The benefits of rats in nature. Are mice harmful or beneficial? What are rats for?

What do we eat? Preservatives. 1 part. E200 - E223

08/26/2009 at 01:38 pm (Legislation, Interesting, products) Tags: Potassium benzoate, Calcium benzoate, Sodium benzoate, Benzoic acid, Sodium hydrosulfite, Hoffmann, Gooding, Sulfur dioxide, Potassium salt of sorbic acid, Muller, Parabens, Sodium pyrosulfite, Potassium sorbate, Calcium sorbate, Sodium sorbate, Sorbic acid, Sodium sulfite, allergic reactions, anesthetic, antibiotic, antimicrobial effect, antiseptic, asthma, permissible dosage, urticaria, behavioral disorder, para-hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester sodium salt, para-hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester, para-hydroxybenzoic acid propyl ester, para-hydroxybenzoic acid ethyl ester sodium salt, para-hydroxybenzoic acid ethyl ester, food additive, antifungal, antimicrobial, E200, E201, E202, E203, E210, E211, E212, E213, E214 , E215, E216, E217, E218, E219, E220, E221, E222, E223, gastric irritation, antispasmodic, agent, fungicidal

The benefits of ants in wildlife

First, you need to figure out what these little workers are needed for and what benefits they bring. Tiny hard workers are true forest orderlies. They lead a predatory lifestyle and are able to control the growth of the population of numerous parasites.

The role of ants as an element of the food chain cannot be underestimated. They are the main source of food for anteaters, moles, and frogs. Carbohydrate-rich foods appeal to bears, many species of birds, lizards, shrews and many others.
By using plant seeds as food, ants help them spread over large areas. As a result, the number of representatives of the plant world near the anthill increases.
The benefit of ants in nature is that they actively protect plants from attacks by caterpillars and silkworms. Without the help of small workers, many plants would not have the opportunity to fully develop.

Interesting!
A colony that lives in one average anthill can consume more than 15 thousand different insects per day.

Ants in nature
Another key role of forest workers is to improve soil health. Each insect nest is a complex system in which there are numerous passages, tunnels and even communications. After the ants work in the ground, more air, heat and loop substances begin to flow to the roots of the plants. Unlike earthworms, ants are able to cultivate soil up to 1.5 meters. Worms live only at a depth not exceeding 20 m.

In a garden or forest where a large number of ants live, the soil is more saturated with elements necessary for plant growth, such as potassium and phosphorus. Forest workers help convert these two elements into a water-soluble form, making them easier for plants to absorb.

CAN RATS BE HEALTHY?

We want to drive rats out of the world.
What if they play some positive role in the biosphere? No. Experts decisively sign their death warrant, declaring that nature will be better off without rats. And yet on earth they will remain not only in zoos, rats are the most convenient object for medical experiments, since they are susceptible to most of the diseases from which we also suffer. Tens of millions of white rats (this is not a species, but simply a peace-loving, less aggressive albino of the feisty pasyuk) are specially raised in vivariums. Rats are given whiskey to drink so that later, by injecting them with various substances, they can find out how quickly they will sober up. White rats smoke opium to give people information about the cause of hallucinations, and eat pesticides to tell people about their danger or, conversely, harmlessness to humans. They are stuffed with all sorts of viruses or their skin is turned into a hard shell in order to find out the root cause of some skin diseases. A vacuum milker has even been designed for rats to determine whether drugs pass into the animal's milk. It’s impossible to count all the tasks. It would be good, for example, to find out how these creatures recognize vitamins without any equipment: if they are given a treat, but in one feeder with an admixture of vitamin B1, and in the other without it, the tailed tasters will only begin to eat the fortified lunch, leaving the other feeder unattended.

Listings are always tedious. Moreover, you can hardly tell about all this better than the American publicist Art Buchwald. In his opinion, long-tailed experimental subjects could have a conversation like this in the vivarium.

"What's wrong with you, Zelda? She lost so much weight.”

“They forced me to eat cyclamates. I lose three ounces of weight every week. What are you doing?"

