Interesting facts about nature is a topic that, perhaps, interests everyone, regardless of age, social status or financial situation. Humans are naturally very inquisitive. He tries to absorb as much information as possible. Something stays in the memory for a long time, something is forgotten almost immediately, something can appear completely unexpectedly in a conversation.
By the way, not everyone thinks about the fact that, say, interesting facts about nature for children need a different presentation. The child does not perceive the abundance of numbers and dates, and dry data sounds to him like incoherent mumbling. That is why it is necessary to provide information for kids in portions, accompanying the story with drawings and leading questions.
This article covers many interesting facts about nature and animals. Of course, it is impossible to acquaint the reader, both small and adult, with a complete list due to the abundance of information. But still, we tried to select the most curious ones.
Section 1. These amazing deserts
It is believed that on Earth there are only 2 huge, but very different deserts, Antarctica and Sahara. The first is icy and therefore practically lifeless, the second in the summer months resembles a frying pan set on fire and is also sparsely populated. A similar feature of both can be called 180-meter dunes, snowy for one and sandy for the other.
T. Since we are more attracted to interesting facts from the life of nature, let's talk about another extreme place on the planet in terms of temperature, which, surprisingly, is quite inhabited and quite densely populated. This is Death Valley. Today, 55 species of reptiles and 40 species of mammals live here. In addition, this desert is home to 545 types of plants. 15 species of birds can be seen without any problems, even 13 species of fish.
In general, the world record holder for aridity is considered to be the Atacama Desert region, where it is hard to imagine that it has not rained for four centuries.
In the well-known Sahara, such strong winds often blow that in a day they manage to carry away a million tons of dust and sand from the desert. The highest point in the Sahara, 3415 m, is Amy Kouso.
And, finally, about beauty. In general, we all know that deserts are famous for mirages. For example, almost 160 thousand of them are recorded annually in the Sahara alone. Now even special tourist maps are being published with caravan routes marked on them, where mirage observation points are marked.
Section 2. How animals adapt to heat
The lack of moisture forces the inhabitants of the desert to adapt to life in a variety of ways. For example, the Moloch lizard has developed a unique ability to absorb moisture from the surface of its skin. All the liquid that gets on its skin drains through microscopic channels between the scales into the lizard's mouth. In especially dry times, the lizard burrows its belly into the wet sand, extracting moisture already from it.
The most famous desert animal is the camel. He can move on quicksand even in 60-degree heat. In his hump there is a supply of fat, which, if necessary, is converted into water. It is thanks to this that camels can live for 30 days without drinking. However, when they get to the water, they drink 90 liters in just 10 minutes.
The desert scorpion extracts water from its food, and its hard shell prevents water from evaporating from the body. When there is no food for a long time, a scorpion can starve for a year or more without much consequences.
In the deserts of North America lives a stony squirrel - a real champion of endurance. She may well not drink for 100 days, eating only dry food: her body produces water on its own.
The mysteries of nature are truly limitless. Interesting facts are found literally at every turn.
Section 3. What did we not know about Antarctica?
Did you know that the word "Antarctica" translated into Russian means "opposite the bear"? In the meantime, this is true.
Besides, you can't help butto mention that it is not part of any state, being considered a general reserve created specifically for the study of nature and wildlife. By the way, not everyone knows that Antarctica has no time zones.
What role does this continent play in the life of the Earth? One of the most important! The ice of Antarctica contains 70% of our planet's fresh water. Of course, as long as we don't use it. But experts say that the time will come when a lot will really depend on it.
The interesting facts about the nature of this part of the globe, of course, do not end there. This continent is also known for setting a number of records, including: dryness, cold, solar radiation and extremely powerful winds.
By the way, as it turned out, Antarctica has no permanent residents at all, and only scientists are temporary residents of these places. As a rule, in winter the number of specialists in Antarctica does not exceed 1 thousand people, and in summer - 5 thousand
Note that a typical "summer" month in Antarctica is February.
Section 4. Penguins - Unique Animals of the Far South
If we consider interesting facts about nature in detail, it will surely turn out that it is simply impossible to bypass these birds. They are very amazing, and their life never ceases to amaze even experienced scientists.
So, penguins. Males of some of them attract attention by hatching eggs instead of females, who spend all this free time in the ocean. Fed upof born chicks, parents take turns regurgitating semi-digested food directly into the mouths of the babies.
Antarctic penguins build their nests out of mud and small stones. In England and the USA, these birds are called "macaroni". Surprisingly, this term was once called mods.
In general, these birds look very awkward on land, but once they get into the water, their grace and dexterity can literally be envied.
But still, as it turns out in practice, penguins prefer land, spending a minimum of time in water.
