The places where the anteater lives are well known to all fans of this animal. It belongs to the genus of edentulous mammals.

Such different anteaters

You can find out where the anteater lives by reading this article. It should be noted right away that there is a wide variety of these animals in the world. From pygmy anteaters, whose weight is less than half a kilogram, and a body length of only 15 centimeters, to a giant anteater. This one grows more than a meter in length, and weighs about three dozen kilograms.

Traditionally, as with most mammals, males are noticeably larger than females. Their main distinguishing feature- long and tube-shaped muzzle, which ends with a small mouth opening, very narrow. At the same time, the ears are very small, and the eyes are just tiny.

The tail of different anteaters is different. For example, a pygmy anteater or a tamandua has a bare tail with a grasping reflex. Anteaters are also distinguished by a worm-like tongue. It is quite long, for them it is a kind of trapping organ. The anteater wets it with sticky saliva. In a giant anteater, such a tongue can be up to 60 centimeters in length. According to this indicator, they are leaders among all land animals on the planet.

The body of this animal is usually covered with thick hair. The hairs are soft and short in small individuals, coarse and long in large representatives of this family. Coloring is the most contrasting. It may be gray, or it may be golden brown. Most four-toed anteaters are characterized by dark stripes, or extensive black spot through the whole body.

Only at first glance, their skull looks fragile, but in reality the bones are very strong and thick. Anteaters are very similar to armadillos and sloths. Fundamental difference is that they have no teeth at all.

Distribution area

Representatives of this family flooded several continents at once. Where the anteater lives, it is mostly warm and humid. This area is often rainforest. This is how you can answer the question, where does the anteater live, in what natural zone?

You can meet these amazing and cute animals all over from Mexico to Central America. And also in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. Where the anteater lives, in what zone, you will learn from this article. To be precise, it's wet. rainforests and grassy savanna.

Most often, when figuring out where the anteater lives, the photo of which is in this article, the researchers note that these are forests in the tropics. But often you can meet him in open spaces. For example, on the banks of rivers in the savannas.

Now you know where the anteater lives, on which mainland. Animals lead a terrestrial lifestyle, however, mainly this applies to the giant anteater. Arboreal way of life in pygmy anteaters. But one of the most common species of four-toed anteaters leads a combined life - both in trees and on the ground.

diet

The period of their activity falls on the dark time of the day. It begins as soon as dusk descends on the earth, and continues throughout the night. The diet of an anteater cannot be called very diverse. Mostly, these are termites or ants. The heroes of our article destroy their buildings with their powerful front paws. After that, they begin to collect insects with a long and sticky tongue.

They occasionally feed on bees or beetle larvae. Anteaters, which are kept in the zoo, allow themselves a more varied menu. For example, they eat fruit. Recall that they have no teeth, so one of the sections of the stomach is equipped with powerful muscles to grind all the food that enters the body. Similar structure internal organs seen in birds. So they manage to grind food. This process is enhanced by small pebbles or sand, which anteaters often accidentally swallow.

sense organs

Anteaters have an excellent sense of smell. At the same time, vision and hearing are very weak. They are protected from predators by powerful claws. At the same time, they lead a predominantly solitary lifestyle. In pairs, only females with cubs can be found. Anteaters breed once a year. The female gives birth to one child, who lives on her back for the entire period of infancy.

Interestingly, anteaters appeared on Earth a long time ago. Their fossils are most often found in South America. Approximately from the period of the early Miocene, which began 23 million years ago. Most scientists are convinced that anteaters are even older. True, in Lately their numbers have declined markedly. But they are not included in almost any Red Books.

Four-toed anteater

In order to get to know these animals better, let's focus on one of the most common representatives - the four-fingered anteater. This is a funny and very attractive animal.

The body of this particular anteater has a length of 55 to 90 centimeters. And this is not counting the tail, which reaches up to half a meter in length. The total body weight of individual individuals reaches five kilograms.