". Although I am still a very young rat, I am determined not to seek escapism. That's why I research the effects of air pollution."

“As soon as you can stand it!”

“We have to. Every day I am taken around New York and I breathe its air. When I die, people will realize that the air pollution in this city is far beyond acceptable limits."

". I'm worried about Elvin. He’s been gone for a whole week!”

“Didn’t you hear? Today his heart was transplanted to Hadel. Her heart stopped working while testing the car's emissions for harmful emissions."

“He didn’t mind when they told him they would take his heart. He was completely calm. After all, he was kept on tranquilizers for a long time.”

“It’s not easier for me. I work in the field of space physiology. The effects of weightlessness are being tested on me. I have frequent, severe vomiting.”

“But, Carlton, at least it's fashionable - a space exploration program. And they inject me with flu germs all the time.”

"Sadly. But Samson is chilling. Watches color television all day. They are checking what dose of radiation he is exposed to.”

For many generations, white rats have been living in vivariums in satiety and abundance. They became pampered, their physiology and psyche also underwent some changes. And is this why experiments with shabby pasyuks give more correct and reliable results?

So, there are benefits from rats too. But this spoon of honey in the barrel of rat atrocities is painfully bitter.

Still, you shouldn’t paint everything black. A tamed rat becomes a cute little naughty boy. She is clean and easy to train. He behaves well in his master's bosom, sedately drinks tea at the common table, clicks his teeth approvingly to the beat of symphonic music and turns away from the receiver when jazz wheezes.

One more effort - and Pasyuk will show your guests hilarious things: he will give you slippers, he will stand guard with a splinter gun behind his back, he will fall dead if a child points a toy gun in his direction. And even stormy childish caresses similar to torment will not force Pasyuk to bare his teeth. The teeth that have brought, are bringing and will continue to bring suffering to people unless humanity achieves some kind of breakthrough in its relationship with rats.

a brief description of

Rats belong to the class mammals, order rodents, family mice. The animals have a sharp, elongated muzzle, and small ears and eyes. In most varieties, the tail is almost bare, covered with sparse vegetation and scales; in black rats, it is covered with thick hair. The length of the tail can be equal to or greater than the body size. There are also short-tailed rodents.

The fur covering the body of the animals is dense, rather thick, and the guard hairs are pronounced. The breed of rats is determined, among other things, by color. The color can be gray-brown, gray, sometimes yellow, orange, and reddish tones are found.

The animals are hardy and active, run fast, and in case of danger they are able to reach speeds of up to 10 km/h, jumping over obstacles no more than 1 meter high. Every day they are able to overcome 8 – 17 km. Rats are excellent swimmers, dives, and catch small fish. Rodents can spend three days in water without harm to health.

Mammals' vision is not very clear and is characterized by a small viewing angle of 16 degrees. Rats are forced to constantly turn their heads to examine their surroundings. They see the world in shades of gray.

Animals inhabit self-made holes, hollows, other people's nests, as well as artificially made premises. They live alone, in medium or large groups. Rodents are omnivores, but each species has its own taste preferences. Some breeds love shellfish and insects more, others love fruits, vegetables, and seeds.

Females bear offspring throughout the year. Populations living in northern regions do not reproduce in cold weather. One litter can consist of 2 – 22 cubs.

Each of us knows what rats look like, but the appearance of these animals can change depending on the breed, while the characteristic features remain unchanged.

What diseases do rodents carry?

Rodents can spread more than 20 diseases that are dangerous to humans. Bubonic plague, murine typhus, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and West African Lassa fever are just a few of the potentially fatal diseases carried by rats. These diseases caused the death of 25 million Europeans from the XIY to the XYII centuries.

It is believed that over the past millennium, diseases carried by rats have claimed more lives than all wars and revolutions combined.

