Cunning animal. The most cunning animals (10 photos). Fox as a pet. Fox training

I suggest you find out the ten most cunning and dodgy animals, which, under certain circumstances, can give odds even to a person.

1. Cuckoo.

Throwing their own eggs into other people's nests, the cuckoo came up with an ingenious solution for the survival of offspring. At the same time, the cuckoo chooses such neighboring nests where its own eggs would fit both in size and color. After the birth of the cuckoo behaves quite adequately, as well as stepbrothers and sisters. And foster parents are forced to feed a foundling, even if it is ten times larger than other chicks.

2. Orangutan.

Everyone knows that these animals have high rates of intelligence. They are able to create tools, use them, make complex step-by-step decisions. The main problem for zookeepers is the ability of orangutans to open even the most cunning locks. But there's a benefit to be had: now all the locks and locks in zoos are pre-tested on savvy primates.

3. Virginian opossum.

The main trick of the opossum is the ability to pretend to be dead. He turns it so reliably that predators try to bypass the carcass. The thing is that in a stressful situation, a small animal falls, remains motionless and begins to stink like real carrion. Such food is unlikely to interest any predator.

4. Temple langurs.

These Hanuman langurs tend to live all over India near temples. Here they are sacred animals. They owe their name to the god Hanuman - brave, strong and cunning. Although the monkeys are peaceful, they are always trying to drag something away, while they get away with everything, because they are sacred!

5. Fireflies.

Typically, fireflies use their "luminous" ability to attract a mate. It is this ability that some predators have adopted: they reproduce such a flicker in order to attract a potential victim to their dinner.

6. Vulture turtle.

Among the turtles there are also predators, for example, like the vulture turtle. For hunting, this animal uses its pink tongue, which looks like a worm. The turtle just opens its mouth, wiggles its tongue, and waits for some stupid fish to take the bait.

7. Caterpillar.

To survive in the conditions environment, nature has awarded the caterpillars with some abilities. Caterpillars often try to hide, take the form of surrounding objects, pretend to be a leaf, a twig, a stick, and even bird droppings. Others try to intimidate potential hunters with bright colors or spikes. There are even those who use the poison of the plants they eat.

8. Chameleons.

This animal is famous for its amazing ability to change color. But the change of color serves not only as protection against enemies, the skin of chameleons is a kind of communication method. Chameleons thus express anger, fear, attract the opposite sex and scare away competitors.

9. Rat

They have many interesting properties. They are very smart, rats can crawl even into the most inaccessible places, their run can reach a speed of 10 km / h, they gnaw everything that comes in their way, thereby causing enormous damage. So in America, these rodents damaged wires for 19 million dollars. At the same time, their population is very large - there are more than 70 million of them in New York alone.

10. Foxes.

Practically in all folk tales and sayings, the fox is presented as a red-haired cunning. An example of the ingenuity of these animals can be the work of South American foxes. Their favorite food is the eggs of large birds, in particular rhea. The fox waits for the right moment until the nest is left unattended, then sneaks up and drags away the prey. So the egg is quite large and it is impossible to take it into the mouth, red cheat pushes it with its nose to the nearest stone, where the egg is broken and the contents are drunk.

Foreword

The forest is a gift of our planet, its living miracle. Forests cover most of its territory. They not only decorate the Earth, but also purify the air. What could be better than a walk in the woods?!

And in our native forests lives such a large number of a variety of animals that you can’t tell about all of them in one book. But let's try to learn something new and interesting about one of them, namely the most cunning one. A red-haired cheat, a cunning head, waving her tail - do not yawn, chickens, save the geese! Guess what we're talking about? That's right, fox!
Her cunning is a sure thing. The fox is very cautious and has an amazing ability to throw off the chase. Did you know that this cunning beast can bark like a dog, howl like a wolf, and make sounds like a lion's roar? And foxes can purr so that some birds confuse their voice with the song of their relatives and fly right into the paws cunning fox. That is why the image of a fox in the tales of many peoples of the world is the embodiment of dexterity and cunning. After all, it’s not for nothing that they say: “Cunning, like foxes!”

