Discovery Science 🧬

ntinued to grow. Therefore, by 2003, scientists recognized that king crab in the Barents Sea was not only a valuable resource, but also a serious environmental problem. And the scale of this problem is only growing. We now have a situation where the once rich and diverse bottom of the Barents Sea has turned into a wasteland. Kamchatka crabs ate algae, polyps, echinoderms, and fish eggs. Nature has become very deserted. Even the seals left these regions, as they simply had nothing to eat. At the moment, even Scandinavian coastal waters are suffering from the dominance of crabs. One Swedish newspaper even called the hordes of crabs “Stalin’s red armies.” And this absurdly pretentious name not only speaks of a bad sense of humor and craving for clickbait headlines, but also of the fact that even the Scandinavians are already seriously alarmed by the constant expansion of the crabs' possessions. - - - - - We have a huge group, which is 11 years old and there are many zoologists who write tons of text every day from the field in which they are specialists. Due to VK’s failed policy towards authors, all this, unfortunately, rests only on rare advertising and your support. You can support the stability of our nervous system with a minimum subscription of 100 rubles per month. You can request support directly through the button in this post. Thank you! 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

King crab: It has already destroyed the Barents Sea. Now this horde is coming to devastate the Scandinavians Kamchatka crab is in a kind of superposition. On the one hand, this is a vulnerable species, the numbers of which already have to be maintained artificially. And on the other hand, there is a multimillion-strong horde that effortlessly broke the ecosystem of the Barents Sea and continues to seize new territories. And, characteristically, in both situations the person is to blame. Let's figure out how we brought the poor crab to a bipolar life. When the Russians reached Kamchatka and the British reached Eastern Alaska, they discovered hundreds of millions of arthropods in the local waters. Very large and tasty arthropods! The leg span of the Kamchatka crab can reach 180 centimeters, and its weight can reach 12 kilograms. Moreover, more than 60% of this mass is tasty, healthy and easily digestible meat. Without thinking twice, both ours and the English settlers quickly launched an industrial crab catch, the volume of which gradually increased over the centuries. However, in the 20s of the last century, the Soviet authorities discovered that it would no longer be possible to increase production: the number of crabs began to decline. In search of a solution to the problem, they came up with an idea that no environmental organization on the planet would approve of today. They decided to move the Kamchatka crabs to the Barents Sea (Let me remind you that the Barents Sea is located next to Murmansk, that is, almost half the world from Kamchatka). The crabs themselves, by the way, desperately did not want to move. Attempts to acclimatize arthropods to new conditions failed for more than 30 years! It was only in the 60s that crabs introduced into the Barents Sea gave birth to offspring for the first time. And the population of arthropods became stable and stable only in 1992. And then the real nightmare began. As soon as the crabs adapted to new conditions, their reproduction rate became even higher than in their homeland. Even though the females still laid 40-80 thousand eggs at a time, the larvae grew and matured noticeably faster - this was due to the warmer summer. And the shorter the time a crab spends in the planktonic larval stage, the lower the chances that it will be eaten. Mortality in the early stages of development has dropped sharply. It has also become lower in older arthropods: there are no specialized predators here, and predatory fish attack only young crabs with thin shells. While the crabs themselves eat everything: carrion, bottom fish, algae and other arthropods. In regions with high numbers of king crabs, small and medium-sized invertebrates completely disappear, after which they switch to larger prey, such as sea urchins and bivalves. And they also suffer great damage. In 2000, king crabs already consumed approximately 90 million sea urchins per year - 15% of the entire population. But their numbers only co

y the tenacious grip of the wilderness. But spring is coming, and the survivors can happily celebrate the end of their little end of the world. Author: Egor Churakov Editor: Elizaveta Isaeva 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