At the end of the 20th century, medical attention was focused on rodent-borne hemorrhagic (mouse) fever viruses. From 1995 to 2000, at least 25 “new” hantaviruses and arenaviruses associated with rodents of the Mouse family were discovered. Approximately 200 thousand new cases of fever with kidney damage are recorded annually in Asia, with a mortality rate of 1-15%. Each virus is usually associated with one specific host species. Humans become infected through contact with rodent urine, feces or saliva.

Doctors first encountered this disease in Russia in the 30s of the last century. Today, mouse fever occurs almost throughout the country. In 2022, more than 8 thousand Russians fell ill with hemorrhagic fever.

What benefits and harm do moles bring to the soil?

With the arrival of the first warm weather, gardeners have more worries. Preparing and pruning trees, digging up soil, applying fertilizers – there’s a lot of work to be done. The main task is to prepare the soil as much as possible for planting seedlings and clean the garden from pests. But if mole crickets and butterflies are still far away, then rats, mice, and moles wake up with the first rays of spring and go in search of food.

Many beginners tend to underestimate moles, the benefits of which are very questionable. But it is these cutest little animals that are able to “shovel” an area and turn it into a “minefield” overnight.

The benefits of ants in wildlife

The role of ants as an element of the food chain cannot be underestimated. They are the main source of food for anteaters, moles, and frogs. Carbohydrate-rich foods appeal to bears, many species of birds, lizards, shrews and many others.
By using plant seeds as food, ants help them spread over large areas. As a result, the number of representatives of the plant world near the anthill increases.
The benefit of ants in nature is that they actively protect plants from attacks by caterpillars and silkworms. Without the help of small workers, many plants would not have the opportunity to fully develop.

Interesting!
A colony that lives in one average anthill can consume more than 15 thousand different insects per day.

What are cockroaches for?

If you are unhappy that cockroaches have settled in your house, then most likely it is your own fault, you do not fix the leaking water supply, do not remove leftover food, or do not take out the trash on time. Why are cockroaches harmful? They spread infection, you say. Well, they're not actually more contagious than your cat or dog, and you're not going to exterminate them.

The cockroach is very small, non-venomous and completely defenseless against humans; all its weapons are a disgusting species. Some people can’t even kill a cockroach out of disgust, so they use poisonous baits and all sorts of insect repellents. Meanwhile, insectivorous birds and small animals eat cockroaches. There is evidence that bedbugs cannot live in a house where there are cockroaches, so in ancient times the Germans specially introduced cockroaches into their houses in order to destroy bedbugs, since cockroaches eat their eggs. After all, it is much easier to remove cockroaches than to remove bedbugs.

Appearance

The river rat is a close relative of the common pasyuk. Hence the external similarity of these rodents. The water rat is also often confused with the muskrat, due to their appearance and similar habitats.

This is a small animal with gray-brown or black fur. The body length of an adult individual can reach 25 cm, and the average weight is 250 g. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed.

The muzzle is short, slightly reminiscent of a guinea pig . Small black eyes. Long front teeth, often yellow or orange. The ears are small, barely noticeable.

The body is elongated and flexible. The tail is long, but unlike the ordinary rats we are used to, it is not bald, but covered with thick hair. Only the very tip is bald; there is a small brush on it.

The color of the abdomen is slightly lighter than the back and head. In some varieties the tip of the tail may be white. The coat is thick and of medium length. Perfectly protects the rodent from the cold.

The river rat is able to swim even in fairly cool water due to its thick undercoat. Due to the length of the fur, the legs seem quite short. The river rat is also called: European vole, water rat and underwater rat.

Cons of content

Unfortunately, rats do not have their drawbacks. But the shortcomings of these cute rodents are very minor, and they can be easily dealt with.

Tendency to diseases

Rats have a fairly weak immune system, so fluffies often get sick. In addition, a predisposition to certain diseases is inherent in them at the genetic level. Most often, rodent owners encounter the following ailments of their pets:

ARVI;
malignant and benign neoplasms;
mycoplasmosis;
atherosclerosis;
renal failure;
pneumonia.

Rats also often suffer from fleas, lice, ticks, worms and other parasites.

Short lifespan

On average, rats live about 3 years. Compared to other types of pets, this is a very short period of time. Some varieties of decorative rats, for example, albinos, live only 1.5-2 years. Long-livers are also found among rodents. With proper care and timely treatment, a rat can live up to 4-4.5 years.

Marking territory

Some novice breeders mistakenly believe that only males mark territory. However, females also put their marks everywhere. The only difference is that the urine of male rats has a more pungent, specific odor. Regular cleaning of the cage will help solve this problem.

Unpleasant smell

During the life of a rat, like any other animal, an unpleasant odor is released. And it doesn't just come from excrement or urine. The endocrine glands also emit a specific aroma, to get rid of which you will have to regularly subject your pet to water procedures.

Unpleasant associations

The appearance of rodents, to put it mildly, scares some people away. Some consider cute decorative fluffies to be as aggressive as their wild relatives. And some breeds, for example, the Sphynx, are generally terrifying to especially impressionable people.

Damage to things

As long as the rat is in the cage, its owner’s property is completely safe. But rodents are very agile and are able to open a weak lock on their own. If he escapes, the fluffy will chew everything that gets in his way - furniture, wallpaper, clothes, wires. Therefore, it is recommended to place even a cage with a rat away from walls and any things - otherwise the rat can reach them through the twigs.

Noise at night

Rats are nocturnal animals. Therefore, they often go to bed only in the morning. And at night they stay awake, play, frolic, learn everything new. This feature can cause discomfort to owners, especially if small children live in the house. To ensure that pets do not disturb anyone’s sleep, it is better to place the cage in a separate room.

Aesthetic problems

Adult male rats have very prominent genitals. This is especially noticeable in representatives of short-haired and hairless varieties. This feature is very off-putting or confusing for some people.

Expensive treatment

The health of rats is quite poor; fluffies get sick very often. Therefore, they will have to be treated constantly, paying considerable sums for medical services. Moreover, ordinary veterinarians rarely work with such small animals as rodents. Most likely, you will need to look for a special doctor for rats - a ratologist.

The problem is aggravated by the fact that there is only one specialist for 2-3 cities. Therefore, for treatment, you may have to transport the animal to a neighboring village.

Are wood lice dangerous for humans?

Woodlice cannot bite or physically harm a person, but they are capable of stealthily ruining the quiet life of household members with their sudden appearance.

If there is a lack of organic food, they can destroy fastidious and delicate exotic house plants such as orchids, cacti, and ferns.

If wood lice have settled in a pot or tub of flowers, this will soon lead to compaction of the soil. The plant may die due to a lack of oxygen or a violation of the integrity of the root system (pests like to “snack” on nutritious roots).

If insects have chosen the cellar, then the vegetable reserves prepared for future use for the winter may be significantly reduced.

In addition, when colonizing a greenhouse, miniature crustaceans can destroy sprouts of vegetable crops that have just hatched, which will affect the harvest.

Woodlice, due to their size, squeeze into any crack, so on their paws they can carry fungal spores, depriving, and other bacteria, running from the toilet to the kitchen for the next portion of food.

What are rats for?

In nature there is no concept of “unwanted species”; one is food for another

Are there any benefits to rats? Yes, remembering the cartoon “Ratatouille”, one would like to say that in France, rats cook food. But this is a joke, what do we know about rats? Only that they multiply with enchanting speed, take root wherever possible, are extremely smart and quick-witted, have good physical characteristics, jump, run and swim well. In addition, they carry many diseases dangerous to humans and animals, cause enormous economic damage, etc. That is why many people prefer not to drive out rats using harmless ultrasonic devices, but to destroy them forever using poisons or traps.

However, humans are primarily to blame for the spread of rats. In cities where rats have chosen garbage dumps and basements, there are practically no natural enemies, birds of prey and animals, and accumulations of garbage only improve the living conditions of rodents. In their natural wild environment, rats do not fatten like that; they are eaten by owls and eagle owls, storks and other birds, ferrets, weasels, etc. So one species of animal is the food of another species of animal.