The image of the fox in the culture and traditions of the peoples of the world

Let's go back to the old days together. Lived in Ancient Greece one narrator. His name was Aesop. He wrote fables and stories in which the heroes were a variety of animals, but at the same time they were always symbols of certain qualities of a person’s character. For example, in the fable "The Fox and the Grapes", the fox possessed traits such as pride and cunning. Ask your parents to read Aesop's fables to you and see for yourself that the animals there are just like people.
Our ancestors had a special relationship with the fox. They even made special metal amulets, on which the Fire Fox was depicted. Amulets helped hunters find their prey and return home safely.
In Russian folk tales, the fox is not only cunning, but also an evil, insidious character who deceives other animals, hunts a hare, and sometimes wraps a wolf, a bear, and even a man around his finger. What fairy tales do you remember about the fox? As soon as she is not called in our fairy tales: the fox is a sister, and the fox is a cheat, and Lisa Patrikeevna, and the gossip, and the red-haired deceiver. Do you know where the fox has such an interesting middle name? Patrikey is an ancient name that comes from the Latin word "patrician", which means aristocrat. In Rus', this name was given only to children of a princely family. So seven hundred years ago, in the city of Novgorod, there lived a prince named Patrikey. He became famous for his resourcefulness and cunning. Over time, his name became equivalent to a cunning, deceitful, dishonest person. And since the fox has long been considered the most cunning and roguish animal, the patronymic of the Russian people was given to her by Patrikeevna.
The inhabitants of the East, namely the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese, revere this beast so much that in their legends they attribute to it the ability to transform into other animals or people. And who is your favorite hero that you transform into during the game? In Eastern legends, an ordinary fox can turn into a magical fox with nine tails and possess magical powers. In some versions of these legends, foxes can even be the spiritual mentors of the ruler of the state in the most difficult periods of his existence. If suddenly in Japan on a sunny day it rains sharply, then it is called a fox shower.
In China, the fox has always been a symbol of female magical power, and in Scandinavia and Ancient Rome the red fox symbolized the demon of fire.
In fairy tales of other peoples of the world, some cunning woman is associated with a fox, who sleeps and sees how to steal something from a neighbor.
Maybe your parents or grandparents watched the legendary movie "Zorro"? So, in Spanish, "zorro" means fox. Therefore, the name of the protagonist of this film is translated as "fox", which characterized him as a cunning and dexterous person.
In ancient times, the inhabitants of Finland believed that the northern lights were caused by foxes, which, while hunting, rub their tails against the rocks, and friction sparks fly into the sky. Therefore, the Finns still call the northern lights Fox fires. Look online for photos of this amazing natural phenomenon maybe you can also see a fox behind the rocks.
Despite the fact that the red cheat never misses an opportunity to climb into the chicken coop and eat a chicken, residents of all corners of our planet admired the fox for her beauty and ingenuity. “A fox will lead seven wolves”, “When a fox reads sermons, drive your geese”, “A fox counts chickens in a dream” - such sayings were invented about the most cunning beast thanks to robberies and theft of poultry. Sometimes the fox's tail is also called a "pipe", hence the expression "pipe tail" came from, which means "do not lose heart, life is beautiful." A tropical palm tree is even named after the fox tail, the leaves of which look like the tail of a red gossip.
There is a very interesting tradition in Armenia – the theft of a chicken during a wedding ceremony. the main role in this game, it belongs to the wedding Fox, in which the most dexterous young man is dressed up, by attaching a fox tail to his clothes.
On the day of the wedding, the Fox must steal a chicken from the chicken coop of the bride's house, as if the groom were stealing the bride. At the same time, the bride herself and her girlfriends in every possible way prevent him. In case of a successful theft, the Fox must come to the house of the bride's parents and notify the groom of the imminent arrival. This ceremony has been around for more than one hundred years, and modern newlyweds are still trying to perform it.

