recording the songs of blue whales in the ocean. However, on this moment something strange is happening not with the songs themselves, but with the whales. Every year their voices become deeper and deeper.
The tone changes so dramatically that the scientists recording the songs have to readjust their equipment every year to make sure they are able to record the songs. Recorders turn on when they detect a certain frequency, and that frequency changes.
This is happening all over the world. And not with one certain group whales, and with whales in all oceans. The whales' singing voices are becoming deeper and deeper. Scientists first noticed changes in their tone in the 1960s, and since then the whales' tone has deepened by about 30 percent.
Nobody knows why this happens. Some think this is due to the need to overcome competing ocean noises that have increased over the past few decades, while others believe it may be a response to changes in water temperature, water composition or climate in general. Perhaps this behavior is related to changes in the whale population or the way they choose mating partners. Nobody can say for sure.
7. Chickens that change their sex
There are several species of animals that change sex, usually when there is no member of the opposite sex in the population. In this case, changing gender makes sense for the survival of the group. However, in the case of chickens changing sex, the process is slightly different.
Chickens cannot physically change gender, but they do adopt mannerisms and appearance cockerels, that is, they are not actually cockerels, but take on their secondary sexual characteristics. Scientists know how this happens, but they don't know why.
Chickens have two reproductive organs: in females, one develops into an ovary, and the second remains dormant. If something happens, such as a hormonal imbalance or the development of a cyst, the second organ develops and releases male hormones.
What happens to a chicken that undergoes such changes? She suddenly stops laying eggs, grows earrings and a comb, and acts like a rooster. She will also begin to strut and crow, however she will not try to mate with other hens as she is still genetically female.
This happens, although not often. In 2011, chicken coop owners in Cambridgeshire, England, saw this firsthand in their backyard when one of their chickens stopped laying eggs and began crowing. Gertie became Bertie. Although crowing was initially not easy for the new Bertie, over time he became a worthy and vocal half-rooster.
6. Glow in the dark scorpions
When scorpions are exposed to ultraviolet light or strong light from the moon, they glow. No one knows why they glow, but it is dangerous for scorpions.
Scorpions hunt at night, and at the same time those creatures that eat them also hunt. Owls and some rodents leading night look life, hunt scorpions, so it seems rather illogical that they glow in the dark - this is not best tactic survival.
Part of the answer lies in Scorpios' eyes, which are designed to best perceive blue-green light. It's possible that their ability to glow in the dark evolved as a way to spot each other. There is also speculation that they act in the same way as deep sea creatures luring prey using their bioluminescence.
A California State University researcher theorizes that scorpions rely on their glow to notice when they are visible and in danger. When the glow ends, they presumably realize that they are in the shadow of what is hiding them from moonlight and thanks to which they are safe. The strength of their glow indicates whether others can see them or not.
5. Dolphins and whales washed ashore
In 2009, a group of small killer whales washed up on the beach in South Africa. There were 55 individuals in the group, and rescuers tried to return them to the water as quickly as possible. However, as soon as the rescuers pushed the huge creatures back into the water, they swam to the shore again. They began washing up on the beach in the morning and by midday it was decided that the most humane solution to the problem was to euthanize them.
There are many stories of mass strandings associated with the activity navy, underwater noise caused by cargo ships and even pollution. While all this may have certain influence to such strange behavior of animals, such cases were recorded long before all these human inventions appeared. There are records of mass beachings in New England shortly after the first settlers arrived. Even Aristotle described cases where sea animals washed ashore.
From all this it follows that, despite the fact that the situation may be aggravated modern technologies such as echolocator, it can also be natural behavior and it doesn't make any sense at all. It's possible that sick animals wash ashore to die, but that doesn't explain why huge groups do it at the same time. The record for such behavior is the case when 835 individuals of small killer whales fought so that they were not prevented from washing ashore.
4. Genet riding rhinoceroses
The geneta is a small, cat-like animal endemic to northern Africa. They are traditionally solitary animals, and although their territories may occasionally overlap, they spend most of their time alone. This is not the case for one particular genet, which was spotted in the Hluhlwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve in South Africa. This genet not only made incredible friends, but also rode on their backs every night.
3. Crocodile tears
The whole idea of crocodile tears is quite strange. Folklore has long told us that crocodiles cry when they eat, presumably because they feel bad about killing another animal. This phrase is often used in literature to refer to insincere expressions of emotion. The first mention of the phenomenon is believed to come from a text written in the 1400s called The Voyage and Travel of Sir John Mandeville, which talks about crocodiles and their tendency to cry while how they eat people.
The idea of crocodile tears as scientific fact was incredibly difficult to prove, as most crocodiles are not the easiest animals to study up close, and they also tend to feed in water. The possibility of the existence of crocodile tears has always been dismissed and considered a myth. This belief was also supported by a dubious study conducted last century in which a researcher tried to test whether crocodiles could cry by rubbing the crocodile's eye with an onion. The crocodile didn't cry.
And only very recently, zoologists from the University of Florida, who studied relatives of crocodiles - alligators and caimans, discovered that crocodile tears- this is not a myth at all, and they really cry while eating food. Scientists just don't know why.
Scientists agree that this is not an emotional response to anything, but a physiological phenomenon. Tears can be caused by the sounds the animal makes while eating, air passing through openings in their skull, or the pressure they must apply to bite down on their prey. They can also be a self-defense mechanism, like our own tears. Their eyes produce tears as a way to protect their eyes during the fight that occurs when they catch their prey.
