10 most famous animals in the world. Whiskers, paws and tail: the most famous animals
The history of mankind is written not only by brilliant scientists, politicians and military leaders. “Our little brothers” sometimes take an equally active part in it, and who knows how it would have ended if, for example, Alexander the Great had not had Bucephalus, and Richard Nixon had not had Checkers the dog.
1. Lin Wang
“Grandfather Lin,” as he is also called, is perhaps the most famous elephant in human history. During the Sino-Japanese War, which then became part of World War II, Lin Wang “fought” for some time on the side of the Japanese invaders who invaded Burma: the elephant transported cargo and carried artillery pieces. In 1943, he, along with 12 other elephants, was captured by the Chinese Expeditionary Force and continued to serve there as a draft and “cargo” animal. There he was awarded the name A-Mei (translated from Chinese as “Beautiful”).
After the end of the war, Wang and his corps arrived in China, where he remained for the rest of his life. In 1952, the “veteran” was retired, and he became one of the main attractions of the Taipei Zoo. The zoo director felt that A-Mei's name was too feminine and renamed him Lin Wang. Elephant on long years became a real favorite of the townspeople and their children, and after his death in 2003, he was even awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city.
By the way, according to the Guinness Book of Records, Lin Wang, who died at the age of 86, was the oldest elephant to ever live.
2. Bucephalus
Without his faithful horse Bucephalus, Alexander the Great probably would not have received the honorary nickname “The Great”: the famous horse played an important role in his life. The life of Bucephalus is shrouded in legends and speculation, but historians agree that this horse really existed.
According to legend, the first meeting of Alexander and the “Bullhead” (lat. Bucephalius) occurred when the future famous commander was 10 years old. His father, King Philip, was offered to purchase Bucephalus for 13 talents (about 340 kg of silver - fabulous money at that time). But since no one was able to pacify the wild temper of the animal, the king was thinking of abandoning the deal.
Alexander intervened and declared that if he failed to bridle the horse, he would pay for it himself. The little sly one noticed that Bucephalus was afraid of his own shadow and, bucking, threw off all the riders. Jumping into the saddle, Alexander forced the horse to turn its head towards the sun so that he could not see the shadows - only then was the animal finally able to calm down.
There are different assumptions regarding the death of the legendary horse: some historians write that he died in battle, while others believe that the cause of death was old age. Be that as it may, Alexander loved his horse very much and in his honor even founded the city of Bucephala, located on the territory of modern Pakistan - in our time it is called Jalalpur.
3. Surus
Scientists believe that Surus (surus in translation from Phoenician - “Syrian”) is the only elephant that survived the famous campaign of the Carthaginian commander Hannibal through the Alps.
According to some reports, the “Syrian” was the military leader’s favorite war elephant: Hannibal rode it most often. According to the testimony of contemporaries of the famous commander, almost all the elephants in his army were of African origin, but many report that at least one was from India - most likely we are talking about Surus.
Perhaps it was the Asian roots that allowed the elephant to survive all the hardships of Hannibal’s Alpine campaign, the main ones of which were hunger, cold, disease and fierce battles with mountain tribes.
4. Digit
Prominent ethologist (animal behavior specialist) Dian Fossey has worked with a huge number of gorillas throughout her scientific career, but her favorite has always been the male named Digit. A real affection arose between Diane and the gorilla: they spent a lot of time together and Digit did not trust any of the people as much as she did.
In 1977, Digit died at the hands of poachers, and his hands and head, intended for making exotic ashtrays, were sold by the killers for just $20. In memory of her deceased friend, Fossey created the Digit Foundation, whose mission was to save mountain gorillas.
Dian Fossey
After Digit's death, Diane lived only eight years: in 1985, she was hacked to death by an unknown assailant near her bungalow not far from the Karisok research center she founded. Most likely, the killer was hired by a commercial organization that exterminated gorillas for profit. Since then, the gorilla rescue fund has been renamed the Dian Fossey Foundation, in honor of the woman who dedicated her life to the study and conservation of primates so similar to humans.
5. Balto
The Siberian Husky Balto was at one time probably the most famous dog in the United States - his outstanding tenacity and scent made him a true national hero.
In 1925, a diphtheria epidemic broke out in the village of Nome, Alaska. Delivery of the medicinal serum by plane was impossible due to the onset of a storm, and the only transport capable of covering 1085 km in conditions of almost zero visibility and piercing icy winds was sled dog sleds.
On the last, most difficult section of the route, about 83 km long, the vital cargo was carried by a team led by Balto. The dogs almost died while crossing the river, overturned the sledges, almost losing a box of ampoules, and more than once risked going astray, but thanks to Balto’s instincts and tenacity, the medicine was delivered safe and sound.
