In the video, children aged 5-10 will see the flood in the forest, and the wolves on the hunt, and how the bear gets out of the den, and many others spring phenomena in nature. This film was made at the studio of educational films for children and is built as a dialogue between a child and an adult. The child observes the animals and asks questions to the adult, the adult answers his questions and gives interesting additional information. Watch a movie with children. The film is very high quality and professionally made, taking into account all the requirements for educational films for children. Happy viewing and new discoveries!

For the curious: about forest cubs and their mothers. Interesting information about animals in spring

Hares in spring

Mother - hare feeds the rabbits, and immediately runs away, leaving them alone under a bush. And the hares sit under a bush for three or four days - they are waiting for their new mother, a hare, to feed them.

There are no bunnies with bunny strangers - they are all their own, they will always feed. Rabbit milk is fatty and nutritious, it is enough for rabbits for 3-4 days.

Why is it so arranged in nature? The fact is that in hares, sweat and sebaceous glands are located only on the soles of their paws. And if the hare lived with the hares, they would be quickly found - smelled by smell - a fox or a wolf. After all, hares have many enemies - and a fox, and a wolf, and a marten, and a lynx, and predator birds. And when a tiny hare sits under a bush and hides its paws under itself, it is impossible to find it by smell. It turns out that running away from the hares, the bunny saves them.

After 8-9 days, the hares will have teeth, and then the grass will appear, and they will begin to eat on their own.

Squirrels in spring

At squirrels squirrels also appear in spring. They are born naked, helpless, they can't see anything. The squirrel mother takes care of them, feeds the squirrels with milk for two months. But dad - the squirrel does not live with the family, he lives separately.

Mom spends a lot of time looking for food, otherwise the squirrels will grow frail and sick. Squirrels are required special attention from squirrels - mothers, they need to be covered, warmed, fed. Only a month later, the squirrels open their eyes and begin to look out of the nest.

In spring, the squirrel is the enemy of all birds and the most dangerous predator for many birds. She destroys bird nests on tree branches and drags chicks and eggs from them.

hedgehogs in spring

In April, hedgehogs also appear. They are born in a hedgehog's nest, similar to a hut of dry leaves, twigs and moss. The hedgehog feeds the hedgehogs with milk, takes care of them.

Hedgehogs, like squirrels, are born helpless and naked, without needles. A few hours after birth, tubercles appear on the skin of the hedgehog, then they burst, and thin needles appear from them. Then the needles harden and turn into thorns. Mom - a hedgehog first feeds the hedgehogs with milk, and then, when they grow up, brings them to the nest of earthworms, slugs.

Bears in spring

In April, a she-bear wakes up and leaves the den with her cubs. She wanders through the forest - looking for food: pulls out bulbs and roots of plants, looking for larvae.

Coming out of the den, the bear stretches, rides, tries to warm up after hibernation, puts his fur coat in order. And looking for food.

By the time they leave the den, the bears molt. They shed their thick winter coat and grow a short, darker one. All summer the wool will grow again and will grow thick and warm by the new winter (bears do not shed in autumn).

In the spring, the bear not only feeds the cubs with her milk, but also teaches them to get their own food - dig roots out of the ground, look for insects, last year's berries. Even if the bear is hungry, first of all she will give food to her cubs. Protecting the cubs, the she-bear can rush at any enemy.

In spring, the she-bear bathes her cubs in streams and lakes: she takes them by the scruff of the neck and lowers them into the water. Later, when the kids grow up, they will bathe themselves.

Creative task "Unwashed Raccoon". Read to the children a wonderful fairy tale about Raccoon. And figure out with your child how this story ended.

E. Shim "Who looks like whom?"

“Little Raccoon ran home, and mom gasped:

- Father, who do you look like? Where did you take it? Why is all the fur in the trash?

- And I stirred up an anthill.

- Why are the paws in swamp mud?

- I was chasing a frog.

Why is your nose in the ground?

- I dug up a beetle ...

No, just look at him! - mom says. “Is that what decent animals look like?”

And what do decent animals look like?

- Decent animals have shiny fur, licked noses, cleaned claws! And you look at yourself!

“I wanted to have a look,” Raccoon replies, “but they didn’t let me.”

Who didn't?

- A bear. I didn’t come to the river, I went down to the water - suddenly a bear with cubs! Such a scary one! Angry!

Do you know why she came to the river?

- Don't know. I quickly ran away.

She brought the cubs to bathe. And she is ashamed when the children are dirty!

— That's it… — Raccoon says. - Now understand. Otherwise, I couldn’t guess why she was waving her paw and growling: “Oh, you little bug, oh, you Unwashed Raccoon!”

Questions for children:

  1. Why couldn't Raccoon look at himself - at his reflection in the water?
  2. Why did the Bear come to the river? Why was the Bear growling and angry?
  3. What did the Raccoon do next when he found out why the Bear was angry and cursed “Unwashed Raccoon”?
  4. Think with the children how this story ended. (For example, Enotik quickly ran to the river, washed himself, combed his hair, brushed his claws. He returned home, even his mother did not recognize him, and was very happy ...)

Sometimes in the family of bears there is an older bear cub - "foster" (a bear cub from last year's brood). So it is called from the word "to nurture." A teddy bear - a pestun - is the main assistant of a mother - a bear, an example for imitation for kids - cubs. He shows them how to climb hollows for honey, how to feast on ants and their larvae. He separates the cubs if they fight and puts things in order among them. Here is such an assistant the bear has! And the bear father does not take part in the upbringing of the cubs.

Teddy bear - even though the older bear cub, but loves to play. Read to the child the dialogue of the Magpie and the Bear cub - the pestun:

E. Shim "Magpie and Bear Cub"

“- Bear cub, are you going to break this mountain ash?

Are you bending it into an arc?

- Do you want to rip her off?

- Leave me alone, Magpie. I do not want anything. I just took it and swing on this mountain ash. Let me play a little bit before my mother comes and makes my little brother babysit!”

Foxes in spring

There are cubs and foxes. Usually in March - April, 4-6 fox cubs are born in a fox. Little foxes are dark brown in color, and the tips of their tails are white! After 3-4 weeks, the cubs stop eating the milk of their mother, the fox, but still live in the hole. Their parents bring them food to the burrow.

Their mother, the fox, does not let anyone near the cubs. She guards the hole. Mom - the fox is carefully watching if there is danger nearby. In case of danger, the fox yelps loudly, and the cubs quickly run away - they hide deep in the hole. And if people or dogs visited the fox hole, then the fox will definitely transfer its cubs to another safe place - away from the previous hole. Dad - foxes also helps to raise foxes. He teaches them, bring prey.

Wolves in spring

To raise wolf cubs, wolves make a lair in a forest thicket. In spring, 4-7 wolf cubs are born to a she-wolf. They are born helpless and covered in gray down. First, the she-wolf feeds the cubs with her milk, and does not leave them anywhere. And dad - the wolf brings food to the she-wolf. When the cubs grow up, both mom and dad feed them together.

Moose in spring

In spring, moose cows give birth to 1-2 calves. Moose moose mother licks them after birth, and they immediately stand on their feet. And after 3-4 days, little moose calves run after their mother! For a long time their mother - the moose cow - feeds them with her milk, and the elk calves grow like heroes - not by the day, but by the hour!

Badgers in spring

The badger wakes up and crawls out of the hole. The badger is a very neat and clean animal. Therefore, in the spring he starts repairing his house, renews his bedding, cleans the passages, and throws out the garbage.

In the spring, the badger eats whatever edible it can find, as it needs to quickly recuperate after hibernation. He eats larvae, earthworms, mice, ruins the nests of birds.

In April, 3-6 badgers are born to a badger. She is raising them alone. For several days she does not leave the hole at all, then she leaves, but not for long. In order for the babies to grow faster, the badger takes them one by one to the sun in the fresh air - she takes them in her teeth, brings them and puts them side by side under a bush or under a tree. When the badgers are two months old, they come out of the hole themselves.

fish in spring

In spring, the ice on the river melts, and it is no longer possible to walk on it. And then the ice drift begins. All the inhabitants of the reservoirs are glad that it became light under the water. Fish swim out to shallow places where the water is more warmed by the sun.

In spring, the fish begin to grow, and their scales grow in ringlets. And by their number you can determine how old the fish is.

In May, the fish spawn. From it fry emerge.

At first, the fry are naked, without scales, then scales grow in them. First of all, the pectoral fins of the future fish grow, then the fins on the back, and then on the stomach. When the fry grow up, he has a tail.

The fry hide from their enemies in the dark. In some fish, the fry hide in their parents' mouths and sit there safely. Sometimes the fry hide next to their parents, sticking to their side and swimming away from dangerous place away.

Migratory birds in spring: logical tasks for children

Logical task 3. To each his own term. birds in spring


Each bird flies to us at "its time". Here is how it is written in the story of N. Sladkov:

N. Sladkov. The birds brought spring

“The rooks flew in - they brought thawed patches. Icebreaker wagtails broke the ice on the river. The finches have appeared - the green grass has tufted.

This is how spring is done: a little bit of each.

Why does each bird have its own arrival time? Try to guess with your children.

And it will help you guess what the reason is, a fabulous dialogue in the forest "Crake and Rook" (E. Shim)

“- Corncrake, why are you late, did you arrive so late from warm lands?

“And I was waiting for my house to grow up.

- How is it, the house will grow up ?!

- You are on a tree, Rook, you live, you do not understand. And I live in a clean meadow, hiding in the grass. So I waited for the grass to grow!”

Another one clue- the first to return to us are those birds that flew away last autumn. And vice versa, the last to return to us almost in the summer are those birds that were the first to fly away from us at the beginning of autumn. Why? Let's remember together with the children why the birds flew away from us in the fall and did not winter with us? They would freeze, they would not have food. So which birds arrive first? Those who, even in March, can get their own food.

Why do swallows only come in May? Let's remember how swallows fly close to the ground before the rain - why do they do it? Because they catch insects (in the summer in the village, show this phenomenon to children). Swallows eat insects. And when do insects appear in our forests, fields, gardens? In May. So the swallows come to us when there is already food for them.

Logic task 4.Birds - auditors

“Tractor operators call these birds “rezivors”. As soon as the tractors go out to the spring arable land, these black proud birds are right there - decorously and importantly step behind the tractor along the freshly plowed strip, choosing worms from the ground. What are these birds?

Why are rooks called "auditors"? Who is an "auditor"? Rooks - migratory birds or wintering? Why do people call rooks "heralds of spring"?

Logical task 5. Why do rooks have a white beak?

Rooks are one of the first to come to us, proudly walk through the fields, looking for worms, larvae, beetles on thawed patches.

What color is a rook's beak? White. And some rooks have a beak ... black !!! Why do you think? This riddle has a very interesting solution. And it will be told to you and your children by the old rook White Beak and the young rook Black Beak (E. Shim “Black beak and white beak”).

It is best to act out this story with the help of figures of two rooks, differently colored.

“- Rook, you probably flew to the fire?

Why is it on fire?

- Yes, you have a smoked nose!

- Why is it smoked?

- The rooks have white noses, and yours is black! It looks like it was smoked on purpose!

- And you're lying! My nose is normal! And very handsome! It’s just that I’m still a young rook;

After reading this short story - a dialogue, ask the child how to understand - did we meet an old rook in the village in the spring or a young one? Why was the beak of a young rook called "smoky"? (Explain to the child - what happens in a fire, what is “smoky”. Remember the soot that children in the country could see, the coals from the fire, tell the child that only black coals remain after the fire. And the beak of a young rook is also black. Therefore, called his beak "smoky").

Entertaining problem 6. Nightingale's secret

Nightingales sing in spring. And when do they eat? You won't be full of songs. It turns out that the nightingales have their own secret. Here's one:

“The nightingale sang in the bird cherry trees. He sang without respite, loud and biting. Its tongue in its wide-open beak beat like a bell. Whenever he has time to eat and drink! After all, you will not be full of one song.
He dangled his wings, threw back his head, his sharp beak clicks like scissors in the hands of a clever hairdresser. It clicks and clicks out such sonorous trills that even neighboring leaves shudder, and a warm vapor escapes from a hot neck.

... And mosquitoes flock to the park! You can’t undermine their nose under a tight pen, so they buzz over their gaping beak. They themselves ask in the mouth, they stick right on the tongue! The nightingale clicks songs and ... mosquitoes. Two things at once. And one does not interfere with the other. And they also say that the nightingale is not fed songs!

(N. Sladkov. Nightingale)

Curious: interesting facts about nightingales in spring

Nightingales return to us in the first half of May. First, nightingales fly to us - males and immediately begin to sing, but they still sing weakly and uncertainly. Their singing is a signal for female nightingales. When the females arrive, nightingale songs begin. The voice of this bird is amazingly beautiful!

But not every nightingale will learn to sing beautifully. Nightingales have been learning to sing for three whole years! Only in the third year they become great singers. Young nightingales learn to sing from their neighbors - old nightingales. If the neighbors do not sing very well, then the nightingale does not find its full beautiful voice. As they say, with whom you will lead - from that you will type. This proverb literally refers to the “musical school of nightingale singing,” in which experienced nightingales teach young nightingales to sing.

Usually Nightingale Day is celebrated on May 15 - this is the time of sunny warm spring and nightingale songs. The people said this: "Nightingales fly when they can drink dew or rainwater from a birch leaf."

In May-June, nightingales begin to build their nests. The nest is made from grasses, wool, dry leaves. The female incubates the eggs for two weeks.

Chicks are born in June. At this time, the Solve concerts are over - the nightingales are raising chicks.

Nightingale has been heard by many, but not everyone has seen. He is invisible. It is very difficult to see a small gray bird.

E. Shim. Nightingale and crow

"Carr! Where are you, gray pigalitsa, small and squeaky, climbing? Get away!

- Why?

- Nightingale lives in these bushes - a golden sock, a silver neck. Are you equal?

— Did you see him?

- It hasn't happened yet. But they say - so good, so handsome! At least take a look...

- So look. I am Nightingale!”

Bird cartoon in spring

And in conclusion, I suggest watching a wonderful cartoon for kids based on the tale of V. Bianki " Orange neck» about the lark and its neighbors - partridges. From the cartoon in a very exciting and accessible form of a fairy tale for kids, children will learn about how birds live.

First, I suggest reading this book to children (it is quite large, so I will not offer its text here, the book "Orange Neck" can be found in any children's library), and then watch the cartoon based on this cognitive tale.

So our journey into the wonderful world of nature and animals has come to an end. You and your children have learned a lot about animals in spring came up with their own stories, acted out dialogues. I hope that this article will help you and your little why and bring a lot of joy and amazing discoveries!

More about spring speech games, poems, physical education minutes, pictures, fairy tales for classes with children you will find in the articles of the site:

Instruction

Zoologists have been observing the molting of animals for decades. It has been established by research that various factors influence the time and quality of molting. One of them is temperature. The biological process of molting in animals is triggered in nature at both low and high temperatures. Animals in nature, or kept in enclosures, molt "like clockwork." Such molts are called autumn and spring.

A double molt is carried mainly by fur-bearing animals, squirrels, water rats, thin-toed ground squirrels, minks, hares, etc. Moles molt 3 times a year. But not all animals change their cover 2-3 times a year. Hibernating animals molt only once a year. In individuals that are in hibernation for 7-9 months, a new cover of hair does not form during this period. They carry 1 long molt, which lasts from spring until hibernation.

Pets kept warm, periodically walking on the street, sitting for some time on the windowsills, constantly receive a temperature difference. Their molting loses its seasonality, becomes permanent, pathological. In addition, this type of molting can occur with the wrong diet of animals, stress and other circumstances. Hair loss with the wrong diet can take place in different ways, with less or more loss of cover. With poor feed, hair loss occurs mainly on the hips and back of the animal.

Age molting is a significant variability of fur during the growth period of animals. Moreover, in young individuals, changes occur more actively. The time of age molting for each animal depends on the season of birth of the baby. The first age molt occurs in the period from 3-7 months from the date of birth of the animal. Cubs at the end breastfeeding change the original fluffy cover. Secondary wool differs from the first one in structure and color. Age molting is typical for sheep, white fox, seals and other animals. Most often, the first fluff on animals is softer, more tender and velvety. The guard hairs in babies are thin, practically do not differ from fluff in thickness and length. Such a cover is often called puffy. The color of the first hairline is also different from the subsequent ones. Most often, the former is darker, with the exception of newborn seals.

Wool, fluff, can shed in females during the sexual cycle or after the birth period of the animal. Shedding usually begins 5-10 weeks after the babies appear. Wool with such a molt mainly falls from the abdomen, chest and sides. Such a molt is called sexual, it, like other molts, depends on the state of hormones in the animal's body.

Moult

The change of coat and skin changes closely related to it are a very delicate biological process that initially ensures the preservation of the integrity of the body integument, as the main protective formation of mammals. Guard, guiding, and partly downy hairs, elastic hair brushes on the soles of the feet, and other relatively delicate formations that often come into contact with the substrate and surrounding objects wear out quickly. Premature severe wear of the fur occurs in the corsac fox ( Vulpes corsac), hiding for the day in dense reed beds, in sable ( Martes zibellina), often hiding in narrow passages between stones, at a mole digging the ground ( Talpa europaea), etc. In the process of molting, these defects are eliminated.

While in amphibians and reptiles - animals with a variable body temperature, the change of covers simultaneously covers all its parts, in warm-blooded animals - birds and mammals, during molting, as a rule, the covers of individual parts of the body are successively replaced. This feature is associated with the complication of the structure and functions of the covers.

The development of a new fur begins with the laying of guard hairs, from the bags of which, it is believed, the rudiments of downy buds are already budding. hair replacement process different groups mammals proceeds differently. In predatory animals, the germ of a new hair is laid from the cells of the bottom of the old bulb. As it grows, the new hair pushes out the old hair that has separated from the bulb, but remains in the hair bag for quite a long time. In rodents, the laying of the rudiments of new hair occurs completely independently of the old hair bags that fall out. Therefore, in contrast to the predatory ones, the groupings of the hairs of the new fur do not correspond to those of the old one.

Drawing of a molt on the mezdra of a steppe mouse ( Sicista subtilis). Due to the different intensity of pigmentation of the new hair follicles, the location and width of the dark and light stripes on the back of the animal are accurately reflected. (According to Barabash-Nikiforov and Formozov, 1963.) Pigment grains are concentrated in the rudiments of new hair. Translucent through the subcutaneous tissue, they give a bluish color to the mezdra (the lower surface of the skin). Since in different areas molting usually does not occur simultaneously, but in a certain sequence, a characteristic pattern is formed on the mezdra - a molting pattern, consisting of the so-called. moult spots. By their location and shape, one can judge the onset of one or another stage of molting. With the growth of hair, which removes the pigment from the skin, the mezdra becomes lighter, proceeding in the same sequence as its darkening. The core completely cleared of spots is a sign of the end of the molting process. Naturally, with the development of white (non-pigmented) hair, molting spots on the core are not formed.

Sequential stages of skin color change during the autumn molt of the common squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris) (according to Barabash-Nikiforov and Formozov, 1963). Molting is often associated with a change in the structure of the fur and its color, sometimes expressed very sharply. Other structures are also subject to change. So, during the molt, the dermis is loosened by the developing rudiments of new hair and, accordingly, thickens; in the interline periods, it is compacted. The fat layer, strongly developed in winter, thins out or completely disappears by summer. During the molting period, the need for mineral nutrition and vitamins also increases, protein metabolism increases, excitability increases. Thus, the entire body of the animal is involved in the physiological process associated with molting.

It has been established that the mechanism of molting is based on the hormonal effects of the pituitary and thyroid glands. The pituitary gland acts on the thyroid gland, and its hormone thyroidin causes molting of protective and thermally insulating integuments. But these processes are not autonomous; they are controlled and influenced external environment.

The main factor influencing seasonal molting is temperature. However, the start of this process is stimulated by a change in the duration and intensity of illumination, which acts through visual perception on the pituitary gland. At the white hare ( Lepus timidus), for example, molting is primarily dependent on photoperiodism, and temperature serves as a factor accelerating or delaying hair change. Under experimental conditions, by reducing or lengthening the duration of illumination, it is possible to change the timing of molting, greatly accelerate the maturation of the fur, which has a significant effect on fur species. economic importance. Thus, by reducing the duration of daylight hours in summer, i.e., during the period of the longest natural daylight hours, it is possible to accelerate the maturation of mink winter fur by more than a month ( Mustela lutreola) and foxes ( Vulpes vulpes).
In mammals living in conditions of a pronounced change of warm and cold seasons, there is a periodic more or less complete change of coat. This is necessary mainly because the same type of cover with a certain thermal insulation capacity cannot be suitable throughout the year. For example, in a number of arctic animals with well-developed physical thermoregulation in winter, maintaining a constant temperature level in the most severe frosts is ensured by the high thermal insulation properties of the fur. In summer, the constancy of their body temperature is achieved to a large extent due to an increase in the thermal conductivity of the cover by 3-4 times compared to winter, and also due to the well-developed mechanism of thermal shortness of breath and heat transfer through the limbs.

Most of the animals inhabiting the northern and temperate zone (hare ( Lepus timidus), foxes ( Vulpes vulpes), arctic fox ( Vulpes lagopus), etc.) during the year there are two molts - spring, in which thick high winter fur is replaced by rare and low summer fur, and autumn, when the reverse process occurs. Before the start of the spring molt, the fur fades, the hair loses its elasticity, the awn breaks, downy hair often becomes felted. Next, the development of new and loss of old hair begins. The spring molt may be more or less incomplete. At the mole ( Talpa europaea), for example, patches of winter fur often remain after the spring molt. Mink ( Mustela lutreola) in the spring molt loses downy hair, while the outer hair falls out only during the autumn. The autumn molt differs from the spring molt by a large stretch of time and a complete change of hair. The spring molt usually starts from the head and back, spreading from here backwards to the sides and abdomen; autumn molting proceeds in the reverse order. Especially violently, in a certain short time, seasonal molts flow among the inhabitants of regions with a sharply continental climate.

Often, changing from one seasonal outfit to another completely transforms the appearance of the animal. Summer sable fur ( Martes zibellina) dark, short, tight to the body. In this outfit, the animal looks lean, skinny, big-eared and rather long-legged. After the autumn molt, the ears are almost completely hidden in high shiny and thick fur, the tail dressed with long hair becomes magnificent, and the legs seem shorter and thicker. In winter, the sable is a stocky, strongly built animal. The appearance of foxes dressed in summer and winter fur changes even more strikingly ( Vulpes lagopus), white hare ( Lepus timidus), some subspecies of the squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris), saiga ( Saiga tatarica), bison ( bison bison). At the Bactrian camel ( camelus bactrianus) grows a long wavy coat for the winter, and in the summer it is almost naked. In spring, the shedding winter coat hangs from its body in tufts.

Moulting reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). It has been suggested that the white hare ( Lepus timidus), ermine ( Mustela erminea) and fox ( Vulpes lagopus) summer fur does not fall out during the autumn molt, but remains for the whole winter, growing and depigmenting. However, it turned out that the winter attire consists entirely of newly developed hair, which has a different size and shape than the summer ones. The density of hair and the ratio of their categories in summer and winter fur are also not the same. So, for a squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris) per 1 sq. cm of a rump in summer there are an average of 4200 hairs, in winter - 8100, the same for a white hare ( Lepus timidus) - 8000 and 14700. The length of the hair in millimeters on the rump is as follows: for a squirrel in summer: fluff - 9.4, awn - 17.4, in winter: 16.8 and 25.9; the same for the white hare: in summer: down - 12.3, awn - 26.4, in winter: 21.0 and 33.4. At the hare-hare ( Lepus europaeus) per 1 sq. cm in summer, the average number of guard hairs is 382, ​​intermediate - 504, down - 8156 with an average length of the last 18.5 mm. In winter, the same series of numbers looks like this: 968, 1250 and 18012, the average length of the underfur hair is 22.2 mm. Only 1 sq. cm in summer there are 9042 hairs, and in winter 20240. Thus, the density of the coat more than doubles, which occurs mainly due to a sharp increase in the number of downy hairs.

No less sharp are the seasonal changes in the fur of the Central Asian earthen squirrel living in the deserts ( Spermophilopsis leptodactylus). This animal does not hibernate for the winter and thus is active both in summer, when the sand heats up to 60-80 ° C, and in winter, with sufficiently severe frosts. His summer hair is more like short, flat needles that fit snugly against his body. On the back, the number of guard and guide hairs per 0.25 sq. cm - 217, intermediate and downy - 258, total - 475 with a length of 1 to 7.5-8.5 mm. The same in winter: outer, guide, intermediate - 132, down - 1109, total - 1241. The length of winter hair reaches from 9.2 mm to 18.1-20.9 mm; they are soft and silky. The delicate winter fur of the ground squirrel is very different from the hard and coarse summer fur. Such a pronounced seasonal fur dimorphism in this species is consistent with the large annual amplitude temperatures sandy desert.
Terms of molting of small insectivores and rodents of Karelia (according to Ivanter et al., 1985):

a - spring, b - juvenile, c - autumn, d - compensatory, e - summer. In mammals hibernating (most ground squirrels ( Spermophilus), marmots ( Marmota), etc.), and seals also molt once a year, in spring and summer. On the other hand, earthmovers temperate zone, the hairline of which, due to constant friction in the narrow passages of burrows, wears out especially quickly in some places, in addition to the two usual molts, a third one is observed - restorative, or compensatory. Unlike ordinary molting, it affects only areas of the fur that are subject to intense wear. Such a restorative molt can be traced in moles (T alpa), mole rats ( Spalax) and mole voles ( Ellobius). It is mainly dedicated to summer period, but partially (in moles) is also observed in winter. Shrews living in warm regions manage only with compensatory molting.

In mammals that do not experience a sharp change in seasonal conditions (inhabitants of tropical countries, semi-aquatic forms), there are no seasonal differences in the hairline or they are insignificant, molting proceeds imperceptibly, often in the form of a loss of old hair and the appearance of new hair extended throughout the year.

The duration of the only molt in the year and the wearing of a changed outfit in adult harp seals ( Pagophilus groenlandicus) of the White Sea herd (according to Barabash-Nikiforov and Formozov, 1963). Yes, muskrat Ondatra zibethicus) is characterized by very frequent and long stay in the water when searching for food, building huts, settling, pursuing competitors. Since the water temperature in all seasons is much lower than the body temperature of the animal, the weakening of the protective role of the hairline could cause adverse consequences for it. As a result, the ratio of the number of hairs of different categories (guiding, guard, intermediate, and down) per unit area of ​​muskrat skin is almost the same throughout the year and does not depend on seasons. The molt of adults lasts almost all year round. Only during a short period of time (in April or May in muskrats of the northern half of the European part of Russia and neighboring countries) at the end of winter, the skins do not have traces of molting. But already in May, the mezdra begins to thicken, and then a blue appears on it - accumulations of pigment in the bulbs that form a new hair shine through. The stretching, slow flow of molting is due to good condition muskrat fur in all months of the year. Only on the dorsal side of the body, which less often comes into contact with water, the density of the fur changes somewhat with the seasons: in July it is about half as much as at the end of winter. Since August, the density of fur increases again. Young muskrats of early broods during the autumn-summer period have two age molts, and animals from late broods have one, which, moreover, passes more quickly. A slow, extended molt is also characteristic of the muskrat ( Desmana moschata), sea otter ( Enhydra lutris), otters ( lutra lutra) and, to a lesser extent, mink ( Mustela lutreola).

Seasonal color changes, which often occur when the coat changes, have a masking function. This is especially pronounced in species that turn completely white for the winter. The average duration of wearing winter white fur, which harmonizes well with the background of the snow-covered ground, corresponds quite accurately to medium duration permanent snow cover in an area.

Ermine ( Mustela erminea) in the northern strip of the European part of Russia for about 8 months a year wears white winter fur of the month and only about 4 months - reddish-brown (matching the color of the soil) summer; in the southern zone - only 5.5 months in winter and about 6.5 months - in summer. The change of fur cover in the latter case is as follows. In March or April, first on the back, and then on the sides of the ermine, dark hairs appear; this continues until the entire upper part of the skin becomes reddish-brown. The belly remains white. In October, with the shortening of the day, a new molt begins: dark hairs are replaced by white ones, first on the sides, and then on the back, which makes the animal appear spotty. By November, he is already completely winter-white, with the exception of the black tip of the tail. Moulting and those animals that live in a warm climate. In autumn they grow new wool, but not white, but the same brown as in summer.

Seasonal changes in hair color in ermine ( Mustela erminea) (after Carrington, 1974). Weasel living in the north of Eurasia ( Mustela nivalis) for the winter also turns white. In areas with short or little snowy winters, both warm (south Western Europe, south of Ukraine, Transcaucasia, many areas Central Asia), and frosty (Mongolia) winter weasel fur becomes thicker than summer, but, with rare exceptions, retains its brown or reddish-gray color. Under the conditions of Central Europe, summer coloration, as a rule, remains, but if it does change, it does not change much, and large or small white spots appear.

On the Kola Peninsula, near the Arctic Circle, the white hare ( Lepus timidus) can be seen in white fur from about October 20 to May 20; stable snow cover in the forest lies on average from October 31 to May 21 (from October 4 to October 31 there are frequent snowfalls, but the cover is unstable - it disappears at times, reappears, etc.). In Russia, the timing of the spring molt of the hare roughly coincides with the period of intense snowmelt and snowmelt, and the autumn - with "pre-winter" - the time of cold rains, followed by more and more frequent snowfalls. Greenland hare ( Lepus arcticus groenlandicus) most of the year wears winter white fur, and his summer is not brown, but almost white, only slightly smoky on his back. On the other hand, the geographic races of whites, which penetrated in North America along the mountain ranges to the south, into the snowless regions of the USA, do not turn white for the winter. From European forms, Scottish hare ( Lepus timidus scoticus) is brownish-gray in summer, pure white in winter, but with low and not lush fur, and Irish hare ( Lepus timidus hibernicus) becomes noticeably grayer in autumn; only a few individuals become white.

white hare ( Lepus timidus) in summer attire. Chamois darken by winter ( Rupicapra rupicapra) and individual deer. So, Manchu ( Cervus nippon mantchuricus) and Japanese ( Cervus nippon nippon) spotted deer in summer they are equally covered with white spots. In winter, spots remain only on the Manchurian form, while the Japanese form, which lives in deciduous forests, acquires a monotonous brown color.

Although the course of molting is closely related to external conditions, yet such a complex process cannot always and very accurately follow all the vagaries of the weather. Indeed, there are years when the snow cover is established later than usual and the white winter outfit of the weasel, ermine, hare is very noticeable on dark background earth covered with dead grass and fallen leaves. Belyaks at such a time are looking for more reliable shelters for daytime rest: they lie down under the protection of the lower branches of fir trees, under the tops of trees that have fallen to the ground, or in a swamp on hummocks overgrown with thick sedge. Weasel spends most of the time in the burrows of voles, moles and appears on the surface of the earth relatively rarely and for a short time.

In early spring and accelerated snowmelt, the listed animals are sometimes “late” to change their winter outfit for summer and for two weeks, and sometimes more, they live with the lack of camouflage fur unfavorable for them. The white hare, being more conspicuous and having many enemies, reacts more strongly than weasels and ermines to such a combination of circumstances. It comes out to feed only in the dark, during the day it often hides on the last drifts of snow, where it is very difficult to notice it. Of course, in such years, animal populations for some time suffer greater than usual losses from predator attacks. However, on average over a large number of years, the significance of the advantages in the struggle for existence, which the seasonal change of protective colors gives to the species possessing them, is beyond doubt.

white hare ( Lepus timidus) in winter attire. The influence of the external environment on the timing of molting and on the nature of the seasonal dimorphism of the hairline is proved by the practice of acclimatization of mammals. For example, in species exported from the countries of the northern hemisphere and released in Australia, New Zealand and South America, the timing of molting, as well as hibernation and reproduction, has gradually shifted. Animals released into regions with relatively harsher conditions than in their homeland acquired more lush winter fur (for example, a raccoon dog ( Nyctereutes procyonoides) in a number of regions of the former USSR). On the contrary, acclimatized species that have fallen into conditions of relatively warm climate(teleut squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris exalbidus) in the Crimea and the Altai squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris altaicus) in the Caucasus), have lost their characteristic delicate and high fur: it has become coarser and shorter. It is interesting that white hares, caught in Norway and released in the middle of the 19th century in the Faroe Islands, still wore a white winter outfit in the first period of acclimatization, and now they wear reddish-brown fur similar to summer in the cold half of the year. In conditions of snowless winters, a white outfit is unprofitable because it is too noticeable; the island population lost this useless and, perhaps, even harmful feature of the seasonal outfit in about a century.

In addition to strengthening the heat-insulating and maintaining the relevance of masking properties, the hairline in many species during the autumn molt acquires a number of features that are necessary and beneficial precisely in winter conditions. For example, the structure of the cuticle of the outer and guide hairs of winter wolverine fur ( gulo gulo) is such that even in the most severe frosts frost does not sit on them. This is also characteristic of the guard hairs of the tail of the fox ( Vulpes vulpes) and fox ( Vulpes lagopus). Both of the latter species, when resting in the snow, curl up and cover their heads with their tails (the muzzle is covered with relatively very short fur and, naturally, should suffer more from the cold). If frost, formed from breathing, settled on the tail hairs, these animals would inevitably freeze head to tail and, upon awakening, would damage the coat.

Stages of red deer molting ( Cervus elaphus) (according to Geran, 1985):
A - in autumn; B - in the spring. Lynx foot soles ( lynx lynx ), wolverines ( gulo gulo), arctic fox ( Vulpes lagopus), northern races of foxes ( Vulpes), martens ( Martes), protein ( Sciurus) and some other species by the end of autumn are densely overgrown with rather long elastic hair, almost completely hiding the areas bare in summer. The resulting thick hair brushes not only insulate, but also protect the fingers and feet from possible damage when digging out the old snow, dense crust, etc. At the same time, these brushes increase the supporting surface of the paws, creating a semblance of skis or snowshoes, which makes it easier for animals movement on loose deep snow. The significance of such dense pubescence of paws in the life of the wolverine is especially significant ( gulo gulo), sable ( Martes zibellina), pine marten ( martes martes), whose diurnal transitions in winter, during the period of snow, are very large. Brush hair is shed during heavy snowmelt in the spring, as soon as it becomes unnecessary. It is significant that the subspecies of foxes inhabiting the steppes and deserts with a frosty but little snowy winter lack these brushes; little pubescent for the winter and the feet of the paws of the southern subspecies of the European hare ( Lepus europaeus), as well as a tolai hare ( Lepus tolai). On the contrary, in the European hare, occupying the northern part of the range, the feet for the winter are overgrown with a brush, almost as thick and long as that of the white hare, which is better than other Palearctic hares adapted to life in snowy areas.

At the squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris) when changing from summer to winter fur, quite long and thick hair tassels grow, covering the distal, most chilling edge of the ear. They reach full growth by the end of the autumn molt, and hunters in the first days of fishing often determine by the length of the brushes whether it is worth or not to shoot this or that squirrel hiding on the top of a tree. The hair of the tassels falls out rather quickly in the spring, but some survivors disappear only in June - July. In summer attire, the ears of an adult squirrel are covered with very short hair. Tail hairs change very slowly. It performs a number of functions in a squirrel and, in particular, during large jumps from tree to tree, it supports the animal in the air, facilitating planning. He plays this role throughout the year, regardless of the season. The stormy spring molt of the squirrel's fur, starting from the head, reaching the base of the tail in early May, slows down sharply. In an adult animal that has received a summer outfit, worn and burnt winter tail hairs completely fall out and are replaced by new ones, also winter ones, only by September. Due to the gradual shedding in all months of the year, the tail, dressed in long hair, can be used as a parachute; he molts once a year, while the head, body, legs - twice. The functions of the hairline of different parts of the body are not equivalent, in connection with this, molting does not follow one pattern, but several.

Successive molting stages of the common squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris) (according to Barabash-Nikiforov and Formozov, 1963):
A - spring; B - autumn. In addition to seasonal changes in hairline, there is also an age molt, in which the juvenile attire (attire) is replaced by the definitive adult. In some species, the latter appears after several age molts (for example, in a rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus) there are up to 4 of them). Age molting in a number of true seals (Phocidae) is associated with a change in the uterine attire of a white seal (white high fur with outer and thick downy hair, unsuitable for diving, lasts for about 20 days in pups) for a serka outfit of coarse short hair (the serka is already catching food in sea). With subsequent annual molts, which are both seasonal and age-related, the color of the animal in 2-3 years approaches that characteristic of mature individuals.

In rodents that bring several broods per year, young at the first juvenile molt receive different outfits depending on the season. For example, young squirrels ( Sciurus vulgaris), born in the summer, receive a summer adult outfit, and those who appeared at the end of winter, not yet reaching full growth, receive lush winter fur and thick tassels on their ears. Young ungulate lemmings ( Dicrostonyx torquatus), born in snowy nests, at the first molt get a thick white outfit, similar to winter adult lemmings. Since the timing of molting varies depending on sex and age, as well as the physiological state of animals, food and weather conditions, it can be quite difficult to accurately determine the state of the fur cover of a particular population of mammals. Moles ( Talpa europaea), for example, males molt much later than females, in dwarf bats ( Pipistrellus pipistrellus), on the contrary, males begin to molt. Well-fed animals of various species molt earlier than emaciated ones. In pregnant females and sick individuals, molting is delayed for a long time at any stage; A strong infection with helminths also has a noticeable effect on the course of molting.

In addition to hair, molting is characteristic of almost all horny formations of mammals: periodically there is a change of claws, desquamation of keratinized cells of the surface layer of the epidermis, annual shedding of antlers in most deer (Cervidae), etc. patches is characteristic of northern seals - lysuna ( Pagophilus groenlandicus), ringed seal ( Pusa hispida), sea hare ( Erignathus barbatus). These pinnipeds lie on the ice or shore during the molting period and do not feed for a long time. From land mammals the same intense molting is observed in the Trans-Baikal tarbagan marmot ( Marmota sibirica) and selevinia ( Selevinia betpakdalaensis). On the other hand, derivatives of the skin, which have pronounced defensive functions, are replaced slowly and gradually. For example, the quills of porcupines (Hystricidae) and urchins (Erinaceidae) fall out in just a few pieces per day. At the eared hedgehog ( Hemiechinus auritus) 5-20 needles fall out per day, thanks to which the animal keeps its prickly shell suitable for defense all the time. One at a time, tactile hairs (vibrissae), hard bristles on the rims on the paws of semi-aquatic animals fall out and are replaced.

Forepaw of the ungulate lemming ( Dicrostonyx torquatus). The claws of the III and IV fingers are large and forked in winter, as not only the claw itself grows, but also the keratinizing pad of the fingers. In spring, most of the forked claw falls off - it acquires its usual size and a sharp end. (According to Barabash-Nikiforov and Formozov, 1963.)

Moulting is a periodic change in vertebrates and invertebrates of the skin or its formations (wool, feathers, shell, etc.).

In Greenland, the end of summer, and the wheatear finishes feeding the chicks. Now she has to fly to a distant tropical Africa where she will spend the winter. But it’s too early to set off: the flight feathers of the bird were pretty frayed while hatching the chicks and faded under the rays of the sun that did not set beyond the horizon. It's time to update the plumage.

Feathers for flight and decoration

Not all migratory birds molt before a long journey. Some, such as the fork-tailed gull, nesting in the Arctic and flying south of the equator for the winter, prefer to save supplies before flying and molt already in wintering areas, on the coast of Africa or South America.

Of all animals, birds have the most diverse ways of molting. Feathers are constantly in use and gradually wear out, so they have to be changed regularly. The first time the bird molts in its youth, changing the chick fluff to real plumage. Adult birds usually molt once or twice a year. During molting, many birds do not change all the feathers, but only a part, so they do not lose the ability to fly normally.

However, in some ducks, geese, cranes and shepherds, after the breeding season, all flight feathers fall out at once, so for some time the birds cannot fly and often become easy prey for predators. Fleeing from enemies, birds gather in hard-to-reach corners of water bodies or in impenetrable swamps.

Males of other ducks (such as mallards, pintails, shovelers, goldeneyes, long-nosed mergansers, and mandarin ducks) put on luxurious nuptial attire in winter. At this time, they are already looking for a mate, and bright plumage, apparently, helps them seduce females. Females, on the contrary, acquire nondescript plumage, which will make them invisible on the nests during the period of incubation of eggs. When the mating season ends, the males molt again. Their outfit becomes as dull as that of females. Now they, too, should not be seen by predators. Their elegant feathers will grow back during the partial winter molt, in anticipation of a new breeding season.

New invisibility cloak

Molting allows animals to completely change color. In some species living high in the mountains or tundra, the coloration becomes pure white in autumn, allowing them to remain invisible in the snow in winter. In spring, the animals again acquire grayish-brown feathers or wool - the color of stones and lichens.

This is done, for example, by the white partridge, a relative of the common gray partridge, as well as the ermine, a small predatory animal with a thin long body and thick fur - brown in summer and white in winter (with the exception of the tip of the tail, which always remains black). The polar fox also updates its outfit. Predators, therefore, also molt to change color and become invisible to prey.

Creep out

In snakes, molting usually occurs once a year and, unlike birds, does not take much time. These reptiles shed their old skin as it wears out. A few days before the molt, the eyes of the snake become cloudy, the color fades and turns pale, and the appetite disappears. At this time, she can be very aggressive. Some snakes spend a lot of time in the water before molting to soften their skin.

When it's time to shed, the snake rubs against a stone or some other hard object to break through the old skin. First of all, the snake frees its head. From the rest of the body, the old skin comes off in a stocking and remains lying on the ground in the form of a transparent creep. Since the snake loses a lot of fluid when changing its skin, after molting it is often tormented by intense thirst. A molted snake looks like new!

Lizards, unlike snakes, shed their old skin in patches. They rip it off with their mouths and eat the shreds.

When the shell is tight

The body of arthropods (spiders, insects, crustaceans, centipedes) is protected from the outside by an external skeleton - a shell. These animals can grow only because from time to time they shed their old covers, under which new, more spacious ones have already formed. Woodlice molt in two steps: first, they shed the covers from the dorsal side of the body, and after a few hours from the abdominal side.

In some centipedes, molting occurs only at the larval stage; adults do not molt. With each molt, a new segment of the body appears in the larva, and when the required number is formed, the animal stops growing and becomes sexually mature.

Molting is a very crucial moment in the life of all invertebrates. Having lost their protective shell, their soft tender body is very vulnerable to predators. Crabs and crayfish hide under stones and in other shelters for several days and even weeks after molting, until the new shell hardens. The matter is further complicated by the fact that, trying to pull the claws out of the old shell, animals often tear them off and, thus, lose their main weapon for a long time (after a while, the claws grow back).

Which animals change coat color in winter? You will find the answer to this question in this article.

Which animal changes its coat in winter?

With the onset of cold weather, most animals change their coat, it becomes thicker and warmer. When the harsh winter comes, they dress even warmer and thicker fur.

Here are some animals that change their coat:

  • Hare in summer it was gray, and by the end of autumn it becomes white.
  • Squirrel he changes his summer red coat for a winter gray one.
  • At petting in winter, the coat becomes completely white
  • White color arctic fox in winter - pure white, and in summer - dirty brown. The color of the blue fox is dark in winter (from sandy to dark gray with a bluish tinge). On the mainland, blue foxes are quite rare, but on the islands, on the contrary, often. Arctic foxes change their coat twice a year: in spring (March-April) and autumn (September-December). Between January and February, the polar fox has the best fur. . In spring and autumn, when the molting process takes place, the animals acquire a spotted coloration, which also camouflages them well in a motley landscape.
  • Ermine pure white in winter, two-colored in summer - brownish-red upperparts, yellowish-white underparts. Winter color is typical for areas where at least 40 days a year there is snow. The tip of the tail is black throughout the year.

Why do animals change their coat color for the winter? Animals change the color of their coat for the winter for their own safety, in order to protect themselves from various predators that go hunting to catch some kind of prey. So, for example, hares change their gray hair to white in order to appear invisible in the snow, squirrels change to gray, in such a dress it will be difficult to notice it among the bare gray branches of the trees on which it lives.