Fox as a pet. Fox training

In 2011, a group of scientists carried out excavations in Jordan. In one place, they discovered a burial of ancient people, which is almost more than 11 thousand years old, along with stone tools, bone spoons and fox bones. Judging by these and other findings, scientists have concluded that the fox could be the most ancient domestic animal.
But other scientists believe that if the domestication and taming of the fox did occur, then most likely they were not hunting assistants or guards, like dogs, but were kept to hunt small rodents in the house and the territory adjacent to the house. In the south of Europe, for example, ferrets, ermines or weasels were tamed to fight mice in the house, in Africa - mongooses, and in India snakes were used for these purposes. Watch a wonderful cartoon with your parents or read the book "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling and you will find out who the mongooses are.
Remember what animals are doing this work now?
In 1950, scientists in our country experimented with breeding foxes. After a long and hard work, they managed to breed a completely tame fox. In Novosibirsk, the Institute of Cytology and Genetics still operates, which breeds such foxes. According to scientists, the animals they raised can not only learn to do various tricks and follow commands, but also become a universal pet. If any of you want to buy such an animal for yourself, then do not forget to take him out for a walk, otherwise he will try to dig a hole for himself right at your house.
Surely, each of you has been to the circus at least once or only dreams of going there. Usually in the circus arena we can see trained bears, lions, tigers, horses, elephants, cats and dogs. I have been to the circus so many times, but I have never seen trained foxes! And you? The opinion of scientists about whether it is possible to accustom a fox to perform various exercises is divided. Some consider it completely impossible, others say that training foxes is no more difficult than cats. There are many examples in the world when people brought fox cubs home, raised them, and they, in turn, became practically pets. However, you are unlikely to succeed in getting the same obedience from a fox as from a dog. Too fox wayward and capricious. In addition, the fox is used to living alone.

Fox characteristic

Probably, everyone at least once in the pictures saw what a fox looks like, living in our native lands. And in fairy tales, and in reality, the fox looks the same. This is a very beautiful animal with a lush, long tail. Foxes in our forests have a red coat, a white belly, a roguish narrow muzzle, brown eyes and pointed ears. Chanterelle is a big fashionista. She has two fur coats: a luxurious, fluffy winter one and a more modest summer one.
Northern foxes have a fiery color, almost red, and those that live in the steppe are gray-yellow, so it is easier for them to be invisible against the background of burnt grass. True, some foxes have black-brown fur, which is considered the most beautiful, so silver fox is bred on ordinary farms.
Imagine, foxes adapt so well to the environment that they can be found in our forests, and in the forests of America, and even in Africa. Foxes also live in specially protected areas - in reserves. For example, among predators Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve in the Moscow region, foxes are the most numerous.
Despite some similarities with dogs, foxes are still more like cats in habits and some distinguishing features. Nature made sure that foxes could get their livelihood at night. They can see very well in the dark, because their eyes have special cells that not only reflect light, but also double the brightness of the image. Did you know that foxes are excellent climbers? Just imagine: they can climb trees, roofs of houses in order to feast on birds! Some foxes can even sleep in trees! The fox gait also resembles a cat's gait in its grace and elegance. In addition, foxes, like cats, have spikes on their tongues and sensitive whiskers on their faces to help them balance.

