Freshwater animals. Report-message “Inhabitants of reservoirs. These fish became the heroes of the “River Monsters” program

The central region of the European part of the country is considered to be the central zone of Russia, bordering on Belarus in the west and the Volga region in the east. These areas are characterized by a temperate climate and the presence of expanses of water where the inhabitants of rivers and lakes live, in which conditions are favorable for feeding and reproduction.

Russia is great, but only the European part of the country is considered its middle zone; numerous

river animals,

Beavers prefer to settle on the banks of slow-flowing rivers; they try to gnaw tree trunks so that they fall in the right place; they cut down aspen, birch, and willow. The animals build quite strong and large half-walls from trunks and branches, dig a hole nearby in a steep slope, make several exits, and one of them is always under water. In this way, animals protect themselves and their offspring from attacks by predators; if there is no suitable cliff nearby, a hut is built from branches and twigs, which also has several “doors”.

Beavers store food for future use, for the winter; usually the “refrigerator” is located under an overhanging bank and is camouflaged with branches; even in cold weather, the water does not freeze there and the animals can take food at any time and do not starve. Animals feed exclusively on parts of plants, such as the bark of trees, the herbaceous parts of water lilies and algae; the teeth are very long; when felling trees, they wear down heavily, but then they grow back; if there is no solid food, the teeth grow so large that the beaver cannot close its mouth and dies.

Muskrats are also river animals that live in central Russia, as well as in Siberia and the Far East. The animals are very similar to rats, but much larger in size - the length of the body can be up to 40 centimeters. The animal has an elongated muzzle with long incisors, with which it easily gnaws plants under water; however, if there is not enough plant food, the muskrat can catch and eat a frog or small fish. They live in families, build huts like beavers or dig holes, males mark their territory and members of other families cannot come here to feed, when the children grow up, the mother kicks them out of the house and they look for a new place to live.

In central Russia there are many different rivers and streams, next to which there is freedom for animals leading a semi-aquatic lifestyle, the largest of them are muskrats and beavers, there are also smaller animals - water voles and otters, which also find their place on the river.

The otter swims well and dives in the hunt for fish, can spend almost 2 minutes under water, the animal is perfectly adapted for swimming, it has an elongated body, a long tail, and a flat head. Predators mainly fish, but they can also catch prey on the ground, moving quite far from the river; here they look for small animals - mice, rabbits, and can catch and eat a careless bird. Singles - mate in water, pregnancy lasts 2 months, during this time the otter finds a suitable place for a den, arranges it in a cave or digs a hole, gives birth to 2 or 4 puppies, which become adults after 2 years.

An otter can be easily tamed and kept as a pet (it recognizes its owner and plays with him), or used on a farm; fishermen sometimes teach it to drive fish into set nets; the animal takes such work as a game, but receives a reward for it in the form of especially tasty pieces. The animal has wonderful fur with a long awn and thick undercoat; a coat made from such fur is highly valued and can last a very long time, so otters are often hunted and their numbers are decreasing.

Another rodent lives in the floodplains of rivers and swamps - the water vole, which is also called the water rat, its body length is up to 25 centimeters, and has a rather long tail. In the summer, it digs a hole near the water, where it lives until autumn; with the onset of cold days, it moves to drier places, where it sets up unique warehouses with supplies of potatoes or the roots of other plants. From late spring to early autumn, the rat can bring 2 or three broods of cubs, which it raises in the nesting chamber. It feeds on soft parts of plants, sometimes catching mollusks, insects, and frogs.

In the basins of the Volga, Don and Oka rivers, there is a muskrat, almost the same in size as the water vole, but the animal is fatter, and therefore weighs more - about 500 grams. The muskrat feeds on insects; it can catch a worm or a snail, but it also happily eats soft parts of plants. They live in burrows that resemble a labyrinth inside, the animal marks the passages with a secretion from the musk gland, the smell of which is attractive to invertebrates, thus there is no need to hunt, the food will come by itself and be placed on the dining table.

Along the banks of rivers and lakes in central Russia there is a very vibrant life: otters, muskrats, beavers build their houses and burrows, stock up on food, and give birth to cubs. Biologists are trying to preserve the animal world of Russia, setting up nature reserves and limiting the time for hunting animals.

Russia is rich not only in mineral resources, its territory is home to many animals that live on land and lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle. Animals destroy harmful insects, clear coastal forests, or serve as a source for beautiful furs.

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Freshwater animals

Freshwater bodies can be found throughout the world in a wide variety of climate zones. These bodies of water are stagnant (lakes, ponds, creeks and swamps) and flowing (rivers and streams). From the smallest mud puddles to the largest lakes, from the tiniest streams to the largest rivers.

All this is fresh water, which is a very mobile system, sensitive to pollution and constantly subject to various changes: lakes can become overgrown and turn into swamps, rivers can change their course. However, it is here that many species of plants and animals find shelter that have adapted to life in or near fresh water.

Shrew

The water shrew lives in the reservoirs of northern Europe and Asia. Its paws have long toes framed with bristles, and the fur is so thick that water rolls off it when the shrew gets out onto land. This excellent swimmer is nocturnal. It feeds on small aquatic animals, but sometimes it bravely attacks prey much larger than itself.

Chinese alligator

One of two species of alligators, the Chinese alligator lives in the Yangtze River. It is less known than the second species - the Mississippi alligator, which lives in the southeastern United States in wetlands and calm rivers, feeding on fish, small mammals and birds. Both species of alligators have a very strong tail, which they actively use as protection and as a rudder when swimming. Alligators dig a lair where they rest and hibernate in winter.

Pike

The weight of pike can reach 16 kg. This predator waits for its prey, frozen motionless in the thickets of plants near the shore of a river or lake. As soon as a careless fish or insect trustingly approaches it, it rushes with lightning speed and grabs the prey. In the ecosystems of small reservoirs, pike plays an important role, ensuring that the numbers of individual fish species do not increase too quickly.

The silverback spider, the only one of all spiders, spends most of its life under water, without even emerging to breathe air. It weaves a silky net, attaches it to plants growing at the bottom of shallow lakes or ponds, and fills it with air bubbles, which are delivered from the surface of the water on the hairs covering its body. When the web bell is ready, the spider settles in it and from here hunts for insects passing by.

Jacans

Jacanas are tropical aquatic birds that live in swamps, rice fields and backwaters. They have very long fingers and claws, which allows them to easily move along aquatic plants - for example, on the leaves of water lilies. Gracefully stepping from leaf to leaf, they eat insects, shellfish, small fish and seeds of aquatic plants.

Most river mammals spend only part of their lives in water. Animals such as the river otter and the swimming rat live on land and venture into the water in search of food.