Section 5. Interesting facts about nature: the endless Pacific Ocean
This area of the water surface is deservedly considered the largest on Earth. And this is not surprising, because it occupies 1/3 of the planet's surface.
Not everyone knows that the famous navigator of the 16th century gave the name to the Pacific Ocean. Magellan. Why exactly? The thing is that the explorer miraculously managed to overcome its waters not only without storms, but also with a fair wind.
In general, there are many islands in the waters of the endless Pacific Ocean, some of which literally grew on the peaks of underwater coral reefs. And there are those that were once formed on the site of underwater volcanoes.
Specialists have found that the highest tides on Earth are marked precisely in the Pacific Ocean. For example, off the coast of Korea, they sometimes reach 9 m.
The average depth of the Pacific Ocean is 4.2 km. And by the way, it is here that there are more seamounts,than in any other ocean. There are depressions in the peripheral parts, the deepest is the Mariana.
Section 6. The largest animal on the planet
When we state any, even if completely random, but interesting facts about nature for children, whales in babies, as a rule, cause increased interest. Yes, adults too. Which, however, is not surprising. Considered the largest and strongest, they are also the most mysterious mammals on the globe.
By the way, for many nations, whales are sacred animals. For example, in Vietnam, interesting facts about nature are always supplemented with stories, and sometimes even myths and legends about the life of these water giants.
One of the striking habits of all gray whales is mating in threes. The action involves a female and 2 males. To date, in the Japanese city of Hirado, it is even planned to create the world's first whale farm. True, the project is doubtful in terms of achieving certain results, because one whale eats 150-230 kg of fish per day. Is it worth investing in this? Whether such a campaign will be unprofitable, time will tell.
But in terms of ecology, they suffer greatly because of our activities. For example, it has been established that if in some place on the globe whales are washed ashore en masse, then they do this, most likely due to the influence of military sonars on them. Why is this happening? The thing is that whales perceive the world mainly with the help of hearing, they deafen from high frequencies, which means they stopnavigate in space.
Not to mention that whales are the only mammals other than us that sing. The shortest "aria" of the giant lasts about 6 minutes, and the longest - sometimes up to half an hour. It is also curious to know that of the whales, the sperm whale has the largest brain, weighing up to 8 kg. For comparison, the blue brain weighs only 3 kg.
Section 7. Interesting facts of inanimate nature: what are volcanoes
Everyone knows that huge volcanoes erupt with terrifying consequences, such as rain of fire, global climate change and other catastrophes that make destroyed homes and ruined farmland seem like nothing. Fortunately, such huge and dangerous volcanoes erupt quite rarely, approximately several times in 100 thousand years.
The largest recorded eruption is the activity of the Tambora volcano, located on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. Its eruption cost the lives of 100 thousand people. By the way, researchers believe that it is in Indonesia that the largest number of active volcanoes is located, their total number is 76 pcs.
The unusual ability of volcanoes to grow further is also interesting - accumulating lava and ash increase its height over time.
Kelimutu Volcano in Indonesia has 3 unusual lakes at its top, which from time to time acquire turquoise, green, black or red colors. Such transformations are caused by the reaction of volcano gases entering intoreaction with different minerals.
Here is a list of just a few amazing facts:
- The highest volcano on our planet is Mauna Loa (4 thousand meters), which is located in Hawaii.
- Most of the islands of the Atlantic Ocean were formed just as a result of volcanic activity.
- Aso Volcano, located on about. Kiu Shiu in Japan is recognized as the largest volcano. Its crater is 14 km wide, 23 km long and 500 m deep.
- The most frequent eruptions occur at the supervolcano Izalco, located in El Salvador, it erupts every 8 minutes.
Section 8. The most mysterious animals of the planet
In general, of course, there are a lot of them on planet Earth. And, in principle, one can talk about every living being indefinitely, dwelling on its unique abilities and lifestyle. However, we will mention the most, in our opinion, amazing.
The Tasmanian devil is a predator, a close "relative" of the hyena, outwardly similar to a dog and a small bear at the same time. During skirmishes, the animal makes frightening growls and howling sounds. The strength of the jaws relative to the weight of this animal is colossal. In this he is the undisputed champion of the planet. In addition, it should be noted that the stomach of the Tasmanian devil can digest anything, even, say, rubber and foil. Interestingly, the Tasmanian devil is quite easy to train and even becomes tame.
The armadillo is an amazing animal that the Spaniardscalled "little fortress". The smallest armadillo is pink (“fabulous”), it is the size of a small chipmunk. And the giant armadillo has a length of 1.5 m. At the sight of danger, armadillos, so to speak, "fold", becoming almost invulnerable.