The story of the fox Alice
Do you want me to tell you how the most cunning animal lives in our forests? Then sit back and listen.
Spring is red with flowers, summer is with sun and mushrooms, autumn is with golden rain, and winter is with blizzards and snowdrifts. In the forest it is good and free to breathe at any time of the year, but first things first. In spring, nature wakes up from a long winter sleep. The snow is gradually melting, cheerful streams will soon murmur, and fragrant, sticky leaves will appear on the trees from the buds. Here in such a very ordinary forest there lived a fox. It was good for the fox: there were plenty of hares and mice that she hunted. Winter is over, blizzards and blizzards no longer freeze the fox, the time has come to make a home for future cubs. At the edge of the forest, under the roots of a large spreading spruce, the fox began to dig a hole. It was difficult for her: the earth was dense, and after the winter there was little strength. But the fox helped the fox. So in turn they dug a hole and rested. In the hole, the couple made two more exits, this is in case of danger. The expectant mother prepared well for the birth of fox cubs: she put dry moss and leaves at the bottom of the hole so that the babies would not freeze and they could sleep comfortably.
However, foxes do not permanently live in burrows. Basically, they need this dwelling to raise offspring, then they leave it and live on open spaces. Foxes love to settle where they please, they have practically no sense of home, that is, they do not miss their hole and can run away from it for a long distance when the cubs grow up and leave the hole.
Sometimes cunning cheats occupy other people's holes. It happens that a fox occupies a hole in which a badger already lives. Gradually, she begins to force him out of there, the badger endures, endures, and then he leaves, unable to withstand such a neighbor. If the fox is old, then it may have several holes, where it hides in case of danger.
Now our foxes have a hole ready, and foxes have appeared in it. They are small, funny and not at all like mom and dad. Their fur is short, gray in color, their eyes are not yet visible, just like kittens, but the tip of their tail, like that of adults, is white. They are so helpless! If a person in the forest stumbles upon them by accident, you can’t take them, otherwise the fox will smell the smell of a person and refuse to raise their babies. Mom and dad equally share the care of their upbringing. Curled up in a ball, the cubs snuggled closer to each other to be warmer, and sleep. Our fox was caring mother: she washed her fox cubs with her tongue, licking their muzzles, fed and warmed them. So they ate their mother's milk, clung to her more tightly and again snuffled their noses.
At this time, the fox roams the forest, looking for food for himself and the fox. The fox is a great hunter. He is not only very observant and quick-witted, but also has an excellent visual memory, good sense of smell and hearing. This is a dexterous, cunning animal, able to confuse tracks and resort to various tricks while hunting.
A fox can watch a mouse, a vole or a black grouse for a very long time, and then quickly pounce on them. Often the fox hunts hares, rabbits, and after rain digs worms out of the ground, catches fish and crayfish in the river. Sometimes, after a bad hunt, you have to be content with only berries or forest apples. He, like his other relatives, has his own hunting ground, which he jealously guards.
Moving a short distance from the hole, the fox begins to move more confidently. Here the May beetle flew by, with one leap the fox catches up with it and grabs it with its teeth - the hunt begins gloriously today. But can you satisfy your hunger with one May beetle? Suddenly the fox stopped and looked around. He moved his ear a little - somewhere nearby, a vole squeaks. The fox ran a little ahead, carefully bent down, so that he was almost invisible behind last year's grass, stopped, listened, pressed himself to the ground. A few seconds later, his fiery red tail shot up like a rocket, another throw - a mouse in his mouth. The fox devours its prey with gusto. Then he continues to bypass his possessions. Having trotted a little more along the edge of the forest, the animal notices a small clearing where black grouses have gathered, muttering something. Only thanks to the sensitive nose of the red-haired hunter did he come to this place. And here all the cunning of the fox manifests itself: it slowly passes by, barely touching the branches near the growing bushes, and pretends that the birds are not at all interested in it. Here the fox lay down, as if dozing, and the black grouse at this time continue their games. The fox crept even closer, barely noticeable. He is not only a good actor, but also a very patient hunter. One, two lightning-fast jumps, and the black grouse, as if scalded, rise into the air, but it was not there, the fox will not miss his, and the hunt ends with his victory. Proud of himself, the red rogue carries his prey into the hole in his teeth. But day after day is not necessary, sometimes the fox has to chase the game with a tucked in stomach, which reduces hunger. But today was a good day.
A fox is already waiting for him in the hole. She gladly eats fresh poultry meat, but does not chew, but swallows whole pieces. How good she is: there is no need to leave the foxes, and they fed her! Two weeks passed, the eyes of the foxes opened and teeth began to erupt. One day, a mother fox took one fox cub by the scruff of the neck and carried it out of the hole. The little fox closed his eyes from the bright light, poked his muzzle into the grass, but gradually his eyes got used to it, and he looked around. What a blessing! Breathe easily and freely. The others crept out after him. Like ordinary children, they began to play and frolic in the sun. These are very nimble and restless naughty. Here one of the six grabbed his brother by the tip of the tail and, well, bite him. And the brother does not lag behind, quietly bites his sister on the side. She whimpers in pain, but continues to play.