Wilderness: Survive in the darkness without oxygen. The worst time for any fish If for us winter is a reason to dress warmly, then for fish every arrival of cold weather is a local apocalypse, whose name is the wilderness. This is the time when the busiest body of water turns into a lifeless wasteland, bound by ice, cold and fear of the future. The wilderness is approaching gradually, almost imperceptibly. With each new frost, the fish become slower and more passive. This is not the autumn blues, this is physiology: gill-breathers are cold-blooded creatures. The temperature of the environment directly affects their energy levels. Meanwhile, the surface of the reservoirs is gradually frozen by ice, and real difficulties arise. By January, the thin crust turns into a wall several centimeters thick. The inhabitants of lakes, ponds and rivers become completely cut off from the surface. No oxygen is supplied. In addition to the fact that it becomes cold and stuffy under water, it also becomes dark there. A layer of ice already blocks direct sunlight. But when a layer of snow is added to it, the underwater kingdom turns into a kingdom of darkness. Photosynthesis of green algae stops. But the decomposition process is still ongoing! As a result, a layer saturated with carbon dioxide and poor in oxygen gradually forms at the bottom and in deep holes. Breathing stops here in the most literal sense of the word - if you swim here, the fish will die from suffocation. At this moment, the same wilderness begins, lasting from January to mid-February or longer. Lethargic fish are trying with their last strength to get to shallow, secluded places where they can breathe with full gills. Slightly running water, the proximity of plants, depressions and holes - these are the lucky ticket to survive the winter and not suffocate. However, not everyone meekly accepts the impending doom. For example, nocturnal and bottom predators feel great in the dead of winter - now the entire reservoir lives according to the rules of twilight. Some fish are so resilient that they accept new rules of the game and live at an increased level of difficulty. Ruffs overcome cold and suffocation. The roach swims in a shuttle between the bottom and the surface, shallow water and the water column. These cruising schools are followed on the heels of hungry pike. And for burbot, the wilderness is a time to breathe out. In the warm season, this fish is lethargic and inactive. The peak of its vital activity occurs during the most bone-crushing frosts. Burbot not only survives the dead winter, it spawns at its peak, right under the ice! While the rest of the inhabitants of rivers and lakes are in a semi-fainting state, the burbot, left without competitors for resources, is fattening up its sides. Thus, between apathetic melancholy and active gluttony, the darkest hour in the life of underwater inhabitants gradually recedes. The weak and sick have already fallen, strangled b

A selection of cool photos number 4 1. Farm milking horseshoe crabs for medicine 2. Erotic forms of a beluga whale... 3. You’ll never guess who it is (The answer is in the photo itself) 4. The lynx yells at...(what is this?) 5. African giant goliath heron humiliates some eagle 6. Hercules beetle (Probably the largest beetle on Earth!) 7. Freshwater horror of the rivers of Asia - the predatory snakehead 8. Pregnant seahorse men gossiping in a cafe 9. The elephant makes real estate out of movables, ha! Come to our telegram for 43k people to read the best articles and chat! Link - https://t.me/knigajivotnih1 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

Honey Ants: Their bodies are like barrels of sugar. Workers literally drink their comrades Hello, would you like some grapes? If yes, here you go, take it. And don’t be surprised that I’m pointing to the anthill! Inside it lies a special, underground grape, carefully cultivated by insects. Okay, maybe to convince you to try it, we need to talk about this phenomenon in more detail. Honey ants are similar to regular ants, but with one major exception. They live in regions with rather specific conditions. Most of the year there is terrible heat, the air is dry, and there are practically no plants. In general, their habitat is deserts and semi-deserts around the world! But during the rainy season, the vegetation blooms like nowhere else, everything around blooms and bears fruit, and there are more resources around than even the largest colony of ants can process. Therefore, the ants figured out to store the excess in special... capsules. Reserves filled with sweet nectar can allow the anthill to function for months or even years in conditions of a total calorie deficit. Moreover, several unrelated genera of ants from Australia, South Asia, Africa and South America came up with this method at once. Well, other animals are very grateful to honey ants for their work. They look for anthills and destroy them to get to the sweetness hidden inside. People do the same, because all the locals highly value honey ants, consider them a delicacy and even call them underground grapes. After all, it really is similar in shape, only much, much sweeter. Well, now do you want to try it? Oh, don’t look at me like that, I wasn’t lying to you! I just didn't reveal the whole truth. Well, insects have nowhere to store food reserves except within themselves, so they created a special caste of workers - plerergats. These ants have only one task: to overeat until their abdomen becomes round from the overflowing reserves. And then give them to your brothers and sisters upon request. But this does not change the taste of the underground grapes; it is still a pleasant and very tender snack that hardly moves in your mouth! Bon appetit! Author: Yaroslav Ilyin 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