The white rat is a very important animal for biological research. No matter how it looks, thanks to her, new effective medicines are being discovered, since her susceptibility to diseases is similar to that of humans.

What benefits and harm do moles bring to the soil?

About bats

To begin with, there are too many rumors, speculations and artistic images around these animals.

Here are the most common:

feed on flesh
drink blood
bite and transmit infection.

Also, their appearance, of course, evokes emotion in few people. That is why the appearance of bats near a person does not make people happy at all. The reality is that bats living in the European part of Russia are harmless and safe creatures for humans.

What worries us all first is what they eat. So, their main diet is insects, which, by the way, especially bother us, namely mosquitoes, flies, moths, etc. A rare exception in the diet of bats is frogs. As you understand, to some extent, they are even assistants.

There are, of course, species that still feed on fruits. Such “neighbors” can already cause damage to your fruit plantings.

But, as a result, bats definitely won’t eat people and drink their blood.

Naturally, bats still pose a danger to people. Animal excrement is saturated with fungal vapors, which, when entering the human lungs, can cause serious illness. Bat excrement, also known as guano, has a pungent odor, oblong shape, and color from earthy gray to black.

But it is worth noting that this fungus is also present in bird excrement. So, of course, there is a chance of inhaling it from bat droppings, so you must follow a number of rules, which we will describe below. Biting is absolutely not a typical behavior for bats. After all, even if an animal is sick with rabies, it would rather become lethargic and apathetic than rush at people and animals. But if a person is bitten or scratched by a bat, it is better to immediately consult a doctor for vaccination and treatment.

Also, bats can damage the attic space, or the construction materials that are around.

Well, and most importantly, they can frighten the residents of the house with their unexpected appearance.

Although we now understand that they are not particularly dangerous, such a “neighborhood” is unpleasant in any case, to some extent has its consequences, and it is better to get rid of it in a humane way.

What are horseflies needed for?

Is this really a dead-end question? Well, could there be any benefit from horse flies? Everyone knows that horseflies bite painfully, an itchy wound appears at the site of the bite, and part of the body may swell from an allergic reaction. In addition, horseflies can carry dangerous diseases, so why feel sorry for them?

As always, there are a few things to figure out. Let's start with the fact that not all horseflies bite. Like mosquitoes, horseflies' bloodsuckers are females, while males prefer to drink flower nectar and are completely harmless. However, people eliminate horse flies by creating traps for them, such as the H-Trap. This is done not so much for the sake of the people themselves, but for the sake of domestic animals, horses, cows and others. They suffer the most from bites, and the presence of such traps on farms is understandable.

But is there any benefit from horse flies? It turns out there is. They are an important link in natural food chains. Insectivorous birds feed on them; in addition, horseflies participate in plant pollination. If horseflies are destroyed in large quantities, the ecological balance will be disrupted.

Appearance

This is a small animal with gray-brown or black fur. The body length of an adult individual can reach 25 cm, and the average weight is 250 g. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed.

The muzzle is short, slightly reminiscent of a guinea pig . Small black eyes. Long front teeth, often yellow or orange. The ears are small, barely noticeable.

Authorization on the site

Sources

Makhov S. Yu. Personal security strategy: educational manual; Lights - Moscow, 2014. - 568 p.
Nomain, Alexey How to sell a credit car or a mortgaged apartment / Alexey Nomain. - M.: Publishing solutions, 2009. - 715 p.
Tatyana, Viktorovna Evdokimova Features of the Russian intellectual property market in the context of participation in the WTO. Monograph / Tatyana Viktorovna Evdokimova. - M.: Prospekt, 2006. - 925 p.
Yuri, Fedorovich Bespalov Cases of inheritance: some controversial issues of law enforcement. 2nd edition / Yuri Fedorovich Bespalov. - M.: Prospekt, 2014. - 700 p.
Shastitko, A.E. Application of antimonopoly legislation in the markets of derivative goods: from determining product boundaries to advocating competition / A.E. Shastitko. - M.: Synergy, 2015. - 809 p.