1. Hippopotamus.
A hippopotamus peers out of an algae-covered lake in Kenya's Masai Mara Game Reserve. These massive mammals cool their huge bodies in African lakes, ponds and rivers for up to 16 hours a day every day. And although these animals can hold their breath for about half an hour, they usually do not submerge completely under water, leaving the top of their heads on the surface. At night, hippos leave the water and come to land in search of food. If they stay on land too long during a hot day, the animals quickly become dehydrated.

2. Hippopotamus.
The Zambian hippopotamus sends an aggressive message by displaying its sharp teeth, which can reach lengths of 20 inches (51 centimeters). Males use a wide open mouth when fighting to determine which animal is dominant. Sometimes a simple show of force is not enough, and such behavior leads to potentially deadly battles. Hippos are also dangerous to humans.

3. Manatee.
Manatees swim slowly through shallow, warm coastal waters and rivers. For example, such as this crystal clear river in Florida - Crystal River, which is shown in this photo. The large mammals (up to 1,300 pounds or 600 kg) are born underwater and remain there throughout their lives, although they must come up for air every few minutes. Known as sea cows, they are voracious herbivores, feeding on a variety of sea grasses, weeds and algae.
Several different species of manatees live along the Atlantic coast of North and South America, the west coast of Africa, and in the Amazon River.

4. Muskrat.
Muskrats are frequent inhabitants of wetlands, swamps and ponds, where they make their burrows by digging tunnels in marshy banks. This large rodent has a foot-long body and a flat tail almost as long as its body. Muskrats are well adapted to water and begin to swim 10 days after birth. Perhaps best known for their highly developed communication skills, muskrats exchange information with each other and ward off predators with their distinct scent.

5. Baikal seals.
There are a large number of seals living in the world, but only one species is truly freshwater - the Baikal seal. These seals live in the lake of the same name on the territory of the Russian Federation, which is the deepest in the world. Although new generations of Baikal seals are born every year in such colonies, this species is not in serious danger. The main threats are poaching, as well as pollution from paper and pulp production, which are located near the lake.

6. Amazonian dolphin.
To track food (small fish and crustaceans) in murky river waters, the charismatic Amazon dolphin uses echolocation. During their annual leashes, these dolphins actually swim through the flooded forests and hunt among the trees. The bright hue (often pink or very pale) and natural curiosity of this dolphin species make them easy targets for fishermen poachers who illegally catch them to use as catfish bait. The population of these individuals has decreased significantly in recent years. Among the locals inhabiting the shores of the Amazon, these dolphins have long been considered supernatural creatures that could take on human form.

7. Capybara.
The world's largest rodent, the capybara grows to 4 feet in length (130 cm) and weighs about 145 pounds (66 kg). These moisture-loving mammals reach this size by eating grasses and aquatic plants.
In most cases, these mammals live in watery areas, to which they are physically well adapted. They have webbed feet, thanks to which they swim well and can dive under water for five minutes or more. Capybaras live in Central and South America, inhabiting the lakes, rivers and wetlands of Panama from southern Brazil to northern Argentina.
The Nature Conservancy is working with partners to protect capybara habitat, including the watery grasslands of Llanos. The group is working with local landowners to create private reserves in critical habitat areas and helping to secure more resources for a 63,000-acre (25,500-hectare) conservation area in Casanare province in northeastern Colombia.

8. Capybaras.
The eyes, ears and nostrils of capybaras are located high on the head, so they remain on the surface when the animal is in the water. These social mammals move and live in alpha male-dominated groups and work together to defend their home and feeding territory. People hunt (and also farm) capybaras for their skin and meat, which is especially popular during Lent - Catholics in South America consider the animal an acceptable alternative to beef or pork.

9. Beaver.
Beavers are ecological engineers, second only to humans in their ability to significantly alter the landscape to their liking. Using their powerful jaws and teeth, they cut down trees by the dozens and build dams of wood and mud 2 to 10 feet (1-3 meters) high and over 100 feet (30 meters) long. And they do this so that the filling waters flood the nearby fields and forests. In the resulting lakes, which are sometimes enormous in size, beavers build their homes from branches and mud.

10. Beaver.
Although they are quite clumsy on land, beavers swim easily in the water thanks to their webbed feet and paddle-shaped tail, which help them reach speeds of up to 5 miles (8 km) per hour. These mammals also boast a sort of natural diving suit in the form of their oily, water-resistant fur.
Beavers eat aquatic plants, roots, leaves, bark, and branches. Their teeth grow throughout their lives, so they simply need to chew on trees to prevent them from growing too long and crooked. A single beaver chews down hundreds of trees each year, typically gnawing down a tree 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter in just 15 minutes.

11. River otter.
This sleepy river otter is actually very playful. The water-loving mammal is always willing to dive under water and can move gracefully thanks to its webbed feet and paddle-shaped tail. Otters have specially designed ears and nostrils that close underwater, as well as water-repellent fur. Young otters begin to swim at the age of 2 months. River otters live in burrows along the edges of a river or lake in close proximity to the fish on which they feed.

12. Platypus.
The platypus is an incredible mixture of different animals: its furry body resembles that of an otter, its beak like that of a duck, and its webbed feet and paddle-shaped tail like a beaver. Like all these animals, the platypus is a strong swimmer and spends most of its life underwater. Unlike otters and beavers, they lay eggs. Male platypuses have poisonous stings on their hind legs. These animals build their burrows at the very edge of the water and feed on underwater worms, mollusks and insects.

Descriptions of aquatic animals

Taxonomy of animals included in the book:

Kingdom Animals Animalia:

· Type Sponges Porifera;

· Type Tentacled (bryozoans) Tentaculata;

· Type Coelenterates (hydra) Coelenterata;

· Type Flatworms Plathelminthes;

· Type Roundworms Nemathelmintha;

· Type Annelids Annelida;

· Type Shellfish Mollusca;

· Type Arthropods Arthropoda;

· Type Chordata Chordata.

All species have names in Russian and Latin. The Latin name consists of two words (binary nomenclature): the first with a capital letter is the name of the genus, the second with a small letter is the species definition.

If the species does not have an original Russian name, then a tracing paper from the Latin name of the genus is used, for example:

Hydropsyche caddisfly – Hydropsyche pellucidula. The description of the species is made according to the following scheme:

· Appearance;

· Habitat biotope;

· What does it eat?

· Ecology of the species.

Based on the degree of dependence of animals on the aquatic environment, four ecological groups of organisms can be distinguished:

1) aquatic - reproduction and life take place only in water (sponges, hydras, worms, crayfish, mollusks);

2) aquatic, but can actively use other environments (bugs, beetles, green frogs);

3) development in water, the rest of life outside the water (insects: dragonflies, mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, dipterans; newts, brown frogs, toads);

4) development on land, water bodies are used as a place for hunting, recreation, shelter (snakes, turtles).

The book pays more attention to the description of the aquatic phase of animal life.

