Category Zoology

A forest is a large area of land covered with trees. Forests can be classified into many types, some of which are the mixed temperate forests with both coniferous and deciduous trees, the temperate forests, the subtropical forests, the tropical forests, and the equatorial rainforests. The trees that make up the forest create a special environment which, in turn, affects the kinds of animals and plants that can exist in the forest. Large and small animals such as the stags, deer, wild boars, foxes, badgers, marten, and squirrels live in the forests. 

Along with rabbits, moles or mice that make their homes in the soil, numerous small animals like earthworms, pill bugs, snails, spiders, insect larvae, and the tiniest living organisms like springtails or mites also live in the soil. We can see all these creatures under a magnifying lens. These organisms eat the remains of plants and animals, which decompose in their intestines. When they excrete their waste matter, the nutrients are transferred back to the soil and can be used by plants and animals. This is how new soil is created by these organisms. Soil inhabitants also make the soil loose and porous. 

Many birds such as starlings, cranes, and swallows migrate to the south in autumn because they do not find enough food in winter. It is not good to feed the birds because it may disturb their regular habits of finding food for themselves. Their destination and the migratory path is the same every year. For years, scientists puzzled over the birds’ ability to take exactly the same path every year but now it is assumed that birds possess a ‘magnetic sense of direction’ and orient themselves to the magnetic field of the Earth, using the position of the sun during the day, and the stars at night. 

Moles spend a large part of their lives in a self-dug burrow system below the ground. The animals push the loose earth that is a result of digging to the earth’s surface after every 50-100 cm. The result is a typical molehill, about 20 cm high. Sometimes we also come across huge hills with air holes all around. Below these molehills the moles make a nest in which they give birth to their young ones. 

Many people find spiders disgusting or are afraid of them because they do not know much about these eight-legged creatures. However, there are very few species of spiders that are harmful to humans. Contrary to popular belief, spiders are not insects themselves, but feed on insects.

Continue reading “How are spiders helpful?”

A lot of activities are carried out in our gardens by animals and insects living underground, such as moles, rats, and earthworms. Upon a closer look, we can also find animal tracks on the leaves of the spherical oak-apple tree or the fine webs with which spiders catch their prey. Besides the animals hidden underground, there are birds that chirp and fly around in the gardens.