The exact explanation will be found with further research, but scientists face a huge problem. To see what happens, someone will have to train crocodiles to eat on land. However, based on the fact that they are killing machines with deadly teeth, no volunteers have yet been found.
2. Sloths go to the toilet
Looking at sloths, it is difficult to imagine anything that could force them to make any effort. However, scientists have found that they spare no effort and energy when going to the toilet.
Most of The life of sloths is spent on the crowns of trees. This is where their food is located, where they sleep and in general, this is the most safe place for these slow moving creatures. However, once a week, sloths make a slow, laborious descent downstairs to pee. When the job is done, they climb back to the top of the tree. Nobody knows why they make so much effort to come down to earth. After all, this not only takes a lot of energy, but is also not the safest activity for them. It would be much easier if they stayed in the trees, out of reach of ground-dwelling predators, and did what they needed to do right up there.
There is one main theory as to why they do this, and it has to do with the insects that live in their fur. Sloth fur is pretty bad and full of sloth moths. The researchers hypothesized that the sloths make the long descent to allow the moths to lay their eggs in their feces, and then when the insects hatch, the young can find a sloth nearby.
The disadvantage of this theory is that scientists cannot explain how sloths benefit from these insects. No evidence has been found to support that sloths get any benefit from the insect pile. These insects create conditions for the growth of algae that cover the sloth's fur, but this also does not bring any obvious benefit to the animal.
1. Bully elephants
Few groups can boast of such cohesion as elephants. They help raise each other's cubs, protect each other, and mourn the loss of a close friend when he dies. However, recently a strange observation was made about the behavior of elephants, particularly female elephants. This observation suggests that all is not well in their relationship and scientists do not understand why.
In 2013, researchers observed elephants at a watering hole that was frequented by several groups of elephants. However, the behavior at this watering hole was sharply different from what scientists are used to observing in wildlife.
While high-status females would go out of their way to help other females with their cubs when they got into trouble, they would also try to prevent certain females from approaching the watering hole. What’s interesting is that these females were no different from the others, as if they had been chosen at random. Females of high status would go so far in their hatred that they would hit them with their trunks and throw their cubs aside. This behavior was very pronounced: some females were more interested in keeping their familiar females and cubs away from the watering hole than in getting a drink themselves. The situation got worse every day and the researchers watched as the rejected females and their cubs became weaker every day.
This was nothing like the family support often seen among elephant groups. Taking care of each other makes sense. After all, this is how the group educates the next generations. Why some female elephants prefer to purposefully bully other members of their family is unclear. This may be due to concerns about population numbers or access to water and food, but other studies have shown that elephants are willing to share with other species.
In the wild, life moves quickly. To capture wild animals on camera, professionals wait for long periods of time in difficult terrain. The reward for their perseverance can be breathtaking footage. But you don't have to spend months hidden in a shelter to capture incredible animal behavior. An entire army Holidaymakers and adventurers encounter incredible scenes and these recordings offer a different perspective on wildlife.
List of episodes:
2. Fortitude
In the wild, size doesn't mean anything...
1. Real Africa without embellishment
The coast of southern Africa is home to one of the ocean's deadliest predators, the white shark.
2. Fortitude
In the wild, size says nothing about strength of mind. Group striped mongoose Fearlessly fights even with deadly cobras.
3. Unexpected opponents
A group of natural scientists is investigating cases of the most unusual animal behavior caught on camera.
4. Strange antics
Witness rare moments in animal behavior - from funny tricks to the strangest antics.
5. Wildness in its purest form
Follow the lives and incredible behavior of animals - from a lion kidnapping a baby hippopotamus to a two-headed snake.
6. Dangerous games
See stunning footage captured by animal behavior researchers and bystanders, including wild dogs attacking elephants.
7. Life in freedom
The vast coastline of southern Africa is home to predators of all shapes and sizes.
8. Animal quirks
Lions are the largest of Africa's predators and the only felines that live and hunt in groups.
9. Lion showdown
Footage taken by cameramen and tourists caught in in the right place V right time, including a lion skirmish and a monkey's friendship with a dog.
10. Crocodiles vs lions
From the fight between lions and buffaloes to the fight polar bears- don't miss these amazing moments captured on film.
11. Crazy deer
From thieving stingrays to carnage on the Mara River, see some of the world's most astonishing wildlife footage.
12. Tiger fight
Feel the fury of a tiger fight, witness how a giant sea abyss crushes the yacht, and witness the birth of a baby elephant.
13. When the victim fights back
Incredible footage of a wildebeest chasing a cheetah, a warthog outsmarting hyenas and a mongoose shocking a lion with its boldness.
14. Attack!
From the depths Indian Ocean and to the dense bush in South Africa - sometimes wild animals get too close...
15. Strange and wild
Sometimes encounters with nature don't go as planned. From animal quirks to beasts in distress, don't miss these rare shots.
16. Fight Club
In nature, animals may fight to the death for food, territory and family, but survival depends on courage and intelligence as much as on muscle strength.
17. Blood feud
Wild animal fights aren't just about survival. We will witness the long-standing war between hyenas and lions and the civil strife between two groups of brothers.
18. Life and death
Brutal murders, acts of bravery and a miracle of birth - these stories tell of the triumphs and defeats of Africa's young animals.