Lynx in the forests near Moscow. Mammals in the Red Data Book of the Moscow Region
The badger leads a sedentary lifestyle. He often drives foxes out of their holes, but he himself does not stray far from his home.
PHOTO: Andrey Fedorov, “Evening Moscow”In the Mozhaisk region, camera traps installed by local biologists caught a lynx and a badger. One camera trap was installed near a badger hole. The second is next to a small clearing in the forest. The footage shows a badger leaving his hole and going about his badger business. Another camera captured a young lynx carefully walking around its territory, the so-called “animal circle”, which can stretch for tens of kilometers. So, one might say, biologists are very lucky. There is hope to continue tracking the lives of these animals.
It should be noted that the lynx is listed in the Red Book. The badger, although not a Red Book animal, is quite rare in the Moscow region. But still more often than lynx. It can be considered a “candidate” for the Red Book. It is extremely difficult to see it in summer, and in winter it hibernates, not leaving its burrow until spring.
For example, in the Dmitrovsky district, a VM correspondent observed a badger exactly a year ago, at first mistaking it from a distance for a dog. His hole was also found, dug on the slope of a steep bank.
According to records as of February of this year, about 100 lynx individuals live in the Moscow region,” Oksana Shevchuk, head of the press service of the Association “Rosohotrybolovsoyuz”, told the VM correspondent, “of which 10 live in the Mozhaisk region. In summer it is almost impossible to see a lynx in the wild. This is a very cautious and secretive predator, leading, like all felines, night look life. Basic food base for the lynx are the white hare, small rodents and birds. However, in winter the lynx can also hunt larger animals: roe deer and sika deer.
There is a widespread belief, even among experienced hunters, that the lynx often ambushes its prey, jumping from a tree onto its prey. Actually this is not true. The lynx, as befits a feline, tracks its prey by scent and scent. He can sneak up on her for hours, preparing for the right throw.
In our forests near Moscow, the lynx has only one serious enemy - the wolf. A pack of wolves can catch a lynx only in open areas - for example, in a field when the predator is mousing. Therefore, the main competitor in the lynx food chain is foxes, which in the Moscow region Lately divorced in large numbers. When meeting a fox, a lynx almost always kills its main competitor, but in open areas it can itself become a victim of wolves or a poacher with a gun.
Former hunting inspector of the Tver region Akilina Savateeva goes around her former possessions by boat. Voluntarily helps his colleagues and scientists keep records of rare animals and birds in the Dmitrovsky region
PHOTO: Andrey Fedorov, “Evening Moscow”
The lynx does not have a permanent habitat. It can migrate over fairly long distances, moving from one area to another. Most often, in the Moscow region, according to local game managers, the animal enters the Moscow region from Tverskaya and Yaroslavl region. The increase in the lynx population in the Moscow region is due to improved ecology in the region and a decrease in the number of cases of poaching of fur-bearing animals. In the Moscow region, the lynx prefers to live in mixed deciduous forests.
The Moscow region is the most urbanized area of our country, but at the same time, despite its high population, it retains significant territories wildlife almost untouched by human hands and is distinguished by the diversity of its fauna.
The fauna of the Moscow region is of a transitional nature, so in the north-west of the region there are typical taiga animals, such as the flying squirrel and Brown bear, and in the south - typical inhabitants of the steppes, such as gray hamster and jerboa.
Currently, the fauna of the Moscow region includes 75 species of mammals, 301 species of birds, 11 species of amphibians, 6 species of reptiles and 50 species of fish.
Mammals
The region is home to 75 species of mammals from 6 orders and 21 families, of which 27 species from the order Rodents, 16 species from the order Carnivora, 13 species from the order Chiroptera, 11 species from the order Insectivores, 6 species from the order Artiodactyls and 2 species from the order Lagomorphs.
The fox is quite curious and will not ignore unfamiliar places and objects.
Squad: Carnivores
Brown bear
(lat. Ursus arctos) - a species of animal from the order Carnivora, family Bear, genus Bear. It is found in the west and northeast of the region in dense forests with windbreaks, dense undergrowth and tall grass. Rare, there are only 10-20 individuals in the Moscow region. .