This species of anteater is also called the Mexican tamandua, from the name it becomes clear where the anteater lives. He has a curved and elongated muzzle, his mouth is very small in diameter. It is only sufficient to pass the tongue, the length of which, with such body parameters, is really impressive. Tamandua's tongue is about 40 centimeters long.

Like all four-toed anteaters, the tamandua has a tenacious tail, in some representatives it is completely naked, in others it is naked only from below. he himself irregular shape covered in marks different size. Tamandua's eyes are very weak, they see extremely poorly. At the same time, large ears, which almost always stand erect, indicate that this organ plays a big role in their lives. They receive most of the information about the world around them through hearing. On the front paws, they can see four toes with claws on each, and on the hind legs, five claws.

The fur of this anteater is thick and hard, often very bristling. To protect themselves from predators and other detractors, Mexican tamanduas can emit a strong, foul-smelling odor from their anal glands. This happens when they sense impending danger. For this feature, they were even nicknamed forest stinkers.

Where does the anteater tamandua live?

Specifically, this anteater lives in the forests of the South American continent. It can be found from Trinidad all the way to Venezuela. It lives in the northern part of Argentina, Uruguay, in the south of Brazil. Specifically, Mexican tamanduas are found in Central America. They can be found and photographed even in the southeast of Mexico. natural area where anteaters live are the tropics and savannahs.

Most often they choose forest edges, and at a fairly low altitude - up to two thousand meters above sea level. They like to live near small reservoirs, as well as next to trees - epiphytes and lianas.

Lifestyle

Like other anteaters, four-toed anteaters stay awake at night. In the daytime, they are in hollows or burrows. But Mexican tamanduas can be found day and night. They are able to stay awake up to eight hours a day.

Often they eat without even descending from the trees. On the ground they walk little, slowly and clumsily. In this, they are very different from giant anteaters, which are capable of developing very high speeds.

The way they move is interesting. In order not to injure sensitive feet when walking, they move on the outer ribs of the feet. And the clawed front paws are used for self-defense. If it fell out to fight with the enemy on a tree, they tightly clasp the branch with both paws. When they are on the ground, they lean against some kind of support. For example, to tree trunk or rock. They also have a very funny defensive tactic - fall on their backs and fight back with all four legs. Their main detractors are big snakes, eagles and jaguars.

How long do anteaters live?

Scientists managed to fix the maximum life span of anteaters nine and a half years. Females become sexually mature by the end of the first year of life. Pregnancy lasts four and a half to five months. The only cub is born in spring.

Anteaters feed on termites and ants. They detect them by smell. At the same time, those species that emit caustic and dangerous substances are determined in advance. chemical substances and they are not eaten. They love bees and honey. In captivity, they even agree to meat.

The value of anteaters for humans

Surprisingly, among the Amazonian natives, four-toed anteaters live at home. They are kept to fight termites and ants that enter the dwelling.

And there is value in their tail veins. They make strong ropes.



This is a very cute little animal. more cat. A small head is decorated with a neat, elongated and pointed muzzle with a small mouth, from which a 10-centimeter tongue appears as needed. The long tail is the envy of everyone: fluffy and with a slightly curved tip.


Who will immediately name the name of this animal? Let me tell you more about it...





No wonder Australia is famous for its amazing fauna. Previously, almost all the animals of this continent were marsupials. And in our time, the situation has not changed much. Many Australian mammals belong to this infraclass, including predators, for example, tasmanian devil , marsupial wolves etc. Even anteaters, and those marsupials! They are also called nambats (very much in tune with wombats).


The only member of his family Nambat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) - small marsupial, preserved only in the south-west of Australia.


In general, marsupials differ from all other mammals primarily in that they give birth to very underdeveloped offspring: their newborn cubs are more like embryos. In the very first minutes, the baby crawls into the mother's bag, where it continues to grow, tightly attached to the nipple.


But nambats are interesting because they don’t have any bags. Instead, babies up to 4 months old hang on nipples hidden in the mother's thick undercoat.






The dimensions of this marsupial are small: body length 17-27 cm, tail - 13-17 cm. The weight of an adult animal ranges from 280 to 550 g; males are larger than females. The head of the marsupial anteater is flattened, the muzzle is elongated and pointed, the mouth is small. The worm-like tongue can protrude from the mouth by almost 10 cm. The eyes are large, the ears are pointed. The tail is long, fluffy, like a squirrel, not grasping. Usually the nambat holds it horizontally, with the tip slightly curved upwards. The paws are rather short, widely spaced, armed with strong claws.


The hairline of the nambat is thick and hard. Nambat is one of the most beautiful marsupials of australia: it is colored grayish brown or reddish. The hair on the back and upper thighs is covered with 6-12 white or cream stripes. The eastern nambats have a more uniform color than the western ones. A black longitudinal stripe is visible on the muzzle. The belly and limbs are yellow-white, buffy.


The teeth of the marsupial anteater are very small, weak and often asymmetrical: the molars on the right and left can have different lengths and widths. In total, the nambat has 50-52 teeth.



Before the start of European colonization, the nambat was distributed in Western and Southern Australia, from the borders of New South Wales and Victoria to the coast of the Indian Ocean, in the north reaching the southwestern part of the Northern Territory. Now the range is limited only to the south-west of Western Australia. Nambat inhabits mainly eucalyptus and acacia forests and dry woodlands.






Since the limbs and claws of the marsupial anteater (unlike other myrmecophages - echidnas, anteaters, aardvarks) are weak and unable to cope with a strong termite mound, it hunts mainly during the day, when insects in search of food move along underground galleries or under the bark of trees. Nambat daily activity synchronized with termite activity and temperature environment. So in the summer, by the middle of the day, the soil warms up very much, and the insects go deep underground, so the nambats switch to a twilight lifestyle; in winter, they feed from morning until noon, for about 4 hours a day.






Nambat is quite agile, can climb trees; at the slightest danger hides in a shelter. He spends the night in secluded places (shallow burrows, hollows of trees) on a litter of bark, leaves and dry grass. His sleep is very deep, similar to suspended animation. There are many cases when people, along with deadwood, accidentally burned nambats, who did not have time to wake up. Except for the breeding season, marsupial anteaters keep alone, occupying an individual territory of up to 150 hectares. When caught, the nambat does not bite or scratch, but only whistles or grumbles abruptly.


The mating season for nambats lasts from December to April. The female carries the cubs on her stomach for about 4 months, until their size reaches 4-5 cm. Then she leaves the offspring in a shallow hole or hollow, continuing to come at night to feed. The young remain with their mother for up to 9 months, finally leaving her in December. Puberty occurs in the second year of life.


Life expectancy (in captivity) - up to 6 years.






In connection with the economic development and clearing of land, the number of marsupial anteater has sharply decreased. However, the main reason for the decrease in its numbers is the pursuit of predators. Because of their diurnal lifestyle, nambats are more vulnerable than most small marsupials; they are being hunted predator birds, dingoes, feral dogs and cats, and especially red foxes, which in the 19th century. brought to Australia. Foxes have completely wiped out the nambat population in Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory; they survived only in the form of two small populations near Perth. In the late 1970s nambats numbered less than 1000 individuals.






Another name for the nambat - the marsupial anteater - is inaccurate, since this animal feeds almost exclusively on termites. Nambata has much in common with other myrmecophages (this word means "eating ants"), although its development proceeded in complete isolation from the rest of the world. Like its overseas relatives, it is armed with strong claws for breaking nests, it has a narrow pointed muzzle, and a long (up to 10 cm) sticky tongue easily extracts insects from winding passages. Before swallowing another portion of termites, the nambat grinds them against the bony palate.


In captivity, the marsupial anteater eats up to 20,000 termites daily. Nambat searches for food with the help of its extremely acute sense of smell.






IN wild nature nambats have to beware of two main enemies - rhombic python and large Australian lizard, but a much more serious threat to this endangered species comes from foxes, dogs and feral cats introduced by humans. The nimble nambat flees from predators in trees or hides in rotten trunks, closing the inlet with its wide back. Suddenly disturbed or frightened, the animal sits in a column on its hind legs or lies flat on the ground, fluffing its magnificent tail. Usually, the nambat holds its tail horizontally, but, when excited, lifts it up like an angry squirrel.






If needed, he carries pieces of wood in his mouth to put them more comfortably. He uses his teeth little to chew food. Most termites, devoid of hard particles, are swallowed whole by the nambat. Soldier termites, with their powerful jaws, are chewed lightly before being swallowed. Like many other marsupials, the nambat pounces on food with such greed that it does not pay attention to anything else: it can be touched and even picked up at this time, and it will not interrupt its occupation. If disturbed while eating, it makes a sound similar to the sound of rapid breathing, something like a deep breath. When the nambat is full, he rests in the hollow of a fallen tree, which he chooses for a dwelling. He carefully covers his shelter with dry leaves and grass. All night long he spends his lair in deep sleep similar to suspended animation. At present, these timid and defenseless animals have become so rare that they will disappear in the very near future, unless special measures are taken to protect them. There are many reasons for the decline in the number of nambats. Before the advent of Europeans, their only serious enemy were dingoes.


After the beginning of colonization, foxes were brought to the southwest of Australia and released, which settled widely and completely destroyed the nambat in many areas. In addition, the habit of nambats to spend twilight and nights in hollow deadwood turned out to be disastrous. There are many cases when farmers and lumberjacks, using deadwood as firewood, unwittingly burned these animals, unable to a short time wake up from your deep sleep.






















But please - folk art.




family marsupial anteaters Familia Myrmecobiidae
Genus marsupial anteaters myrmecobius
Myrmecobius fasciatus Waterhouse, 1836 (IV, 10)

Why is it listed in the Red Book

Endangered. The number is unknown, but has been declining sharply since the mid-1970s. The reasons for its reduction are not entirely clear, but, apparently, are associated with human changes in the habitat of the marsupial anteater and with the introduction of predators - foxes and feral cats.

How to find out

Body length 17-27 cm. Tail length 13-17 cm. The head is somewhat flattened with an elongated and pointed muzzle. Mouth small

.

The tongue can protrude up to 10 cm from the mouth. It serves to catch termites. The eyes are big. Ears of medium size, pointed. The back of the body is larger than the front. The tail is covered with thick hair. The limbs are relatively short, widely spaced.

In the marsupial anteater family, there is only one genus: the marsupial anteater Myrmecobius, included in Sometimes marsupial anteaters are included in family Dasyuridae. There is one species in the genus marsupial anteaters: the marsupial anteater M.fasdatus, included in the IUCN Red List.

The front paws are five-toed, and the hind paws are four-toed. Fingers with strong claws. The hairline is high, coarse. Its coloration on the back is grayish-brown or reddish with 6-12 white transverse stripes. The belly and limbs are yellow-white. The females do not have a brood pouch.

Where does it live

In the past were widespread throughout the southern part Australian mainland. Currently found only in the southwest of Western Australia.

Lifestyle and biology

inhabit open forests with the dominance of eucalyptus trees and an undergrowth of shrubs. Distribution is associated with the presence of termites, which not only serve as food, but also contribute to the formation of hollows used as shelters.

Favored habitats are forests dominated by Wandoo eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus wand o o), inhabited by termites Coptotermes acinaciformis, and with an undergrowth of the poisonous shrub Gastrolobium microcarpum. Less commonly found in forests dominated by E. margmata, which are more resistant to termites, and in hillside forests dominated by E. accedens.

Active mainly at night. The day is spent in hollows fallen trees. Sometimes they make nests from foliage, bark and grass. Burrows are occasionally dug. They feed on termites of all kinds, and also eat a small number of ants.

Breeding in southwestern Australia appears to be subject to seasonality. The female brings in a litter usually 4 cubs from January to April or May.

Genus: marsupial anteaters
Myrmecobius Waterhouse, 1836 View: marsupial anteater Latin name Myrmecobius fasciatus Waterhouse, 1836
International Red Book

: Invalid or missing image

Endangered species
IUCN 3.1 endangered:

Subspecies

The marsupial anteater forms 2 subspecies:

Appearance

The dimensions of this marsupial are small: body length 17-27 cm, tail - 13-17 cm. The weight of an adult animal is 280-550 g; males are larger than females. The head of the marsupial anteater is flattened, the muzzle is elongated and pointed, the mouth is small. The worm-like tongue can protrude from the mouth by almost 10 cm. The eyes are large, the ears are pointed. The tail is long, fluffy, like a squirrel, not grasping. Usually the nambat holds it horizontally, with the tip slightly curved upwards. The paws are rather short, widely spaced, armed with strong claws. Forelimbs with 5 fingers, hind limbs with 4.

The hairline of the nambat is thick and hard. The nambat is one of Australia's most beautiful marsupials: it is greyish-brown or rufous in color. The hair on the back and upper thighs is covered with 6-12 white or cream stripes. The eastern nambats have a more uniform color than the western ones. A black longitudinal stripe is visible on the muzzle, running from the nose through the eye to the ear. The belly and limbs are yellow-white, buffy.

The teeth of the marsupial anteater are very small, weak and often asymmetrical: the molars on the right and left can have different lengths and widths. In total, the nambat has 50-52 teeth. The hard palate stretches much further than in most mammals, which is typical for other "long-tongued" animals (pangolins, armadillos). Females have 4 nipples. The brood bag is missing; there is only a milky field bordered by curly hair.

Lifestyle and nutrition

Before the start of European colonization, the nambat was distributed in Western and South Australia, from the borders of New South Wales and Victoria to the coast of the Indian Ocean, in the north reaching the southwestern part of the Northern Territory. The range is now restricted to southwestern Western Australia. It inhabits mainly eucalyptus and acacia forests and dry woodlands.

Nambat feeds almost exclusively on termites, less often on ants. It eats other invertebrates only occasionally. It is the only marsupial that only feeds on social insects; in captivity, the marsupial anteater eats up to 20,000 termites daily. Nambat searches for food with the help of its extremely acute sense of smell. With the claws of its front paws, it digs up the soil or breaks up rotten wood, then it catches termites with a sticky tongue. Nambat swallows prey whole or slightly chewed chitin shells.

It is quite remarkable that this beast during the meal does not pay any attention to the surroundings. At such moments, you can stroke it or even pick it up.

Since the limbs and claws of the marsupial anteater (unlike other myrmecophages - echidnas, anteaters, aardvarks) are weak and unable to cope with a strong termite mound, it hunts mainly during the day, when insects in search of food move along underground galleries or under the bark of trees. The daily activity of the nambat is synchronized with the activity of termites and the ambient temperature. So in the summer, by the middle of the day, the soil warms up very much, and the insects go deep underground, so the nambats switch to a twilight lifestyle; in winter, they feed from morning until noon, for about 4 hours a day.

Nambat is quite agile, can climb trees; at the slightest danger hides in a shelter. He spends the night in secluded places (shallow burrows, hollows of trees) on a litter of bark, leaves and dry grass. His sleep is very deep, similar to suspended animation. There are many cases when people, along with deadwood, accidentally burned nambats, who did not have time to wake up. Except for the breeding season, marsupial anteaters keep alone, occupying an individual territory of up to 150 hectares. When caught, the nambat does not bite or scratch, but only whistles or grumbles abruptly.

reproduction

The mating season for nambats lasts from December to April. At this time, the males leave their hunting grounds and go in search of females, marking the trees and the ground with an oily secret, which is produced by a special skin gland on the chest.

Tiny (10 mm long), blind and naked cubs are born 2 weeks after mating. There are 2-4 cubs in a litter. Since the female does not have a brood pouch, they hang on the nipples, clinging to the mother's fur. According to some reports, childbirth occurs in a hole 1-2 m long. The female carries the cubs on her stomach for about 4 months, until their size reaches 4-5 cm. Then she leaves the offspring in a shallow hole or hollow, continuing to come at night to feed. By the beginning of September, young nambats begin to leave the burrow for a while. By October they are on a mixed diet of termites and mother's milk. The young remain with their mother for up to 9 months, finally leaving her in December. Sexual maturity occurs in the second year of life.

Life expectancy (in captivity) - up to 6 years.

Population status and protection

In connection with the economic development and clearing of land, the number of marsupial anteater has sharply decreased. However, the main reason for the decrease in its numbers is the pursuit of predators. Because of their diurnal lifestyle, nambats are more vulnerable than most small marsupials; they are hunted by birds of prey, dingoes, feral dogs and cats, and especially red foxes, which in the 19th century. brought to Australia. Foxes have completely wiped out the nambat population in Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory; they survived only in the form of two small populations near Perth. In the late 1970s nambats numbered less than 1000 individuals.

As a result of intensive protective measures, the destruction of foxes and the reintroduction of nambats, the population was able to increase. The nambat population is actively farmed in Australia's Sterling Range Conservation Park. However, this animal is still included in the lists of the International Red Book with the status of "endangered" ( endangered).

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Notes

Links

  • // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

An excerpt characterizing the marsupial anteater

When they listened to the order of Napoleon, who presented them with consolation for their injuries and death, the words of posterity that they were in the battle near Moscow, they shouted "Vive l" Empereur! just as they shouted "Vive l" Empereur! at the sight of a picture of a boy piercing Earth bilbock stick; just as they would shout "Vive l" Empereur! with any nonsense that they would have been told. There was nothing left for them to do but shout "Vive l" Empereur! and go fight to find food and rest for the winners in Moscow. Therefore, it was not because of Napoleon's orders that they killed their own kind.
And it was not Napoleon who controlled the course of the battle, because nothing from his disposition was executed and during the battle he did not know about what was happening ahead of him. Consequently, the way in which these people killed each other did not happen at the will of Napoleon, but proceeded independently of him, at the will of hundreds of thousands of people who participated in common cause. It seemed to Napoleon only that the whole thing was happening according to his will. And therefore the question of whether or not Napoleon had a runny nose is of no greater interest to history than the question of the runny nose of the last Furshtat soldier.
Moreover, on August 26, Napoleon's runny nose did not matter, since the testimony of writers that, due to Napoleon's runny nose, his disposition and orders during the battle were not as good as before, are completely unfair.
The disposition written out here was not in the least worse, and even better, than all previous dispositions by which battles were won. The imaginary orders during the battle were also no worse than before, but exactly the same as always. But these dispositions and orders seem only worse than the former ones, because battle of Borodino was the first that Napoleon did not win. All the most beautiful and profound dispositions and orders seem very bad, and every learned military man criticizes them with a significant air when the battle is not won over them, and the very bad dispositions and orders seem very good, and serious people in whole volumes prove the merits of bad orders, when the battle is won over them.
The disposition drawn up by Weyrother at the Battle of Austerlitz was a model of perfection in writings of this kind, but it was nevertheless condemned, condemned for its perfection, for being too detailed.
Napoleon in the battle of Borodino performed his job as a representative of power just as well, and even better, than in other battles. He did nothing detrimental to the course of the battle; he leaned towards more prudent opinions; he did not confuse, did not contradict himself, did not get frightened and did not run away from the battlefield, but with his great tact and experience of the war, he calmly and dignifiedly played his role of seeming boss.