Parents bring them either a half-dead mouse or a cockchafer, so that the cubs try to catch them, thereby acquiring hunting skills. Here one of the cubs ran too far from the hole, the mother fox was sitting not far away, but suddenly she heard a suspicious noise, she quickly grabbed her naughty son by the collar and carried him to the hole. Then she yelped softly - the rest of the foxes rushed after her and disappeared into a safe dwelling. So she taught her offspring to obedience, caution and discipline. How did the fox sense the danger? In this she was helped not only by her excellent sense of smell and hearing, but also by thin, barely noticeable hairs on her paws, thanks to which she feels the direction of the wind. Suddenly, with the wind from the outskirts of the forest, a faint smell of a person flew in, who might accidentally stumble upon a fox hole. If he gets closer, the fox will immediately lead all the cubs out of the hole to a safer place through the emergency exit. But everything worked out, the fox calmed down and continued to sleep, sensitively guarding her cubs.
Foxes, like other animals, can easily become prey for predators. Therefore, they also have their own ways of protecting themselves from enemies, namely from wolves and bears. Foxes are not only very cunning, they are also very careful. The fox can dodge from side to side for a long time, suddenly jump into the grass, spin in place, curl up and roll to another place. All this is done in order to confuse the enemy, to lead him on the wrong track. Before falling asleep, the fox changes its location several times and, only after making a few intricate movements, goes to bed, covering the tip of its nose with its tail. The fox also chooses a place to sleep especially if she has to sleep not in a hole, since she digs a hole mainly for cubs. The fox prefers to sleep in clearings, tubercles, so that it opens good review around. If he suddenly senses danger, he jumps up sharply and quickly runs away, confusing his tracks. In some ways, her run resembles the run of a cheetah, which also overcomes considerable distances in large leaps. Now the fox smelled a faint smell of a man and became alert. But everything worked out.
Day after day, the cubs grew, grew stronger and gained strength. Every day they certainly improved their hunting skills. Such is the tradition of foxes, which is passed down from generation to generation. So the younger ones learn to be invisible, avoid danger and be dexterous while hunting. They are constantly on the move, playing, frolicking, pestering their parents, and they, in turn, gently push them away, carefully listening to all the sounds in the forest.
One of the foxes was the most curious. So he stuck his black nose where it doesn't belong! Either it will climb into the tall grass so that the mother fox is looking for it for a long time, then it will chase after a butterfly and fly into a thorny raspberry bush with all its might, then it will taste a mushroom. That's how he ran, ran and met an unusual beast. The muzzle is narrow, the paws are short, and he looks like a Christmas tree. Guess who it is? That's right, it's a hedgehog! And our fox cub has only recently started to come out of the hole and has not yet met any animals. And here is such a miracle! As soon as he touched him with his paw, he immediately whined in pain - they are hedgehogs! The hedgehog did not play with the fox cub, curled up in a ball, pretended to be offended. And what to be offended by? No need to inject, then the rest will be friends with you. The fox cub waited a little, suddenly the hedgehog changes its mind, and he only turns the thorns in all directions, and the fox cub left with nothing. I barely found my way home, the villi on my paws helped, as the compass worked!
Closer to November, the cubs became completely independent and left Father's house. Soon they will disperse in different directions, choose a hunting area for themselves and establish their own rules there.
It was at this time that trouble happened with the mother fox. Somehow she ran through the forest, did not touch anyone, and then - bam - she landed her paw in a trap set by poachers. The fox is spinning, spinning, no, it will not free itself in any way. She began to call for help: she whines plaintively, plaintively, no one hears her. Several hours passed, and then the old forester Savelyich, as the locals called him, unexpectedly came across the fox. He took the fox to him, freed his paw, called the veterinarian. Everything ended well, the paw was cured, but the lameness remained, where will the fox go now, is it possible to catch up with a hare with a sore paw? So she stayed with the forester, settled in a haystack not far from home, and Savelich is only happy, even though he has a lot of work, but everything is more fun. And so began this unusual friendship of a man with a red-haired prankster. And although the fox did not become a pet in the full sense of the word, it still helped its owner, destroyed small rodents in the field that belonged to the forester. Savelich fed the fox, sometimes she even took bread from his hands, and the forester affectionately called her “my Aliska” for this. And although by fox standards our fox was no longer young (she was 4 years old), she lived with Savelich for a long, long time.