Freshwater sponges are stationary colonies in the form of growths of various shapes: young ones have a crust of 2-3 mm thick, perennial colonies weighing up to several kilograms in the river badyagi have lumpy growths up to 70 cm long and 30 cm thick, in the lake sponge they have bushy finger-like outgrowths up to 1 m long. The grayish to green color depends on the algae living in the body of the sponge. The body is permeated with spicules - thin flint skeletal needles; when rubbed, a tingling sensation and a sharp nauseating odor are felt.

· On stones, stems, snags at shallow depths.

· They feed by filtering suspended microorganisms through small pores into the internal cavity, which opens into larger excretory ostia.

· Sponges are found in summer; in the fall, the colonies die off, forming asexually internal buds - gemmules (surrounded by a dense membrane of clusters of cells). These overwintering buds, about 0.5 mm in diameter, are visible on the break as yellow or brown grains. In spring, a new colony develops from gemmules.

River badyaga Ephydatia fluviatilis

Spongilla lacustris

River badyaga: general view and colony of a branch that fell into the water.

Lake badyaga on a flat substrate and on a stick.

Long-stemmed hydra Pelmatohydra oligactis

Green hydra Chlorohydra viridissima

Hydra vulgaris

From left to right: Hydra with male gonads, with female gonads, during budding.

The common and green hydra has a body in the form of a hollow cylinder 10 mm long. The body of hydra pedunculata is up to 30 mm, the tentacles are 3-4 times longer than the body.

· Various bodies of water with underwater vegetation.

· Small invertebrates, crustaceans.

· Attached with their soles to plants near the surface of the water. The tentacles contain stinging capsules that shoot sharp threads at the victim and paralyze it with poison.

· In summer, reproduction is asexual: a bud grows on the body, which then separates. Sexual reproduction begins in the fall. On some hydras male gonads appear, on others - female gonads, in which eggs mature. After division begins, the embryo becomes covered with a double shell and overwinters. In the spring, a small hydra emerges from the shell.

Disturbed hydras shrink strongly, so you need to observe them by placing aquatic plants in water.

Common (left) and green hydra (natural). Hydra dopinospedulata.

Hydras move, attaching to the substrate either with the sole or with a mouth cone with tentacles.

Bryozoan Cristatella mucedo

Bryozoan Plumatella fungosa

Creeping bryozoan Plumatella repens

Stationary, sessile animals that form colonies in the form of mossy growths or dense brown balls (bryozoan glomerulosa, 20-50 mm long), branched tubes (bryozoan creeping). The bryozoan colony is worm-shaped, gelatinous, and can crawl slowly: 1-15 mm per day.

· On plants, piles, stones in standing and slowly flowing bodies of water.

· Food (algae, protozoa, rotifers) is brought to the mouth by the flickering of cilia on the tentacles.

They usually live 5-6 months. A colony grows through budding: the incomplete separation of new individuals from old ones. In autumn, special buds with a dense shell are formed inside the individual - statoblasts, which survive the winter; in the spring, a young individual emerges from them and forms a new colony by budding. Sexual reproduction: bryozoans are hermaphrodites, producing both female and male reproductive cells.

Fertilization results in a larva, which attaches a few hours after hatching and begins to form a colony by budding.

An individual organism of a bryozoan colony.

Balloon bryozoan: on branches (at the top of the left branch there is a colony of river badyagi), on a toothless shell, on a crayfish.

Bryozoan comb (ed. v.). Creeping (est. v.).

Favorite fish food.

Leeches Ordo Arhynchobdellea

Medical leech Hirudo medicinalis - length up to 20 cm. The color of the back is variable, but always with two narrow longitudinal stripes.

· Small shallow bodies of water.

· Feeds on the blood of frogs and mammals.

· Very mobile. Once a year it lays cocoons with eggs in the coastal strip.

The large false horse leech Haemopis sanguisuga is greenish-black with a shiny tint, 10-15 cm long.

Small false horse leech Herpobdella octoculata - length 4-6 cm. The back is brown or brown with transverse rows of spots.

· Coastal zones of slow-flowing water bodies.

· Predators, feed on worms and insect larvae.

· They swim, wriggling their whole body. The large false-cone leech lays eggs in cocoons above the water level. Lesser false conk sticks cocoons to the leaves of aquatic plants.

Proboscis leeches Ordo Rhynchobdellea

Fish leech Piscicola geometra – length 25-50 mm. The color is grayish-green or yellowish. The body is round, the anterior sucker is disc-shaped, clearly marked, much larger than the posterior one.

· Found in oxygen-rich waters.

· Can move, alternately attaching itself with the front and back suckers - hence the second name: surveyor leech. Swims or stays on plants, waiting for prey.

Snail leech Glossiphonia complanata – sizes 10-30 mm. The back is greenish-brown, with three pairs of longitudinal rows of papillae.

· Among aquatic plants in ponds, lakes, oxbow lakes.

· Sucking mainly mollusks, sometimes worms or insect larvae.

Shows care for the offspring: eggs and young leeches develop attached to the ventral side of the mother.

There are three jaws in the leech's mouth, which can only be seen by cutting into the throat. The rear suckers are always larger than the front ones.

The pharynx forms a proboscis, which protrudes forward if you strongly squeeze the head end of the leech with your fingers.

Medical leech. Cocoon with eggs: left – appearance, right – cross-section.

Left: cochlear leech, dorsal view; right: female with eggs attached, ventral view.

Above: a large false horse leech eating a worm; below: small false horse leech. These leeches are called false horse in contrast to the dangerous horse or Nile leech Limnatis nilotica, which lives in the south, which has weak jaws and therefore sticks to the mucous membranes of mammals: the pharynx, larynx, urinary and female genital organs.

Fish leech and its method of feeding on fish.

Planaria Order Tricladida

Ehrenberg's mesostomy

Mesostoma ehrenbergi

Flatworms are 15-20 mm long. The color is gray, brownish or dark brown. The mammary planaria and Ehrenberg's mesostomy are transparent - their internal organs are visible.

· Various bodies of water down to small puddles.

· Small crustaceans, caviar, carrion.

· During the day they hide in the mud, under leaves, at night they crawl slowly using the beating of cilia on the underside of the body and contraction of the abdominal muscles. The mouth opening with a retractable pharynx is located on the abdomen. The prey is first processed by digestive juices and then sucked out.

· Bisexual animals - hermaphrodites - partners mutually fertilize each other, after which they lay eggs in a cocoon the size of a pinhead, hanging it on the leaves of aquatic plants. Asexual reproduction occurs: by transverse division of the entire body. The ability to regenerate – restore the body from a small part of the body – is very highly developed.

Associated with this is the process of self-mutilation, or autotomy, when, under unfavorable conditions, planarians fall into pieces with the subsequent restoration of full-fledged animals - this can be considered as a special form of reproduction.