Returning from his second preoccupied trip down the line, Napoleon said:
The chess is set, the game will start tomorrow.
Ordering himself a punch and calling Bosse, he began a conversation with him about Paris, about some changes that he intended to make in the maison de l "imperatrice [in the court staff of the empress], surprising the prefect with his memory of all the small details of court relations.
He was interested in trifles, joked about Bosse's love of travel and casually chatted like a famous, confident and knowledgeable cameraman does, while he rolls up his sleeves and puts on an apron, and the patient is tied to a bunk: “It's all in my hands and in the head, clear and definite. When I need to get down to business, I will do it like no other, and now I can joke, and the more I joke and calm, the more you should be sure, calm and surprised at my genius.
Having finished his second glass of punch, Napoleon went to rest before the serious business, which, as it seemed to him, was coming to him the next day.
He was so interested in this task ahead of him that he could not sleep and, despite the runny nose that had worsened from the evening dampness, at three o'clock in the morning, blowing his nose loudly, he went out into the large compartment of the tent. He asked if the Russians had left? He was told that the enemy fires were still in the same places. He nodded his head approvingly.
The duty adjutant entered the tent.
- Eh bien, Rapp, croyez vous, que nous ferons do bonnes affaires aujourd "hui? [Well, Rapp, what do you think: will our affairs be good today?] - he turned to him.
- Sans aucun doute, Sire, [Without any doubt, sovereign,] - answered Rapp.
Napoleon looked at him.
- Vous rappelez vous, Sire, ce que vous m "avez fait l" honneur de dire a Smolensk, - said Rapp, - le vin est tire, il faut le boire. [Do you remember, sir, those words that you deigned to say to me in Smolensk, the wine is uncorked, you must drink it.]
Napoleon frowned and sat silently for a long time, his head resting on his hand.
“Cette pauvre armee,” he said suddenly, “elle a bien diminue depuis Smolensk.” La fortune est une franche courtisane, Rapp; je le disais toujours, et je commence a l "eprouver. Mais la garde, Rapp, la garde est intacte? [Poor army! It has greatly decreased from Smolensk. Fortune is a real whore, Rapp. I have always said this and am beginning to experience it. But the guard, Rapp, are the guards intact?] he said inquiringly.
- Oui, Sire, [Yes, sir.] - answered Rapp.
Napoleon took a lozenge, put it in his mouth and looked at his watch. He did not want to sleep, it was still far from morning; and in order to kill time, it was no longer possible to issue any orders, because everything had been made and was now being carried out.
– A t on distribue les biscuits et le riz aux regiments de la garde? [Have they distributed crackers and rice to the guardsmen?] Napoleon asked sternly.
– Oui, Sire. [Yes, sir.]
Mais le riz? [But rice?]
Rapp replied that he had conveyed the sovereign's orders about rice, but Napoleon shook his head in displeasure, as if he did not believe that his order would be carried out. The servant entered with punch. Napoleon ordered another glass to be served to Rapp and silently sipped from his own.
“I have no taste or smell,” he said, sniffing the glass. - This cold has bothered me. They talk about medicine. What kind of medicine when they can not cure the common cold? Corvisart gave me these lozenges, but they do nothing. What can they treat? Cannot be treated. Notre corps est une machine a vivre. Il est organise pour cela, c "est sa nature; laissez y la vie a son aise, qu" elle s "y defende elle meme: elle fera plus que si vous la paralysiez en l" encombrant de remedes. notre corps est comme une montre parfaite qui doit aller un certain temps; l "horloger n" a pas la faculte de l "ouvrir, il ne peut la manier qu" a tatons et les yeux bandes. Notre corps est une machine a vivre, voila tout. [Our body is a machine for life. It is designed for this. Leave life alone in him, let her defend herself, she will do more alone than when you interfere with her with medicines. Our body is like a clock that must run known time; the watchmaker cannot open them and only by groping and blindfolded can he operate them. Our body is a machine for life. That's all.] - And as if embarking on the path of definitions, definitions that Napoleon loved, he suddenly made a new definition. “Do you know, Rapp, what the art of war is?” - he asked. - The art of being stronger than the enemy at a certain moment. Voila tout. [That's all.]
Rapp didn't answer.
Demainnous allons avoir affaire a Koutouzoff! [Tomorrow we will deal with Kutuzov!] - said Napoleon. - Let's see! Remember, in Braunau he commanded an army and not once in three weeks did he mount his horse to inspect the fortifications. Let's see!

Marsupial anteater or nambat - rare mammal families of marsupial anteaters; the only representative of the family of the same name.

The dimensions of this marsupial are small: body length 17-27 cm, tail - 13-17 cm. The weight of an adult animal ranges from 280 to 550 g; males are larger than females. The head of the marsupial anteater is flattened, the muzzle is elongated and pointed, the mouth is small. The worm-like tongue can protrude from the mouth by almost 10 cm. The eyes are large, the ears are pointed. The tail is long, fluffy, like a squirrel, not grasping. Usually the nambat holds it horizontally, with the tip slightly curved upwards. The paws are rather short, widely spaced, armed with strong claws.

The hairline of the nambat is thick and hard. Nambat is one of the most beautiful marsupials in Australia: it is painted in grayish brown or reddish color. The hair on the back and upper thighs is covered with 6-12 white or cream stripes. The eastern nambats have a more uniform color than the western ones. A black longitudinal stripe is visible on the muzzle. The belly and limbs are yellow-white, buffy.

The teeth of the marsupial anteater are very small, weak and often asymmetrical: the molars on the right and left can have different lengths and widths. In total, the nambat has 50-52 teeth.

Before the start of European colonization, the nambat was distributed in Western and Southern Australia, from the borders of New South Wales and Victoria to the coast of the Indian Ocean, in the north reaching the southwestern part of the Northern Territory. Now the range is limited only to the south-west of Western Australia. Nambat inhabits mainly eucalyptus and acacia forests and dry woodlands.

Nambat feeds almost exclusively on termites, less often on ants. It eats other invertebrates only occasionally. In captivity, the marsupial anteater eats up to 20,000 termites daily. Nambat searches for food with the help of its extremely acute sense of smell.

Since the limbs and claws of the marsupial anteater (unlike other myrmecophages - echidnas, anteaters, aardvarks) are weak and unable to cope with a strong termite mound, it hunts mainly during the day, when insects move in underground galleries or under the bark of trees in search of food. The daily activity of the nambat is synchronized with the activity of termites and the ambient temperature. So in the summer, by the middle of the day, the soil warms up very much, and the insects go deep underground, so the nambats switch to a twilight lifestyle; in winter, they feed from morning until noon, for about 4 hours a day.

Nambat is quite agile, can climb trees; at the slightest danger hides in a shelter. He spends the night in secluded places (shallow burrows, hollows of trees) on a litter of bark, leaves and dry grass. His sleep is very deep, similar to suspended animation. There are many cases when people, along with deadwood, accidentally burned nambats, who did not have time to wake up. Except for the breeding season, marsupial anteaters keep alone, occupying an individual territory of up to 150 hectares. When caught, the nambat does not bite or scratch, but only whistles or grumbles abruptly.

The mating season for nambats lasts from December to April. The female carries the cubs on her stomach for about 4 months, until their size reaches 4-5 cm. Then she leaves the offspring in a shallow hole or hollow, continuing to come at night to feed. The young remain with their mother for up to 9 months, finally leaving her in December. Sexual maturity occurs in the second year of life.

Life expectancy (in captivity) - up to 6 years.

In connection with the economic development and clearing of land, the number of marsupial anteater has sharply decreased. However, the main reason for the decrease in its numbers is the pursuit of predators. Because of their diurnal lifestyle, nambats are more vulnerable than most small marsupials; they are hunted by birds of prey, dingoes, feral dogs and cats, and especially red foxes, which in the 19th century. brought to Australia. Foxes have completely wiped out the nambat population in Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory; they survived only in the form of two small populations near Perth. In the late 1970s nambats numbered less than 1000 individuals.

As a result of intensive protective measures, the destruction of foxes and the reintroduction of nambats, the population was able to increase. However, this animal is still included in the lists of the International Red Book with the status of "disappearing" (Endangered).

See information about other representatives of the fauna of Australia, including a representative of the family of two-bladed marsupials - the wombat and representatives of the genus of mammals of the family of carnivorous marsupials -