Wolf
(lat. Canis lupus) - a representative of the Canidae family, genus Wolves. It lives in a wide variety of landscapes, preferring open ones: steppes, forest-steppes, clearings, and, if possible, avoiding continuous forest areas.
Common lynx
(lat. Lynx lynx) is a mammal from the cat family. It is found in the east of the region in the Shatursky district. Prefers large forested areas, dense deciduous forests with dense undergrowth, providing plenty of shelter. Rare, in the Moscow region there are only 20-30 individuals. The species is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the category “Endangered”.
Raccoon dog
(lat. Nyctereutes procyonoides) - a representative of the Canidae family, genus Raccoon dogs, a deliberately introduced and self-dispersing species. Most preferred environment The habitat for the raccoon dog is the banks and floodplains of rivers overgrown with bushes, as well as lowland meadows with wetlands.
The raccoon dog was brought to the Moscow region with Far East in the 1920-1930s to enrich the hunting fauna, here it successfully took root and settled.
Domestic feral dog
(lat. Canis lupus familiaris) - a representative of the Canidae family, the genus Wolves, subspecies of the Wolf. Inhabits a wide variety of landscapes, preferring open ones.
Feral dogs are found everywhere in the Moscow region, for example, in the Losiny Ostrov park there are several packs of feral dogs of 10-15 individuals who hunt there not only small animals - squirrels, stoats, ferrets; on birds, and also destroy their nests, but also on large animals such as deer and wild boars. It is believed that over the past ten years, feral dogs have completely destroyed the sika deer in this park.
May pose a danger to humans and domestic ungulates. Hybrids of feral dogs and wolves are especially dangerous.
Badger
(lat. Meles meles) - a mammal from the Mustelidae family, genus Badgers. Distributed sporadically throughout the Moscow region, in forests of all types, less often in open spaces in bush thickets that provide plenty of cover. To dig holes, it often chooses places with soft soil and natural uneven terrain: ravines, gullies, steep banks of reservoirs. Rare, however, in the Moscow region it is a species of game animal for which hunting is permitted.
Common fox
(lat. Vulpes vulpes) - carnivorous mammal family Canidae. In the Moscow region it is found everywhere in sparse forests, in bushes, often within the city - in parks, forest belts, on the outskirts of populated areas.
River otter
(lat. Lutra lutra) - most major representative Kunya family, Moscow region. Sporadic and rare. It lives along the banks of forest rivers littered with windbreaks, less often in lakes and ponds with areas that do not freeze in winter. .
Steppe ferret
(lat. Mustela eversmanni) - a representative of the Mustela family, the genus Ferrets. It is found in the south of the region in places with low grass and compacted soil.
Forest ferret
(lat. Mustela putorius) is a small predatory mammal of the Mustela family. In the Moscow region it is found everywhere in small forests and individual groves.
Marten
(lat. Martes martes) is a mammal of the genus Marten, family Mustelidae. Lives in deciduous and mixed forests, can often be found in Moscow parks.
Stone marten
(lat. Martes foina) - a species of animals of the genus Marten, family Mustelidae. It is found in the south of the Moscow region in deciduous and mixed sparse forests, fields, forest edges, and bushes.
American mink
(lat. Neovison vison) - a species of animals of the genus Ferrets, the Mustelidae family, an introduced species. In the Moscow region it lives in forest, less often in forest-steppe natural areas, near flowing reservoirs with littered steep banks.
The American mink was brought to the Moscow region in the 1940s from North America, where it successfully took root, almost completely replacing the European mink.
European mink
(lat. Mustela lutreola) is a small predatory mammal of the Mustela family. It is found in forests of all types, preferring to settle along valleys and banks of remote forest rivers, near forest lakes, and floodplain thickets of bushes and reeds. The species is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the category “Declining in numbers”.
Ermine
(lat. Mustela erminea) is a mammal from the Mustelidae family, genus Ferrets. The habitat covers forest-steppe, less often forest, natural zones. Settles along river valleys, the banks of streams, lakes, ponds, swamps, on forest edges, in copses, groves and thickets of bushes, often near human habitation, hunting house mice and other synatropic rodents.
Weasel
(lat. Mustela nivalis) - a representative of the Mustelidae family, the genus Ferrets. It lives throughout the region in various natural landscape zones, most often in fields, forest edges, woodlands, bushes, and also near human habitation, hunting house mice and other synatropic rodents.
Order: Artiodactyls
Elk
(lat. Alces alces) - a species of animals from the Deer family, the genus Elk. Distributed sporadically throughout the region, often entering suburban forests; in summer it prefers deciduous forests with tall grass, in winter it prefers young pine and spruce forests with dense undergrowth.
Red deer
(lat. Cervus elaphus) - a representative of the Deer family, the genus True deer, a re-acclimatized species. Settles in forests of all types, preferring light broad-leaved ones, in places with spacious meadows and dense thickets of bushes.
The red deer was re-acclimatized (returned to life in a given territory after extinction) in the 20th century, and now its Siberian subspecies, the maral, predominates in the Moscow region.
Spotted deer
(lat. Cervus nippon) - a representative of the Deer family, the genus True deer, an introduced species. Prefers light broad-leaved forests in river valleys, places with spacious meadows and dense thickets of bushes.
Sika deer were brought to the Moscow region from the Far East in 1938, where they successfully took root and multiplied.
Siberian roe deer
(lat. Capreolus pygargus) is a cloven-hoofed mammal of the Deer family, an introduced species. Lives in forest-steppe zone, preferring open spaces: meadows, floodplains, clearings, clearings, with thickets of bushes, tall, thick grass.
Several individuals of the Siberian roe deer were brought to the Moscow region from Siberia in the 1950s and 60s, where they successfully took root and reproduced.
European roe deer
(lat. Capreolus capreolus) - a species of animals from the Deer family, the genus Roe deer. It lives in forest, less often in forest-steppe natural zones, preferring sparse deciduous forests and bushes.
Boar
(lat. Sus scrofa) - a representative of the Pig family, the genus Boars. In the Moscow region it is found in damp deciduous forests with high grass, in swampy areas overgrown with reeds, and in thickets of bushes.
Order: Insectivores
Common mole
(lat. Talpa europaea) - a representative of the Mole family, genus Common moles. Distributed throughout the region, prefers sparse deciduous forests, copses, forest edges with dense herbs, meadows, fields, gardens, vegetable gardens and other biotopes with moderately moist loose soils.
Common Hedgehog and Southern Hedgehog
Insectivorous mammals from the Hedgehog family, genus Eurasian hedgehogs. Morphologically similar. The first is distributed sporadically throughout the region in various natural landscape complexes, more often in sparse deciduous and mixed forests, copses, woodlands, bush thickets, on the edges, the second is found in the south of the region, common in the Istra region.
Russian muskrat
(lat. Desmana moschata) is a small insectivore of the Mole family. It is found in the southeast of the region along floodplain reservoirs, high steep banks overgrown with aquatic vegetation. The species is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the category “Endangered”.
Common shrew
(lat. Sorex araneus) is a mammal of the Shrew genus, the most common representative of the Shrew family. The most preferred habitat for common shrew are sparse forests, copses, thickets of bushes, thickets of tall grass, edges.
In addition to the common shrew, the following species and subspecies of the shrew family live on the territory of the Moscow region: the tiny Central Russian shrew, the small shrew, the European equal-toothed shrew, the average European shrew - from the genus Shrew; small shrew - from the genus Shrew; common shrew - from the genus Kutora. The tiny shrew, equal-toothed shrew and small shrew are listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region.
Order: Chiroptera
Two-tone leather
(lat. Vespertilio murinus) - a species of animals of the genus Bicolor Leathers. It lives in various open areas: on the outskirts of forests, on forest edges, along the banks of rivers and lakes, on agricultural lands.
Long-eared bat brown
(lat. Plecotus auritus) is a small mammal from the genus Ushana. It lives in various open areas: on the outskirts of forests, on forest edges, along the banks of rivers and lakes, on agricultural lands.
Water bat
(lat. Myotis daubentonii) is a species of animal from the family Smooth-nosed bats, genus Noctules. It lives in forest stands near watercourses, such as lowland rivers and canals, hunting for insects at dusk above the water.
In addition to the water bat, the following species of smooth-nosed bats live in the Moscow region: bats from the genus Nocta: Brandt's bat, Natterer's bat, pond bat, whiskered bat. The Natterer's bat and the pond bat are listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the category "Uncertain status".
Northern Kozhanok
(lat. Eptesicus nilssonii) - a representative of the family Smooth-nosed bats, genus Kozhany. Inhabits the outskirts of forests, forest edges, along the banks of rivers and lakes, small agricultural lands, and gardens. The species is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the category “Uncertain status”.
Red Vegetarian
(lat. Nyctalus noctula) is a small mammal from the genus Vechernitsa. Inhabits deciduous and mixed forests.
In addition to the rufous noctule, the following species of smooth-nosed bats from the genus Vechernitsa live in the Moscow region: giant noctule and lesser noctule. Both species are listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the categories “Rare” and “Uncertain status”, respectively..
Dwarf pipistrelle
(lat. Pipistrellus pipistrellus) - small bat from the Nedopyri family. Prefers anthropogenic landscapes - parks, forest belts, rural settlements.
In addition to the dwarf pipistrelle, the morphologically similar forest pipistrelle (lat. Pipistrellus nathusii) lives on the territory of the Moscow region. Found in deciduous and mixed forests.
Order: Lagomorpha
White hare
(lat. Lepus timidus) is a species of mammal from the genus Hares. Its subspecies, the Central Russian hare, lives in the Moscow region. Prefers open forests, overgrown burnt areas and clearings, thickets of bushes; in the forest-steppe it is found in birch groves, thickets of bushes, reeds and tall dense grass.
Brown hare
(lat. Lepus europaeus) is a species of animal of the Leporidae family, order Lagomorpha. Its subspecies, the Central Russian hare, lives in the Moscow region. Lives everywhere in open spaces: clearings, burnt areas, edges, meadows, clearings.
Order: Rodents
Common beaver, or river beaver
(lat. Castor fiber) - a representative of the Beaver family, the genus Beavers, a re-acclimatized species. The most preferred habitat for this species is deciduous forests. Settle along the banks of slow-flowing rivers, oxbow lakes and lakes.
The river beaver in the Moscow region was completely exterminated in the 17th and 18th centuries. Its re-acclimatization began in the 40s of the last century, when several dozen individuals were brought to the Moscow region from Belarus to their former habitats, where they successfully took root and settled.
Common squirrel
(lat. Sciurus vulgaris) is a species of animal from the Squirrel family, genus Squirrel. Its subspecies, the Central Russian squirrel, lives in the Moscow region. Distributed throughout the region, prefers pine, spruce and mixed forests.
Common flying squirrel
(lat. Pteromys volans) - a mammal of the genus Eurasian flying squirrels, family Squirrel. It lives in the north-west of the region in deciduous, less often in mixed forests, preferring tall birch and aspen forests. The species is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the category “Endangered”.
Quite a few live in pine and mixed plantings near Zvenigorod. large population flying squirrels of the northern subspecies escaped from the enclosure of the Zvenigorod biological station.
Speckled gopher
(lat. Spermophilus suslicus) is a species of animal from the Squirrel family, genus Gophers. It lives in the south of the region, on the flat landscapes of the Oka right bank. The species is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the category “Endangered”.
Sonya the Regiment
(lat. Glis glis) - an arboreal rodent, the largest species of the Sonyaceae family. Lives in the south of the region on the right bank of the Oka in deciduous forests with dense undergrowth from berry bushes. The species is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the “Rare” category.
In addition to the dormouse, the following species from the Sonyaceae family live in the Moscow region: forest dormouse, hazel dormouse, and garden dormouse. Hazel Dormouse included in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the category “Uncertain status”.
Great jerboa, or ground hare
(lat. Allactaga major) is a small mammal of the Jerboa family. It is found in the extreme south of the region, preferring open areas with sparse grass in the steppe and southern part of the forest-steppe natural zones. The species is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the category “Endangered”.
Muskrat
(lat. Ondatra zibethicus) is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent from the Hamster family. The muskrat leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle, settling along the banks of rivers, lakes, canals and especially readily near freshwater swamps.
The homeland of the muskrat is North America, in the Moscow region the muskrat has been acclimatized since 1929, here it has successfully taken root and settled.
Gray rat
(lat. Rattus norvegicus) - a representative of the Mouse family, the Rat genus. In nature, it lives along the banks of various bodies of water, however, most now prefer to settle where there are people nearby - in gardens, fields, garbage dumps, in human habitations.
The black rat (lat. Rattus rattus) also lives on the territory of the Moscow region.
The primary range of the gray rat was in East Asia; currently the species is found on all continents of the world except Antarctica, polar and subpolar regions.
Common hamster
(lat. Cricetus cricetus) is a species of animal from the Hamster family, the genus True hamsters, the largest representative of the Hamster subfamily. It lives in forest and steppe natural zones, preferring forest-steppe, settling in fields, meadows, forest edges, and bushes.
The dry steppe areas of the south of the Moscow region are also inhabited by the gray hamster (lat. Cricetulus migratorius) from the subfamily Hamsters.
Water vole
(lat. Arvicola terrestris) - a representative of the Hamster family. Outwardly, for non-specialists, it resembles a rat, for which it is called a “water rat.” It is found along rivers, streams and in swamps, less often in meadows and fields, and is less common in wooded areas.
Common vole
(lat. Microtus arvalis) - a species of animals of the genus Gray voles, family Hamsters. It lives everywhere in the region in open areas with thick grass cover.
In addition to the common vole, the territory of the Moscow region is inhabited by several more closely related species of the Hamster family: the Eastern European vole, the subterranean vole, the red vole, the dark vole, and the root vole. The underground vole is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the category “Uncertain status”.
Field mouse
(lat. Apodemus agrarius) is a small rodent of the Mouse family. It lives in open biotopes - meadows, forest edges, bush thickets, and agricultural lands.
In addition to the field mouse, the following species of rodents of the Mouse family live on the territory of the Moscow region: house mouse, yellow-throated mouse, small forest mouse, and little mouse. The yellow-necked mouse is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region in the category “Uncertain status”.
Wood mouse
(lat. Sicista betulina) is a species of animal from the Mouse family, the genus Mouse. Inhabits forest and forest-steppe natural zones. Settles in forests of all types, forests and thickets of bushes.
Birds
The lifestyle, habits and biological features of birds in the Moscow region have been well studied for a long time. A curious and patient Internet user will find many popular science and narrowly focused publications on this topic, so here we will not talk about birds “in general,” but will only provide lists.
The common kingfisher lives near small rivers hunting small fish and aquatic invertebrates.
In total, 301 species of birds are found in the Moscow region.
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Reptiles and amphibians
The reptile fauna is represented by six species - snakes: common snake, common viper, copperhead; lizards: brittle spindle, quick lizard, viviparous lizard. All listed species, except the viviparous lizard, are listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region.
The common snake is one of the most common species of snakes in central Russia.
Among amphibians, the common newt and crested newt, from the order Caudate amphibians, live in the region; lake frog, grass frog, sharp-faced frog, pond frog, edible frog, gray toad, green toad, common spadefoot, red-bellied toad - from the order Tailless. The crested newt, red-bellied toad, common spadefoot, and green toad are listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region.
Fish
The ichthyofauna of the Moscow region is represented by 50 species of fish and one species of cyclostomes from 17 families, which differ in their habitat - river fish: char, dace, nine-spined stickleback, bream, brook lamprey, burbot, whitefin gudgeon, common gudgeon, common sculpin, sterlet, pike perch, river eel, spined loach, ide; lake and river fish: white amur, black amur, white-eye, bersh, or Volga pike perch, common bystryanka, round goby, tsutsik goby, common verkhovka, loach, gambusia, chub, common minnow, common bitterling, guppy, silver bream, ruff , asp, rudd, or sorog, perch, peled, or cheese, common roach, common podust, ripus, sleeper, or firebrand, carp, or common carp, bluefish, smelt, catfish, silver carp, bleak, rainbow trout, European grayling , saberfish, pike; lake fish: golden crucian carp, silver crucian carp, tench.
Common pike perch - valuable commercial fish perch family.
White-eye, bersh, bystryanka, brook lamprey, common sculpin, podust, blue bream, catfish, sterlet, European grayling, saberfish are listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region.
Insects
A large group of invertebrate animals - insects - has not yet been fully studied in the Moscow region. Every year, entomologists discover dozens of species new to the Moscow region. Even a child knows the names of some species of insects living in the Moscow region, but at the same time, many species are very rare and are known only from isolated finds.
The biological diversity of species living in the Moscow region is quite large, these are butterflies, fleas, stoneflies, lice, beetles, lacewings, bedbugs, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, mole crickets, midges, ants, flies, ichneumon wasps, wasps, mayflies, bees, caddis flies, locusts, crickets, sialiids, dragonflies, cockroaches, thrips, aphids, earwigs, scale insects, silverfish, etc.
There are 60 species of dragonflies found in the Moscow region.
It is difficult to name the total number of insect species in the region, it is estimated at 15-20 thousand, of which 2,500 species are from the order Coleoptera, or beetles, 620 species from the order Lepidoptera, or butterflies, 74 species of bees and 41 species of ants, from the order Hymenoptera, 60 species from the order of dragonflies, 45 species from the order Orthoptera (grasshoppers, locusts, crickets), 4 species of cockroaches from the order Cockroaches, etc.
Extinct or extinct animals
Animals that lived here are completely extinct or have disappeared from the territory of the modern Moscow region (in relation to birds, they have stopped nesting) in Quaternary period(during the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs).
Mammals
The following representatives of the modern mammal fauna have disappeared from the territory of the Moscow region (within its current borders) (habitat is established based on historical data and fossil remains): wolverine (lat. Gulo gulo), arctic fox (lat. Vulpes lagopus), reindeer(lat. Rangifer tarandus), Noble deer(lat. Cervus elaphus), musk ox, or musk ox (lat. Ovibos moschatus), European bison(lat. Bison bonasus), steppe marmot (lat. Marmota bobak), hoofed lemming(lat. Dicrostonyx torquatus), Siberian lemming(lat. Lemmus cf. sibiricus), narrow-skulled vole(lat. Microtus gregalis).
As a result economic activity humans and intensive hunting in the historical period became extinct: the steppe tarpan (lat. Equus caballus gmelini), the tour (lat. Bos taurus primigenius).
In the prehistoric period, they became extinct: the cave hyena (lat. Crocuta crocuta spelaea), cave lion(lat. Panthera leo spelaea), woolly mammoth (lat. Mammuthus primigenius), steppe mammoth, or Khazar elephant (lat. Mammuthus trogontherii), woolly rhinoceros (lat. Coelodonta antiquitatis), big horned deer(lat. Megaloceros giganteus), northern saiga (lat. Saiga borealis), primitive bison(lat. Bison priscus), broad-toed horse(lat. Equus caballus latipes).
Birds
Over the last millennium (from the 11th century AD to the 1950s inclusive), the following bird species stopped nesting on the territory of the modern Moscow region: black-throated loon(lat. Gavia arctica), black stork (lat. Ciconia nigra), greylag goose (lat. Anser anser), short-tailed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus), saker falcon (lat. Falco cherrug), garnish (lat. Lymnocryptes minimus), kuksha (lat. Perisoreus infaustus), aquatic warbler(lat. Acrocephalus paludicola).
Cyclostomes and bony fishes
During the approximate period from the 500s to the 1950s AD, ten representatives of the modern ichthyofauna disappeared as a result of hydraulic engineering and intensive fishing. These are mainly migratory species that rise to spawn from the Caspian Sea: Caspian lamprey(lat. Caspiomyzon wagneri), stellate sturgeon (lat. Acipenser stellatus), beluga (lat. Huso huso), Russian sturgeon (lat. Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), Kessler herring (lat. Alosa kessleri), white fish, or nelma (lat. Stenodus leucichthys ), Caspian salmon, or Caspian trout (lat. Salmo trutta caspius), kutum (lat. Rutilus frisii kutum); and residential freshwater populations: brook trout (lat. Salmo trutta trutta), common taimen(lat. Hucho taimen).
Lynx lynx Linnaeus, 1758
Order Carnivora – Carnivora
Cat family – Felidae
Status
Spreading
Forests and mountains of Eurasia, with the exception of Southern Europe (1). At the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries. the species constantly lived in the northern and eastern Moscow region (2–5), but in the 1990s. was regularly registered only on the territory of the Zavidovo State Complex and in the Shatursky district, occasionally also entering the border Mozhaisky, Shakhovskoy, Lotoshinsky, Taldomsky districts. In the 2000s. the area of distribution has expanded somewhat. The species was regularly recorded and apparently reproduced in the west of the Shakhovsky and Mozhaisk districts (6–9), was recorded in Lotoshinsky, Klinsky, Volokolamsky, Taldomsky, Sergiev Posad, in the north and east of Shatursky, northeast of Lukhovitsky (10), in Dmitrovsky, in the west of Odintsovo, in the north of Naro-Fominsk (11) and in Istrinsky (12) districts.
Number and trends of its change
The dynamics of the number of lynx in the Moscow region is apparently related to the dynamics of the number of the white hare and decreases 2–4 years after the decline in the number of the latter. In the mid-1980s, against the background of the maximum population of hare hare, from 26 to 51 lynx were counted (10); following a significant decline in hare numbers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. there was a significant decrease in the number of animals (12 animals in 1994) (11). In 2000–2003 with the increase in the number of hare, the number of lynx increased to approximately 30 individuals (13).
Features of biology and ecology
Prefers dense old-growth forests with plenty of dead wood. Hunting areas (20–250 km2) are more or less constant, however, with a lack of food, the species is capable of long and extended migrations. The basis of nutrition is the white hare, to a lesser extent - roe deer, young wild boars, grouse birds, and rodents. There are 1–4, more often 2–3 cubs in a litter (14–16).
Limiting factors
Increasing recreational load on forests near Moscow, their fragmentation as a result of intensive dacha development. Decrease in the number of wild ungulates, which makes it difficult for lynxes to survive during periods of low white hare numbers. Poaching, disturbance factor, increase in the number of stray dogs.
Security measures taken
Trade is restricted in accordance with the CITES convention (Annex II). The species is listed in the Red Books of all adjacent regions, except Smolensk and Tver. It has been under special protection in the Moscow region since 1978 (17). The habitats are protected in the Zavidovo State Complex and three regional reserves.
Preventing forest fragmentation in lynx habitats. Preservation of ecological corridors connecting large areas of forests. Strict restrictions on the allocation of summer cottages in the border areas of the region. Strengthening the fight against poaching.
There is no need for artificial breeding.
Information sources
1. Lynx. Regional features..., 2003;2. Heptner, Sludsky, 1972; 3. Satunin, 1895; 4. Bekshtrem, 1927; 5. Shibanov, 1927; 6. Podolsky et al., 2000; 7. Ecological framework... 2003; 8. Forests of the axial zones of the Gzhatsk-Mozhaisk ridges, 2004; 9. Verkhneruzsky..., 2005; 10. O.S. Grinchenko, E.O. Ponomareva, N. Butorina; P. Smolyaninov; P. Voevodin, personal. message; 11. Data from S.A. Podolsky; 12. Karaseva et al., 1999; 13. State of hunting resources..., 2004; 14. Matyushkin, 1974; 15. Zheltukhin, 2003; 16. Flint et al., 1970; 17. Decision of the executive committees..., 1978.
Compiled by
S.A. Podolsky, V.A. Zubakin
A habitat for lynxes and badgers has been discovered in the Moscow region
Camera traps installed in the Mozhaisk region recorded representatives of two rare species at once - the badger and the common lynx. There are very few photographs or videos of lynx in the wild.
Photographic recording is one of the most effective ways observations of wildlife inhabitants. It not only confirms the presence of the animal in this area, but also allows you to determine the sex, age, condition of the animal, as well as identify it distinctive features(for example, coloring features), which will help track the further fate of the animal. The other day a lynx and a badger were caught in a camera trap.
Until recently, only isolated sightings of the lynx, listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region under the 1st category (endangered species), were recorded, said Alexander Kogan, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Management of the Moscow Region. - The last time this predator was observed was in the Noginsk region, on the territory of the Chernogolovsky Nature Reserve. There are very few photographs or videos of lynx in the wild.
The badger is also rare in the Moscow region; it is a candidate for inclusion in the region's Red Book as a threatened species.
Previously, monitoring by the Ministry of Ecology revealed in the Lotoshinsky district one of rare birds Moscow region - the lesser spotted eagle, listed in the Red Books of Russia and the Moscow region (in the latter case, as a nesting species on the verge of extinction).
The spotted eagle is one of the largest and most majestic birds in the Moscow region. Photo: Ministry of Ecology of the Moscow Region
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What we have, we don’t keep; when we lose it, we cry, but as a rule, we quickly and successfully forget about the existence of animals and birds that once inhabited our small homeland, not to mention such little things as insects or plants. The list of lost and almost lost items is below.
Brown bear
It’s hard to believe that the brown bear so familiar to us from Russian fairy tales is now in danger of extinction. So why is he disappearing? There are many reasons for this: disturbance during the lingonberry and cranberry harvest season, dacha construction, transport on forest roads, accidental shooting. What to do? Preserve forests, create nature reserves, and introduce a ban on hunting other species of animals in bear habitats.
Where it lives: Mozhaisky, Shakhovskoy, Taldomsky, Klinsky, Dmitrovsky districts
Russian muskrat
The Russian muskrat lives in the Shatursky district of the Moscow region and is also endangered. The reason for this is pollution of rivers and other bodies of water, poaching, the use of vents, winter water rises, early floods, lack of vegetation along the banks of reservoirs, and severe droughts. Methods of struggle - protection of reservoirs, fight against poaching with nets, tops, vents and the destruction of fish by electric current.
Hazel Dormouse
A funny animal, known to us from the fairy tale “Alice in Wonderland”. In Modmoskovye it still lives in the Tesovsky forest (border of Mozhaisky and Ruzsky districts), Serpukhovsky, Sergiev Posad and Leninsky districts. This is very rare view, the disappearance of which is extremely strongly influenced by the destruction of forests - natural environment a habitat.
Common lynx
Beautiful wild cat, which lives literally nearby - in Shakhovsky, Volokolamsky, Istrinsky, Mozhaysky, Lotoshinsky, Klinsky districts. The lynx still lives in the Taldomsky, Sergiev Posad, Shatursky, Lukhovitsky, Dmitrovsky, Odintsovo and Naro-Fominsk regions. The threat of extinction arose due to a drop in the number of the white hare and wild ungulates (elk, deer, wild boar), as well as poaching.
river otter
Lives in the Lama River in the Volokolamsk region, the Verkhneruzsky reservoir, the Ruza River, the Moscow River (above the Mozhaisk reservoir), the Ozerninsky reservoir and its small rivers, the Vyazemka River in the Odintsovo region, the Protva and Plesenka rivers in the Naro-Fominsk region, the Dubna and Vyulka rivers in Taldomsky district. River otters- a species with a rapidly declining population, the extinction of which is associated with a decrease in the number of fish, reduced access to water in winter, dacha development, disturbance of coastal vegetation, pollution of water bodies, and, of course, poaching.
Prevention measures will include maintaining the operation of four reserves in the Volokolamsk, Istra, Shatursky and Taldomsky districts, a ban on construction in the floodplains of small rivers, combating poaching, limiting the number of beaches, and a ban on the use of jet skis and motor boats in habitats.
The list continues...