From left to right: brown planaria (dark) Planaria torva; mourning planaria Planaria lugubris; horned planaria Polycelis cornuta; angular planaria Euplanaria gonocephala; black planaria (black many-eyed) Polycelis nigra.

Planaria milky.

Dendrocoelum lacteum.

Ehrenberg's Mesostoma Mesostoma ehrenbergi is often suspended from the surface film of water by racing threads of its mucous secretions.

Planaria cocoon with eggs on a leaf of an aquatic plant.

Class Hairworms – Gordiacea

Hairy beetle Gordius aquaticus

Hair-like long body up to 1.5 m long (usually 30-40 cm) and 2 mm thick, whitish or dark brown in color. The head end of the body is rounded, the rear end is forked.

· Among plant remains at the bottom of ponds and lakes.

· The intestines are reduced, adult worms do not feed.

The final host is an insect that devours an infected larva, in which the worm develops and wanders.

Hairy.

Class Oligochaetes - Oligochaeta

Common tubifex Tubifex tubifex

A thin thread-like pinkish worm, up to 80 mm long. Each body segment has 4 setae.

· At the bottom of silted standing reservoirs, in polluted streams and rivers.

· Feeds on decaying particles, swallowing and passing silt through the intestines.

· Extends the rear end of the body from the ground, which constantly moves to be washed with water - respiratory movements. Occurs in large clusters. At the entrance to its burrow it makes a short flexible tube from mucus and silt.

Reproduction is only sexual. Eggs (several pieces) are laid in cocoons.

Common tubifex.

Common pondweed Limnaea stagnalis

The shell is up to 6 cm high, up to 3 cm wide. The appearance is very variable: depending on the living conditions, the color, thickness, shape of the mouth and curl of the shell, and size vary. The color of the legs and body ranges from blue-black to sandy yellow. Eyes at the base of the tentacles.

· Ponds, lakes, and river backwaters rich in vegetation.

· Plants, animals, corpses.

· Breathes air, the reserves of which are renewed by rising to the surface. Usually crawls among thickets, scraping algae and small animals from the underside of leaves. Can be suspended by the sole of the foot from the surface film of water and slide along it. Hermaphrodite: When mating, both snails fertilize each other.

· Caviar in plump gelatinous sausages is glued under water to various objects and plants. Egg development takes about 20 days.

When the reservoir dries, it seals the mouth of the shell with a thick film. It can freeze into ice and then come back to life when it thaws.

Laying caviar.

Pond snail shells of different types. Top row, from left to right: common Limnaea stagnalis, marsh L. palustris, long-eared L. auricularia (with low and high curl). Bottom row: oval pond snail (ovoid) L. ovata (with low and high curl), peregra L. peregra, glabra L. glabra, small L. Truncatula.

Aplexa and phys

Family Physidae

Snails with shells twisted to the left. From left to right: Aplexa hypnorum (swamps, drying up puddles, overgrown streams); Physa fontinalis (slow-flowing streams, lakes, ponds); Physa acuta (rivers and streams of the southern regions).

Frilled beetle Amphipeplea glutinosa

Amphipeplea glutinosa has a thin and fragile shell. Found in ponds and lakes in spring and the first half of summer. By mid-summer it lays eggs and dies.

Toothless swan.

Above: The artist's pearl barley Unio pictorum - artists mixed paints in its shell. Below: wedge-shaped (swollen) pearl barley Unio tumidus and thick pearl barley Unio crassus.

River pea Pisidium amniocum.

Peas of other types, side and front views.

Calyxes of Ancylus sp.

Left: lake calyx Ancylus (Acroloxus) lacustris – length 7-8 mm. Found in stagnant bodies of water on the stems and leaves of plants. Right: river calyx Ancylus fluviatilis – up to 5 mm long. Lives only in flowing bodies of water.

Coils Planorbis sp.

Coil shells. Top row, from left to right, bottom and side views: shiny Planorbis nitidus, combed Pl. crista, twisted Pl. contortus, flattened Pl. complanatus, seven-coil Pl. septemgyratus, curl Pl. vortex. Bottom row: bordered Planorbis planorbis, keeled Pl. carinatus, horny Pl. corneus. Horny coil - visible blood vessels (on the leg under the shell); on the right is a laying of eggs in the form of a flat gelatinous plate.

Widely distributed in various bodies of water. They eat plant foods. When the reservoir dries out, they bury themselves in damp silt or cover the mouth of the shell with a thick film. They can live without water for up to three months.

The eggs are laid in a horny coil in the form of a flat, gelatinous plate.

Prosobranchia – Prosobranchia

Luzhanki Viviparus sp.

Viviparous meadow Viviparus contectus (left), River meadow V. Viviparus.

The shell is spirally curled, in the form of a blunt cone. Its color is yellowish-brown, with three dark brown stripes along the curls. The height of the shell in the viviparous meadow Viviparus contectus is up to 40 mm, in the river meadow Viviparus viviparus up to 25 mm. The body is dark with small yellow spots. On the leg there is a horny cap that can tightly close the mouth of the shell.

· Floodplain reservoirs with a muddy bottom, river water – in rivers.

· Algae, plant residues.

· Breathing through the gills. They crawl along the bottom without rising to the surface. Dioecious. The eggs develop in the female’s oviduct (12-20 embryos at a time) - already formed snails emerge. They breed throughout the year.

Resistant to low temperatures - tolerates freezing into ice.

Bithynia sp.

From left to right: Bithynia tentaculata, Bithynia leachi, egg laying.

The height of the yellowish-brown shell is 10-12 mm. Often found on coastal stones, in silt, in the axils of leaves of aquatic plants in flowing and closed water bodies. They can cover the sink hole with a lime lid. They readily eat green algae deposits on underwater objects.

Valvata sp. valves

From left to right: valve piscinalis Valvata piscinalis, valve macrostoma Val. macrostoma. On the far right is the cristate valve protruding from the shell. The left tentacle-shaped pinnate process is the gill. At the back of the leg there is a locking horny cap.

Shell height 8-12 mm. The color is olive-brown in different shades. They are found on muddy soil, aquatic plants in rivers, lakes, and ponds.

Toothless swan (common)

Pearl barley Unio sp.

A shell of two valves connected on the dorsal side by a hinge ligament. The mollusk can close and hold the valves tightly with strong closing muscles. The inside of the shell is lined with a layer of mother-of-pearl. The toothless shell has an oval, thin, greenish or brown color, up to 20 cm long. In the genus of pearl barley, the shell is elongated, hard, olive-colored, up to 15 cm long. There are teeth inside the valves near the hinge ligament.

· Stagnant and slowly flowing bodies of water.

· They feed by filtering out small animals from the current of water entering the gill cavity.

Peas Pisidium sp.

Sharovka Sphaerium sp.

Small bivalves. Light pea shells with apex shifted from the center to the rear edge, 3-7 mm in size. In balls, the apex is located in the middle of a yellow or brown shell, the size of which is more than 10 mm.

· Silty or sandy coastal areas of rivers and lakes.

· They feed on small organisms that come with the flow of water during respiration.

· They crawl along the bottom with the help of a long pointed leg, placing two tubes on the opposite side into the gap between the valves: an inlet siphon (draws water into the cavity of the shell) and an outlet siphon. Sharovki are “viviparous” hermaphrodites - there is no stage of free-swimming larvae in development: the eggs are hatched in special brood chambers on the internal gills, and the juveniles develop there. Fully formed, independent, only very small mollusks enter the water.

When reservoirs dry up, they burrow into the silt and wait out unfavorable conditions there.

Spring shieldbill Lepidurus apus

Triops cancriformis

A soft gable shield of green-brown color covers the head, chest and part of the abdomen, at the end of which there are two long thread-like appendages. Length 4-6 cm.

· Small temporary drying up reservoirs.

· Soft invertebrates, tadpoles, juveniles, tender parts of plants.

· Are found almost exclusively females. They swim belly up. In search of food, they stir up the soil at the bottom.

They develop from unfertilized eggs to maturity in two to three weeks, and molt up to 40 times. Layed small eggs with a durable shell tolerate drying out, freezing and remain viable for 7-9 years. In favorable conditions, the next year a larva emerges from the egg.

Left: spring scale. Right: triops scale - from the dorsal and ventral sides (est. v.).

Cyzicus tetracerum

Cizicus is a small crustacean 10-12 mm long. The body is flat, enclosed in a bivalve transparent pinkish-greenish shell. It clearly shows concentric growth lines - the number of molts. Found in early spring in shallow temporary reservoirs. Digs in the ground, stirring up silt in search of small organisms. 19 days after the larva emerges from the egg, it reaches maturity. Eggs tolerate drying and freezing well.

Cyzicus tetracerum.

Branchipus stagnalis

Branchipus is a translucent, graceful crustacean. Swims with the ventral side up. Length about 10 mm. Lives in temporary drying up reservoirs. It feeds on algae and decaying plant debris. The eggs are unusually resistant: they can withstand complete drying out and sudden temperature fluctuations. Capable of developing after 4 years of dormancy. The main route of spread is the transfer of eggs by the wind along with dust to places suitable for development.

Amphipod Gammarus pulex

The body is compressed laterally. Body length 10-20 mm. Females are smaller than males. The color is gray, reddish.

· Coastal zone of flowing reservoirs with clean water.

· Plant food, carrion. Less likely to be predatory.

· Moves lying on its side, bending and unbending the body. Disturbed by rapid tremors, he hides under shelters. Once on land, it jumps to the water with the same speed.

· Reproduction usually occurs in the first half of summer. Fertilized eggs are laid in the brood pouch, where they develop. The breeding season is extended, so crustaceans of different ages can be found in the population.

In late autumn, it burrows into the ground and falls into torpor.

On the left is a male, on the right is a female (magnification 2 times).

Mating lasts several days: above - the male holds the female, waiting for her to molt; below - copulation (the male is darkened).

Water burro Asellus aquaticus

The body is grayish-brown, flattened. Length 15-20 mm. The male is larger than the female.

· Coastal part of reservoirs, thickets of aquatic plants.

· Dead parts of plants.

· Slowly crawls along the bottom or stays motionless among rotting plant debris. When the reservoir dries out, it buries itself in silt and falls into a state of torpor until it is filled again. When grabbed, it easily discards its limbs (autotomy), which then regenerate.

· Eggs (from several dozen to hundreds or more) develop in the brood chamber on the female’s abdomen for 2-3 weeks. Then the juveniles, having reached 1.5 mm in length, leave the brood chamber.

Can live in heavily polluted water bodies.

Asellus aquaticus: On the left is a female with a brood chamber - ventral view. On the right is a male - top view (magnification 2 times).

Crayfish Astacus leptodactylus

The head and chest are covered with a hard shell of dark brown or olive color. Length 10-17 cm. Males are larger than females. On the front pair of walking legs there are claws - organs for capturing prey.

· Clean rivers and lakes.

· Mainly plant foods, small animals, carrion.

· Twilight-night activity. During the day it hides in shelter: in burrows, under snags, stones. At night it crawls along the bottom in search of food. When in danger, it can swim backwards in jerks, quickly bending its abdomen. It molts periodically, shedding its old shell.

· After mating in the fall, the female attaches the fertilized eggs to her abdominal legs. The larval stage passes under the shell of the egg, and in the spring of next year a small crustacean hatches, which is held by claws on the mother’s legs for another two weeks.

The narrow-clawed crayfish spreads to the north, displacing another species - the broad-clawed crayfish Astacus astacus. The reasons for the displacement are not entirely clear: it is assumed that through hybrid crossing and the disappearance of characteristics of the species in descendants.

Astacus leptodactylus.

On the left is the claw of a broad-fingered crayfish, on the right is a narrow-fingered crayfish.

Abdomen of a female with eggs, ventral view.

Crustaceans and egg shells hanging on the mother's leg.

A crustacean after the third molt (length 15 mm), which has passed to independent life.

Spiders Order Aranei

Silverfish, or Water Spider Argyroneta aquatica. Length 1-2 cm. Color from yellow-gray to almost black. Runs easily on land and swims well, rowing with all its legs. Lives in water bodies rich in vegetation. It breathes air, which it takes with it in the form of a silver bubble enveloping the body. Feeds on small animals.

It builds a cobweb cocoon up to 4 cm in size under water, filled with air. The spider rests in it, hangs it (see picture) and eats its prey. It often overwinters in empty shells of pond snails or coils, filling it with air and sealing the hole. In autumn, such cocoon shells float on the surface of reservoirs.

Dolomedes (Fringed Huntsman Spider) Dolomedes fimbriatus (n.). Found on coastal plants. Doesn't build networks. When in danger and chasing prey, it easily runs across the water and dives. The female constantly carries a cocoon with eggs with her.

Water mites Order Acariformes

Water mites (group Hydrachnellae) are often found in densely overgrown ponds, ditches, and puddles. The color is bright red, yellow, orange, brown. Sizes from 1 to 8 mm. Many species swim well, some only crawl. They breathe through their skin.

Predators – catch and suck out small crustaceans and insect larvae.

Mayflies Order Ephemeroptera

Mayflies are delicate insects with three or two long tail filaments. The body length is 1-2 cm, the wingspan is 2-5 cm. Adult insects hatch simultaneously and in large quantities - the water seems to boil from the flying insects (for the fish, a mayfly feeding begins - the bite disappears for several days). Adults do not feed, live only 2-5 days, and quickly die after mating and laying eggs in the water.

The larvae have three tail filaments and tracheal gills on the abdominal segments. Environmental groups (from left to right): burrowing form, larva from fast waters, crawling form, floating form (uv. 3 times).

Mayfly: common. Ephemera vulgata; Diptera Cloeop dipterum.

· Found in standing and flowing bodies of water.

· The larvae of some mayfly species are predators, many species are herbivorous (algae, detritus, silt).

· Development lasts 2-3 years. Larvae are divided into four ecological groups: 1) burrowing (compressed body, strong legs) - they make holes in the ground; 2) from fast waters (flat body, tenacious legs) - on the underside of the stones; 3) crawlers (the body is often covered with sand or silt) - they calmly climb along the bottom and plants; 4) swimming (the body is slender, with wide gills and tail filaments).

Developmental feature: mayflies have an intermediate immature winged form - subimago, which emerges from the larva. After a few hours or a day, the subimago molts, and a sexually mature individual emerges. Among insects, this is the only example of a winged molt.

Dragonflies Order Odonata

On the left are Homoptera dragonflies, on the right are Hemoptera dragonflies.

Dragonflies are aerial predators with a long abdomen, four wings and large compound eyes. They are divided into two suborders: homoptera - the front and hind wings are the same, the eyes are separated by a wide gap, and heteroptera - the hind wings are very different from the front.

Dragonfly larva mask: folded on the left; on the right - straightened.

The larvae of homoptera dragonflies have a long, elongated, thin body with three leaf-shaped gill plates at the posterior end. They swim using oscillatory body movements. The larvae of heteroptera dragonflies have a stocky, wide, thick body and no tail gills. They swim by pushing water out of their hindgut - like a rocket.

Larvae of homoptera dragonflies (e.g.). From left to right: gorgeous -young woman Calopteryx virgo, arrow Coenagrion sp., arrow Enallagma sp., lute Lester sp.

· In any standing or slowly flowing bodies of water.

· All dragonfly larvae are predators. They eat small crustaceans, mosquito larvae, beetles, mayflies, and fish fry.

Clutches of eggs, from left to right: dragonflies Lester sp. appearance and in section (eggs are embedded in plant tissue), the arrow is beautiful Coenagrion pulchellum (on the underside of the leaf); dragonflies - Lubellula sp., bronze baboon Cordulia aopea, two-spotted babushka Epitheca bimaculata (in the form of gelatinous clots).

The larvae motionlessly guard their prey, which they quickly grab with their mask (modified lower lip). Development can take from several months to 2-3 years.

Consecutive stages of dragonfly emergence from larva.

Larvae of homoptera dragonflies (e.g.).

Top row: grandmother Cordulia sp., grandfather Gomrhus sp., somatochlora Somatochlora sp., Gomrhus sp., Cordulegaster annulatus. Bottom row: Sympetrum sp., Libellula sp., Leucorrhinia sp., Aeschna sp., Anax imperator.

Stoneflies Order Plecoptera

Adult stoneflies are insects up to 2.5 cm long, with an oblong soft body, multi-segmented long antennae, four transparent wings (at rest, folded flat over the abdomen) and two cerci - caudal filaments. They fly sluggishly and little, but run well. They don't eat.

Paw stoneflies Perla sp.

Appear early in spring. Females shed their eggs, plunging the end of their abdomen into the water in flight. The larvae are 1-2 cm in size and yellow-brown or brown-gray in color. The legs are long and tenacious. Characteristic features of the larvae: 1) two tail filaments and long antennae; 2) abdomen without tracheal gills; 3) there are two claws on the paws.

· Streams and rivers with fast currents.

· Larvae are predatory: they catch small aquatic animals.

· They can run quickly along the bottom, swim well, but are usually inactive - clinging to stones, they lie in wait for prey. The larvae develop for one year (in northern rivers two to three years), grow, molting many times.

Perla sp.

They overwinter already with the rudiments of wings. After the imago emerges, the shed skins of the larvae can be found on stones and tree trunks near the water.

Stonefly larvae of different species. (4 times increase).

Stonefly imago: Burmeister's Chloroperla burmeisteri (2 times increase); gray Nemoura cinerea (2 times increase); edged Perla marginata.

Bedbugs Order Heteroptera

Smooth Notonecta glauca

From top to bottom: smoothie in flight, from the dorsal and ventral sides.

The tiny smoothie Plea leachi is a light yellow predatory bug measuring 2.5-3 mm.

Common water bug Naucoris cimicoides is a predatory bug that prefers stagnant bodies of water.

The summer float or water bug Aphelochirus montandoni (aestivalis) has no wings, breathes with gills, and leads a bottom-dwelling lifestyle in rivers with fast currents.

Water scorpion Nera cinerea and different stages of development of its larva (2-fold increase), egg laying. Brownish in color, slow predator. Found in calm, shallow water bodies.

Underwater, the back is silvery and the belly is brown. Size 13-17 mm. The sharp proboscis is bent to the abdomen.

· Standing and flowing bodies of water.

· Predator: attacks everyone it can overpower. Waiting for prey, it hangs at the surface of the water.

· Swims well and quickly with its belly up, paddling with its hind legs. Breathing hole at the end of the abdomen. When diving, it captures the air supply under the elytra. At night it can fly long distances, starting directly from the water.

· Lays eggs on aquatic plants. The larvae are similar to adults, but smaller and without wings.

When caught, it can give a strong and painful injection with its proboscis.

Ranatra linearis - lives in stagnant, overgrown ponds.

Greblyaki, fam. Corixidae are found in lakes and ponds with rich vegetation. They swim quickly with their backs up, often rising to the surface. Males chirp underwater in the spring. At night they often fly in search of new bodies of water.

Striated paddlefish Sigara striata, Fallen's cigar Sigara falleni, paddlefish Corixa sp. (2 times increase).

Mesovelia forked Mesovilia furcata, Velia Velia carpai - predatory small (2-3 mm) bugs (perch bugs) walk on water.

On the left, water striders of the family Gerridae (10th century) - graceful predators of calm reservoirs quickly glide through the water; right: slow-moving rod strider. Hydrometra gracilenta - walks on water (magnification 2 times).

Beetles Order Coleoptera

Swimming beetles Dytiscus sp.

From left to right (est.): Dytiscus marginalis, (female, male); broad diving beetle D. latissimus; larva.

Laying eggs in a plant leaf.

Large beetles of clay or dark olive color, with hind paws covered with hairs.

· Various calm bodies of water with vegetation.

· Both larvae and beetles are predators: they devour invertebrates, tadpoles, and fish fry.

· They breathe by sticking the tip of their abdomen out of the water. Fast swimmers and good fliers. The eggs are drilled (picture on the right) into plant tissue.

· Larvae pupate on land, burrowing into the soil.

Beetles overwinter on land or in water.

Beetles and their larvae Order Coleoptera

Small water lover Hydrophilus caraboides.

Great water lover Hydrous aterrimus.

From left to right: banded swimmer Dytiscus marginalis (female, male), broad swimmer D. latissimus. Larva.

Striated swampweed Hydaticus transversahs, ash-grass graphoderes cinereus, striated striper Acilius sulcatus, female, male (est.).

Sulcata pond snail Colymbetes striatus; water iris Donacia aquatica.

Tinniki llybius sp.; mulberry Rhantus sp.

Phalaropes Haliplus sp.; meadow grass Laccophilus obscurus.

Whipflies Order Megaloptera

Common beetleaf Sialis lutaria

An adult flapper has a dark body and two pairs of membranous brownish wings, which are folded like a roof over the abdomen in a sitting insect. The adult apparently does not feed.

Common beetleaf fly.

Pupa of Sialis lutaria.

Larva of Sialis lutaria.

Egg laying of Sialis lutaria: general view and enlarged.

Does not live long - a few days. Flies lazily and clumsily near bodies of water. Reproduction in April-May: the female lays compact, flat, dark piles of eggs outside the water on branches, leaves, and stems. A small (about 1 mm), nimble black larva after hatching quickly rushes into the water, where it develops, growing up to 2.5 cm. The body of the larva is dark brown with spots on the back. The abdomen has 7 pairs of whitish, densely hairy tracheal gills. The end of the abdomen is crowned by an unpaired feathery gill.

· The larva lives near the shores, among detritus, silt in stagnant or slowly flowing reservoirs.

· Feeds on small invertebrates.

· The transformation is complete. The development of the larva lasts two years: it pupates in the spring of the third year after hatching on land, in moss or in a damp earthen cradle. After a few weeks, the imago emerges from the pupa and rushes to the pond in an uneven flight.

Caddisflies Order Trichoptera

Adult caddisflies are inconspicuous in appearance, colored in different shades of brown and gray, 1-2 cm long. The wings, covered with hairs, are folded at rest on the back at an acute angle, roof-like. The flight is reluctant and sluggish; they prefer to sit on coastal plants, deftly running across the surface of the water if necessary. They use a short proboscis with a tongue to drink water and flower juices. Some species emit an unpleasant, repellent odor. Eggs are laid in the form of gelatinous lumps on plants in water.

The larvae are divided into two types: free-living (they weave fishing nets under water) and those that build cases from various materials, which are held together by arachnoid threads, secreted by modified salivary glands.

· Various types of standing and flowing bodies of water.

· Herbivorous or carnivorous, depending on the species.

· The transformation is complete. Larval development usually takes one year. It pupates inside the case, sealing it on both sides. The pupa, emerging from the case, swims upside down for some time in search of access to land, where it sheds its skin, turning into an adult caddisfly.

Adults of caddisflies of different species.

Clutches of eggs of caddisflies of different species.

Free-living larva and pupa of Riacophila.

Stenophila larva and cap (uv.).

Free-living caddisfly larvae and their catching nets (a little uv.).

Caps of larvae of different species of caddisflies (a little uv.).

Butterflies Order Lepidoptera

Nymphula nymphaeata

The water lily moth is a butterfly with brown spots and lines along a yellowish background on the wings. Found along overgrown banks of water bodies. Lays eggs on the underside of leaves of aquatic plants.

Cover with water lily caterpillar: eating. view and revealed.

The caterpillar feeds by mining the leaf - gnawing passages in its thickness. After overwintering, in the spring it builds a cover 15-17 mm long, gnawing out two oval pieces from the leaf, which are held together with a web. The cover is filled with air that the caterpillar breathes. Crawling along plants under water, the caterpillar drags its case along with it, like a caddisfly larva, with which it is often confused. It feeds on plant pulp. Pupates inside a sheath attached to the stems under water.

The caterpillar of the duckweed moth, Cataclysta lemnata, lives underwater in duckweed cases held together by cobwebs. Case size 15 mm. Breathes air. Pupates in a reed or reed tube.

Caterpillar of the moth Paraponyx stratiotata. Lives underwater in cases made of two pieces of telereza or without them at all. Water respiration - using soft branched tracheal gills.

In the underwater moth Acentropus niveus, females can be in two forms - winged and wingless (from above). Wingless females lay eggs underwater.

The caterpillar of the underwater moth lives on the surface of the leaves, covering itself with a chewed piece.

Diptera Order Diptera

Common mosquitoes Culex sp… Aedes sp… Theobaldia sp.

Malaria mosquitoes Anopheles sp.

Mosquitoes are small insects (5-7 mm). Males feed on plant sap, females on animal blood, piercing the skin with their proboscis.

Eggs are laid on water in shallow standing ponds. The larvae breathe air, so they usually hang on the surface film of water; if there is danger, they hide at the bottom. Common mosquitoes sit holding their body parallel to the substrate, while malaria mosquitoes give their body a more or less perpendicular position.

Left: pupa and body position of the common mosquito larva; on the right - a malaria mosquito (prefers clean water bodies poor in organic residues). The larvae feed on small organisms and algae. Development is about a month.

Mosquitoes - jerks, or bells

Sem. Chironomidae, Tendipedidae

Male mosquitoes with feathery antennae swarm over the water, emitting a quiet melodic ringing sound. Adults do not feed.

The larvae, the so-called bloodworms (up to 1 cm long), live in arachnoid tubes in the silt of various, including heavily polluted, reservoirs. They are carmine red in color. They feed on bottom microorganisms.

Long-legged mosquitoes Family Tipulidae, Liriopidae

Long-legged mosquitoes (sizes up to 2 cm or more) lazily fly through meadows and clearings from May to August. The legs are brittle and fall off easily - a protective device (autotomy). Dirty-gray worm-like larvae, 2-3 cm long, live at the bottom of muddy streams, ditches, and ponds. They feed on decaying plant debris.

Midges Family Simuliidae

Midges are humpbacked, dark-colored mosquitoes no longer than 5 mm.

When at rest, the wings fold horizontally one above the other. Females, annoying bloodsuckers, lay their eggs in a heap on stones and leaves washed with water. Dark larvae live in large colonies in waters with fast currents, attaching to underwater objects with a sucker with many spines at the rear end of the body.

Colony (e.g.) and individual larva (increase 4 times).

The length of the larvae is 7-10 mm. They secrete an arachnoid network along which they crawl with walking movements, first clinging with the anterior outgrowths and pulling up the rear end of the body. Sometimes, torn off by the current, they hang on a long web (up to 2 m) in the currents, then return along it to their original place. They feed by capturing algae and small organisms suspended in the water with ciliated “fans”. For pupation, a cap-shaped house is spun, from which adult midges emerge to the surface in an air bubble. The bubble bursts and the midges fly out of the water completely dry.