They were born with extraordinary qualities and each one is exceptional in its own way. Here are the strongest, venomous, loudest, fastest, longest and oldest representatives from the animal world.

1. The strongest animal

The strongest animal in the world is the copepod. At only one millimeter in length, the copepod is the strongest and fastest multicellular creature. Relative to its size, the copepod moves at the highest body acceleration relative to length per second. Scientists are now studying the jumping abilities of this animal, which will be used in robot technology. The copepod is said to be 10 to 30 times stronger than any machine or animal in the world.

2. The loudest animal

blue whales produce the loudest sounds in the world using low-frequency pulses whose noise has an intensity of up to 188 decibels. The calls of blue whales can be heard at a distance of 800 km. Blue whales are also the largest animals.

3. The deadliest animal

The female malarial mosquito is the deadliest creature in the world. These malaria-carrying mosquitoes kill more than a million people worldwide every year.

4. The most poisonous animal

One box jellyfish with 60 tentacles, despite the fact that each of them is 4.5 meters long, has enough poison to kill 60 adults.

5. The oldest animal

The oldest reptile is the Galapagos giant tortoise, which can live for over 175 years. However, among the oldest animals there are such representatives as the oceanic venus, a mollusk that lived to be 405 years old.

6 Fastest Aquatic Mammal

The fastest aquatic mammal is the white-winged porpoise, which can swim 56 km per hour.

7 Longest Animal Pregnancy

Asian elephants have a gestation period of 19–22 months.

8. The smartest animal

The most intelligent animal, excluding humans, is the chimpanzee, followed by the dolphin.

9. The longest migration in animals

The Arctic tern has the longest migration of all migratory birds. They cover distances of 22,400 km. Among mammals, the champions of migration are gray whales and northern elephant seals, which cover 20,900 km round trip each year.

10. The highest flying bird

Mountain geese are the highest flying birds. There is evidence that they can fly at altitudes of 10,175 meters and above.

11. The slowest animal

The garden snail is the slowest animal, moving at 48 meters per hour.

12. The tallest and longest land animal

The longest and tallest land animal is the giraffe. It can grow up to 6 meters in height, which is roughly equivalent to a two-story building.

13. The fastest animal

The fastest animal is the peregrine falcon. It can reach speeds up to 321 km per hour.

14. The smallest insect

Baby wasps, mimarids are the smallest insects, whose size is approximately 0.46 mm.

15. The longest animal

The longest animals are nemertean worms, the species Lineus longissimus. Their longest representative reaches 55 meters in length.

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Cunning... this quality is inherent even in animals, but who is the most cunning animal on Earth? Let's talk about it further...

People are accustomed to consider themselves the crown of creation of the planet Earth. But what is the reality? Let's look around: we are not the strongest, not the most agile, not the fastest ... and not even the most cunning! In nature, there are a lot of creatures that can beat us in everything in no time. As for resourcefulness, here is a list of the most cunning animals to confirm.

No. 1 - Fox

Tales have been written about the cunning of this beast for more than one generation, legends and rumors circulate. Take, for example, the South American fox, which simply loves to steal rhea eggs. But the nandu themselves are not small birds, so the red cheats do not dare to enter into open confrontation with them. What are they doing?


The South American fox is a lover of rhea eggs.

They patiently wait for the mother hen to move away from the nest. At this moment, the fox pushes the egg out, but since it is large and it will not work to carry it in its mouth, it pushes its “prey” with its nose until a stone comes across the road. The egg breaks against the barrier, and the fox quickly drinks the contents.

No. 2 - Rat


The gray rat is a fast and cunning rodent.

These crafty creatures not only know how to quickly evade persecution, they also cause harm. When are they all done? No one can answer this question, the fact remains that, whose populations reach incredible proportions, cause great damage, while remaining uncaught.

No. 3 - Chameleon


Chameleons are animals that skillfully use their natural abilities.

The chameleon is not so much a cunning animal as it is a resourceful one. Well, who else is also able to quickly change color in order to escape from an annoying enemy? Scientists have found that the "color games" of the chameleon serve for him not only as a means of disguising himself from a predator, but also as a way of expressing his own mood. If the animal is angry, or it is afraid, or even wants to attract the shooting of the opposite sex, then a change in skin color comes to its aid.

No. 4 Vulture Turtle


Who said that a turtle is a slow, clumsy creature leading a measured lifestyle? This is far from the case, an example of this is. She uses her tongue to hunt... yes, yes, this animal is a predator, despite all the cuteness. So, the tongue of a vulture turtle looks like a small pink worm. Swimming to such a bait, an unlucky fish can easily become a turtle's dinner.


No. 5 - Virginia Possum

This cunning animal has acquired an unusual skill in the course of evolution: it knows how to pretend ... what is so surprising about this, you say? The Virginia opossum can pretend to be... dead, it even smells like a dead carcass. What does the animal look like at the same time so believable that confused predators pass by the “carrion” without any interest, not even realizing that they were simply “cheated”.


The Virginia opossum demonstrates its ability to "die alive".

No. 6 - Cuckoo

The cunning of our next contender for the role of "brilliant deceiver" lies in his ... irresponsibility.

We invite you to find out the ten most cunning and dodgy animals, which, under certain circumstances, can give odds even to the person himself.

1. Cuckoo. Throwing their own eggs into other people's nests, the cuckoo came up with an ingenious solution for the survival of offspring. At the same time, the cuckoo chooses such neighboring nests where its own eggs would fit both in size and color. After the birth of the cuckoo behaves quite adequately, as well as stepbrothers and sisters. And foster parents are forced to feed a foundling, even if it is ten times larger than other chicks.


2. Orangutan. Everyone knows that these animals have high rates of intelligence. They are able to create tools, use them, make complex step-by-step decisions. The main problem for zookeepers is the ability of orangutans to open even the most cunning locks. But there's a benefit to be had: now all the locks and locks in zoos are pre-tested on savvy primates.


3. Virginian opossum. The main trick of the opossum is the ability to pretend to be dead. He turns it so reliably that predators try to bypass the carcass. The thing is that in a stressful situation, a small animal falls, remains motionless and begins to stink like real carrion. Such food is unlikely to interest any predator.


4. Temple langurs. These Hanuman langurs tend to live all over India near temples. Here they are sacred animals. They owe their name to the god Hanuman - brave, strong and cunning. Although the monkeys are peaceful, they are always trying to drag something away, while they get away with everything, because they are sacred!


5. Fireflies. Typically, fireflies use their "luminous" ability to attract a mate. It is this ability that some predators have adopted: they reproduce such a flicker in order to attract a potential victim to their dinner.


6. Vulture turtle. Among the turtles there are also predators, for example, like the vulture turtle. For hunting, this animal uses its pink tongue, which looks like a worm. The turtle just opens its mouth, wiggles its tongue, and waits for some stupid fish to take the bait.


7. Caterpillar. To survive in the environment, nature has endowed the caterpillars with some abilities. Caterpillars often try to hide, take the form of surrounding objects, pretend to be a leaf, a twig, a stick, and even bird droppings. Others try to intimidate potential hunters with bright colors or spikes. There are even those who use the poison of the plants they eat.


8. Chameleons. This animal is famous for its amazing ability to change color. But the change of color serves not only as protection against enemies, the skin of chameleons is a kind of communication method. Chameleons thus express anger, fear, attract the opposite sex and scare away competitors.


9. Rat. They have many interesting properties. They are very smart, rats can crawl even into the most inaccessible places, their run can reach a speed of 10 km / h, they gnaw everything that comes in their way, thereby causing enormous damage. So in America, these rodents damaged wires for 19 million dollars. At the same time, their population is very large - only in New York there are more than 70 million of them.


10. Foxes. In almost all folk tales and sayings, the fox is presented as a red-haired cunning. An example of the ingenuity of these animals can be the work of South American foxes. Their favorite food is the eggs of large birds, in particular rhea. The fox waits for the right moment until the nest is left unattended, then sneaks up and drags away the prey. So the egg is quite large and it’s impossible to take it into the mouth, the red cheat pushes it with its nose to the nearest stone, where the egg breaks and the contents are drunk.