of commands depending on their mood. This breed is suitable for people who are ready to invest in communication with a cat, and is absolutely not suitable for those who are looking for a pet “just for beauty.” 2nd place. Thailand. Scottish Fold At the end of the year, the second place in the world was taken by the long-haired Scottish fold cat Melody Sharm P-Shark from Thailand. The charming white-gray fluffy creature with an owl's face and round yellow eyes also traveled around the world all year and won the hearts of the judges. And it’s not surprising, because it’s impossible not to fall in love with this breed. Unlike Abyssinians, who live at high speeds, Scottish Folds are their complete opposite. Scottish Folds do not strive to be in the center of events and do not need constant activity. These are calm, measured and comfortable cats in everyday life. They love their owner, but will not chase him around the house. Scratching depending on the mood, hugs - even less often, but love is still felt in these woolly owls. 3rd place. Belarus. British cat An honorable third place was taken by a cat from Belarus named Moki TarLen Luxury, a magnificent representative of the British breed. This is the same Cheshire from Alice in Wonderland - with a round fairy-tale face and a smile from ear to ear. The British are doing the owner a favor by lighting up his squalid apartment with their royal presence. These are wayward, independent and self-sufficient animals. They are not interested in your personal life as long as there is food in the bowl and the tray is sparkling clean. Scratches will become your constant adornment, and the caress and purring of the Briton will seem like God's grace. The complete opposite of the Abyssinians. An ideal choice for masochists and very busy people at work. 4th place. France. Canadian Sphynx Fourth place in the world ranking was taken by the Canadian Sphynx AV LJUSALFHEIM Thor from France, a representative of one of the most unusual and complex exhibition breeds. For sphinxes, a high result in the ring is always an indicator of the serious work of the breeder. The slightest problems with nutrition, health and stress are immediately reflected in their flawless bald skin. The Canadian Sphynx is a breed for those who are ready for close and constant contact with their pet. These are extremely human-oriented cats, on par with the Abyssinians or even more so.Sphynxes love to sit in your arms, crawl under a blanket, under a jacket, and into your very soul. They love to participate in all household chores and be the center of attention. Baldies are sensitive, sociable, and require more care than meets the eye: they need to be bathed regularly, have their ears cleaned, and watch their diet. In return, they give so much love that there is enough for their neighbors. 5th place. Russia. Siberian cat Russia again rounds out the top five – a gorgeous representative of the Siberian breed named Let’s Danse LucianA

Official top 5 best cats in the world. Russia won! News that we definitely deserve: the official ranking of the top 5 best cats in the world has been announced. And guess what? Russia won! Moreover, domestic breeders took two prizes at once - 1 and 5. The first place was taken by an Abyssinian breed cat, and the fifth place was taken by a native domestic Siberian cat. Why these awards are so prestigious, and how the evaluation took place in general, we will now tell you in more detail. Such fluffy gold can only be worn on your hands. The system for selecting the best of the best is structured like this: throughout the year, international cat shows are held around the world. Each is a grandiose event: bright halls, luxurious exhibition tents in which the most beautiful representatives of the breed sit. Sleek and self-confident, they are not afraid of the noisy crowd around them, because they know their worth very well. Experts examine each cat, assessing it according to three criteria. The first is whether the animal meets the standard of its breed. The second is the physical form of the cat, how well-fed, fit and healthy it is. The third is temperament. A show cat in the hands of an expert should be affectionate and gentle, allowing itself to be stroked and picked up. A shot of cuteness right into the heart! Based on each point, judges award titles and points to participants. Getting at least one title is already considered a high result, because competition at exhibitions is always enormous. But you can “accumulate” points. The more exhibitions the cat visited, the more often he won, the more points he got. So, the top 5 best cats in the world were chosen precisely by the rating of these points, which they diligently collected throughout 2025. 1st place: Russia. Abyssinian cat The gold winner was a Russian Abyssinian cat named Darlen Fleur Dalmore Black. Over the past year, the winner managed to show himself at events throughout Russia, Belarus, Thailand and other countries. In total, he visited more than 40 exhibitions! At each, the cat received the highest awards, which ultimately led him to victory among all the cats registered in the World Cat Organization. And this, for a moment, is more than 280 felinological clubs in the world. Just imagine how much competition there was! Darlen Fleur Dalmore Black is a bright representative of its breed. By nature, Abyssinian cats are a breed for those who want a real partner, and not a decorative bun. They are active, smart and social, constant communication, attention, scratching behind the ear, sitting on laps and participation in a person’s life are important to them. Whether you go to the bathroom or prepare a meal, the Abyssinian is right there. These animals do not tolerate loneliness well and can express their boredom in different ways, from torn curtains to something worse. But don’t be alarmed, they learn easily, remember the rules of the house and can even learn a couple

urora. This is an indigenous breed that was created by Siberia itself: the animals are distinguished by their large size, strong bones, powerful muscles and rich hair. Siberians can also boast of the most comfortable and versatile temperament. They are friendly and affectionate, but not intrusive, like sphinxes, and not demanding, like Abyssinians. The animals can find something to do on their own, but they will gladly accept your affection and will not look from under their brows, like the arrogant British. Author: Arina Taran Editor: Elizaveta Isaeva 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot