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The development of industry, deforestation, hunting lead to the fact that many species of animals that live on our planet, or have already disappeared, or are under threat. People often think only about their problems and concerns, and do not pay attention to the cries of activists that it is time to think about nature, otherwise it may be too late. After all, each species of animals and plants plays its role in nature. And we cannot accurately predict the consequences of their extinction for man and nature as a whole.
Nature has lost many animals forever, but many still live on earth thanks to caring organizations. Every person should at least know about those species that are rare today and are protected by law. One of these types is solonga.
Habitat
This species belongs to the family of mustelids. These animals live in the center of Asia, as well as in the east of Central Asia.They can be found in Siberia, as well as in the southern regions of the Far East.
They live in the mountains of Tien Shan, in the Altai. In Russia, the animal can be seen in the Primorsky, Khabarovsk Territories, as well as in the territory of Transbaikalia. There are they in the Amur region. Depending on the habitat, there are several subspecies of the animal: Pamir and Chinese, as well as Transbaikalian. Their main difference is color. Today the species is under threat, therefore they are listed in the Red Book of some regions of Russia. Among them - Primorsky Krai, Jewish Autonomous Region, as well as the Irkutsk region.
These cute animals love highlands with sparse vegetation. On the territory of the Jewish Autonomous Region, they live on the Daur Ridge. But sometimes they can be found in the steppe or forest-steppe. This animal does not like wetlands, and therefore tries to avoid it.
Their dwelling is crevices in the rocks or the space between large stones. They can live in a hollow tree or a hole left by other animals.
Solongos are not afraid of people, so calmly settling near farms and settlements. In the mountains of the Pamir, researchers found the remains of the life of the representatives of the species. They were found at an altitude of about 3500 m.
Description
Females are slightly smaller. The body of the animal is elongated, elongated, and the legs are short. It is covered with short, but thick fur. In winter, the tail is more fluffy. In appearance, these small animals are very cute and cause sympathy.
According to external signs, the salongos very much resemble ferrets. The difference is that they do not have glasses on the face, and the shape of the ears is more rounded. Depending on the season, the salongos change their color. In addition, representatives of different subspecies differ from each other in coat color. Their colors range from sandy to dark brown.
Lifestyle
These little animals are very active lifestyle. They almost always move. Solongoy has short legs, but this does not prevent them from running fast if necessary, climbing trees, swimming well. They have very sharp and long claws, thanks to which it is convenient to cling to the bark of a tree.
Animals are constantly in search of food.In winter, it is not easy to find food. Therefore, they can move closer to human settlements in order to steal supplies or a bird.
To prevent such an encroachment on the property of the animal is not easy. They are very agile and agile. Previously, the hunt for them was allowed. But they were hunted only by experienced trackers who had studied the habits of the beast well. To catch the Solongoy, hunters set traps and use dogs.
The animal has enough strength to cope with poultry. But in nature, they often fall prey to birds of prey such as owls and hawks.
If a solongoy feels the approaching danger, he quickly hides in a shelter. If he does not find him, then he uses scaring sounds that resemble tweets. To scare away the enemies, saligans also use glands from which an unpleasant smell is emitted. Sometimes the predator retreats.
All day the animals are very active, and at night they are taken to any suitable place. They have no permanent housing. But each individual lives on its territory alone. Sometimes ermines replace them.
Near the tail they have glands secreting a secret, with which animals mark the boundaries of the territory. This is a peculiar way of communicating with congeners.Another way to communicate - tweeting sounds, with which they inform their relatives about the danger.
Nutrition
Although the animals are active almost around the clock, they go on the hunt only after twilight falls. They are very agile, and move easily on rocks and between protruding tree roots.
Solongos are predators. Food is not easy for them, they always hunt for it. But they have an advantage over the victims due to the fast run, and when they catch up with her, they grab their tenacious paws. Sticking with claws, they do not give the victim a chance to escape. The diet of Solongoy includes mice, hamster and even gophers. Sometimes he can defeat even such opponents as hares or muskrats. Sometimes it can feed on insects and caterpillars. If they find a nest with chicks or eggs, they will also become his dinner.
During the day, representatives of the species, as a rule, consume approximately 50 g of food. For this they need to catch about 3-4 rodents. It often happens that they hunt more than necessary.
Breeding
During the breeding season there is a struggle for the female. Often only the winner survives in the fight. This period is at the end of winter or early spring. The female after mating finds a place that will serve as a nest. This may be an old hole or hollow.
In the wild, an animal can live 3-5 years. When kept in captivity, they can live 2 times longer. The benefits to humans are that they eat rodents. But salted ones also bring a lot of harm to people, as they can attack sheds with poultry and strangle them. It is extremely difficult to cast off a solongoy from this occupation.
About 70 years ago, animals were hunted for fur, but today it is prohibited due to a significant decline in numbers. The decrease in the number of solongos in nature is due not only to the hunt for them, but also to the destruction of the habitat.Where the animals lived and hunted, today there are agricultural land, which increases over time.
Very often solongoy are driven out from their territory by stronger predators - columns that hunt in the same places.
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