Horseflies Family Tabanidae

From left to right: common rainfly Chrysozona pluvialis, blinding lacewing Chrysops caecutiens, bullfly Tabanus bovinus.

Stocky flies with huge metallic iridescent eyes. They have a strong and bold flight.

Horseflies: laying eggs.

Females buzz and attack animals to drink blood, which is necessary for the development of eggs. The raincoat willingly and silently attacks people. Eggs are laid in multi-layered plaques on plants.

Larvae (e.g.).

Pupa (est. v.).

The larvae fall into the pond, where they live in the coastal zone in silt, sand or floating vegetation. Food: mollusks, insects, worms, except for lacewing larvae: these feed on detritus. The larvae overwinter, pupate the following year, and continue for years from June to August.

Common soldier fly Stratiomys chamaeleon

An adult soldier fly is a fly up to 15 mm long, with a wide yellow abdomen along which there are black bands: imitation of wasps in color. Found on flowering plants near water bodies. Black oblong eggs are laid on the leaves and stems of coastal plants.

Larva of the common soldier fly.

The larva is gray-brown in color, spindle-shaped, 4-5 cm long. At the rear end of the body there is a tuft of hair in the form of a rosette.

· Shallow waters of overgrown shallow ponds.

· Plant and other organic residues.

· The larva hangs with a rosette of hair spread over the surface film of water, in the center of which there is a breathing hole. The head end digs into the mud, significantly stretching the body. Disturbed, it sinks to the bottom. Swims, bending like a snake.

It pupates inside the larval shell, which becomes inflexible and lies at the bottom. When the imago emerges, the shell bursts, and the young lion launches into the air with a splash.

Tenacious silt flies (silt flies, bee flies)

Ilnitsa is tenacious.

Ilnitsa tenacious is a dark brown fly with yellow spots on the abdomen. Length 13-16 mm. Hovering over flowering plants with a loud buzz. The larva is dark gray, with a cylindrical body (10-20 mm). The caudal process is a breathing tube that can extend up to 10 cm in length. This is an important adaptation, since the larva breathes air, but lives immersed in the fetid slurry of polluted reservoirs, sewers, manure puddles, garbage and cesspools, barrels with rotten water.

Snipe fly Rhagio sp.

Snipes are predatory flies; when at rest, they sit on leaves and trunks with their heads down, raised on their front legs. The larva is 15-20 mm long, brownish-green. The anterior end is pointed; the posterior end has two outgrowths covered with long hairs called gills. They are found everywhere in clean, slowly flowing bodies of water on underwater snags, piles, and trunks that have fallen into the water.

Snipe larva: bottom and side view.

Ibis fly Atherixibis

Females, gathering in a group, lay eggs on branches hanging over the water in one large cluster, then die - their bodies remain on the clutch. The larvae are very mobile predators, up to 30 mm long, greenish. The anterior end is pointed, and at the posterior end there are two outgrowths covered with long hairs called gills. They are found everywhere in clean, fast-flowing waters on underwater snags and under stones.

Order Caudate amphibians Caudata

Siberian salamander, or four-toed newt Salamandrella keyserlingii

Length including tail is up to 13 cm. The color is brown or brown, with small spots, and there is a light stripe on the back. There are 4 toes on the hind legs. The skin is smooth, with 12-15 grooves on the sides.

· Small forest reservoirs of taiga forests along the border of permafrost. Siberian species, the western border passes through the territory of the Komi, Mari-El, Nizhny Novgorod, and Perm regions.

· Worms, mollusks, insects, spiders.

· Very cold-resistant - active at temperatures of 0-4° C, at + 27° C it dies even in the shade.

· Breeds in well-warmed reservoirs in April-June, the rest of the time it lives in the coastal zone.

Hunts at dusk and at night. Shelters under loose bark, hummocks, and forest litter. It overwinters in the rotting dust of fallen trunks, deep cracks in the soil, where it sometimes finds itself walled up in permafrost. There are known cases of the revival of salamanders frozen in ice, in which they spent about 100 years.

Salamandrella keyserlingii: Adult during spawning.

Salamandrella keyserlingii: Lays eggs in a cone-shaped, mucous, spirally twisted sac (10-20 cm long) suspended on a plant near the surface of the water. After 3-4 weeks in June, the larvae appear.

Salamandrella keyserlingii: The larvae develop until August, feeding on bloodworms, fly larvae, and mosquitoes, and, having reached 3-4 cm in length, emerge on land.

If you carefully bend the lower jaw of a salamander, you can see the palatal teeth arranged at two sharp angles.

Common newt Triturus vulgaris

Female (left) and male during mating dances.

Length 8-11 cm. Olive top, yellowish bottom. During the mating season, the male has a scalloped crest with an orange border and a blue stripe from the back of the head to the end of the tail. The skin is smooth.

· Deciduous and mixed forests.

· Crustaceans, mollusks, mosquito larvae, on land – worms, centipedes.

· The breeding season (March-June) is spent in ponds, oxbow lakes, and ditches. July-September lives secretly on land in shady and humid places. Overwinters in burrows and piles of leaves from October to March.

Length 11-18 cm (including tail). The color is brown-black with even darker spots, the underside is orange with black spots. During the mating season, the male has a jagged crest on his back, interrupted at the base of the tail, along which a bluish stripe shines like mother-of-pearl. The leather is coarse grained.

Male in breeding plumage.

· Forests, shrubs, groves, open landscapes, floodplains.

· Beetles, dragonfly larvae, mollusks, tadpoles, fish and amphibian eggs.

· Appears in April in oxbow lakes, ponds, swamps; prefers deeper bodies of water than the common newt; as a rule, they are not found together. A week later it begins to reproduce.

Active around the clock. Sheds in water every 7-10 days, the shed skin remains intact, only turned inside out. Since June it has been living on land, inactive, and eating little. It overwinters in groups from October-November in rotten stumps, mole holes, cellars, and in non-freezing streams.

The female simply attaches eggs 4.5 mm long in the amount of 150-200 pieces in short chains on the underside of the leaves. The larvae emerge from the egg after 2 weeks.

The larva develops for three months, newts 5-6 cm long come to land, sometimes the larva overwinters, completing metamorphosis the next year. It differs from the larva of the common newt in its thin tail filament and long middle fingers, with which it clings to aquatic plants when moving.

Order Tailless amphibians Anura

Common spadefoot Pelobates fuscus

Body length 4-6 cm. Brownish above, with dark spots with red dots. Below there are dark spots on a yellowish background. The pupil is vertical. On the hind legs there is a large, hard calcaneal tubercle. The skin is smooth. The secretions of the skin glands smell like garlic and are harmless to humans.