The epidemic was stopped in five days, and Balto and the other dogs of the team became famous overnight. Less than a year has passed since a monument to Balto was erected in Central Park in New York, with words carved on it that could well be the animal’s motto: “Endurance, devotion, intelligence.”
6. Checkers
Dwight Eisenhower
Richard Nixon owes the rise of his political career to the dog Checkers - perhaps it was thanks to him that Nixon became the 37th President of the United States.
In 1952, when Nixon was running for vice president, he was accused of using illegally donated funds for the election campaign. The seriousness of the charges almost forced then-US President Dwight Eisenhower to abandon such a partner, but Nixon saved the day with a televised address that became known as the “Checkers Speech.”
In it, Nixon denied all accusations, saying that the only gift he would accept was a cocker spaniel puppy, Checkers. It must be said that Richard really had an affection for him, and this helped create his image as a “man of the people” and an animal lover. Public opinion swung in Nixon's favor, and he received the long-awaited post, which allowed him to continue climbing the political ladder a few years later and become president. Unfortunately, Checkers did not live to see his master's main triumph: he died four years before Nixon's inauguration.
7. Keiko
There are probably few animals in the world who have become movie stars, and there have never been any like the male killer whale Keiko. Keiko played one of the main roles in the film Free Willy and its sequels. The film epic, which tells the story of the friendship between a boy and a killer whale, was so loved by the audience that they transferred huge sums for the maintenance and treatment of Keiko (during the filming of the film he suffered from a serious skin disease).
After the release of the film, Keiko, as they say, woke up famous: it turned out that thousands of people were concerned about his fate, who even organized a special fund to raise funds for the needs of the seriously ill “artist.” Two more films with his participation were released, after which Keiko was placed in the Newport Aquarium (Oregon). After a couple of years of intensive medical procedures, the orca returned to her homeland of Iceland, where she was being prepared for release.
Some doubted the advisability of such a step, believing that the animal would not be able to adapt to the conditions of the wild again, and, unfortunately, the skeptics were right. In 2002, Keiko was released into the wild, and, after swimming about 1,400 km, he settled in the Taknes fjord on the west coast of Norway, but in 2003, the famous “actor” died of pneumonia.
8. Elsa
Elsa became the first lioness in history to grow up in captivity and successfully adapt to life in the wild. She was raised by a married couple, George and Joy Adamson, who worked in Kenya's Meru National Park.
In 1956, George had to shoot an angry lioness who was about to attack him, and her three adorable cubs were left without a mother. One of the orphaned cubs was Elsa.
The couple fed and raised the lioness, and when she grew older, they gradually began to accustom her to freedom, taking her away from the camp and setting her on wounded animals in order to awaken her hunter instinct. Gradually, Elsa got used to independence, but from time to time she returned to the Adamsons.
One day the lioness was taken away by a young male, and her “adoptive parents” breathed a sigh of relief and a bit of sadness: they realized that the predator had finally been able to establish communication with her relatives and would now forget the way home, but after a while Elsa came to them again with three newborn lion cubs.
Joy Adamson dedicated the book “Born Free” to Elsa, based on which a film of the same name was made in 1966.
9. David Greybeard
David went down in history as the chimpanzee with whom the famous British ethologist and primatologist Jane Goodall began her more than 45 years of observation of monkeys in national park Gombe Stream in Tanzania.
Jane actually lived side by side with Greybeard, studying his behavior. Thanks to David (and, of course, Jane), the whole world learned that humans are not the only ones who can create tools, and after seeing him hunting and fishing, Goodall concluded that chimpanzees do not only eat fruits and leaves, as previously thought.
Perhaps the most important merit of Greybeard is that other chimpanzees, looking at the interaction between the scientist and their relative, stopped shunning Jane and allowed her to establish close contact. Based on her observations, Goodall created detailed description the life of a chimpanzee, and her works remain unsurpassed classics in the study of apes. We can say that David, who became the first object of observation of the great scientist, did more for science than some researchers.
10. Lonesome George
The only known member of the Abingdon elephant tortoise (a subspecies of Galapagos tortoises) was often called the world's most famous bachelor. Scientists tried for many years to get offspring from him, but even after George mated with a genetically close partner, the miracle of reviving the species did not happen - the embryos in the eggs laid by the female were not viable.
A huge male, one and a half meters long and weighing about 80 kg, was discovered in 1972 on the island of Abingdon (also known as Pinta) by the Hungarian scientist József Vágvöldi. Not a single animal like George could be found on the island, so after his death on June 24, 2012, Abingdon tortoises are considered extinct. The most famous bachelor, according to some estimates, was about a hundred years old.
11. Dolly
This sheep was destined to change history: born on July 5, 1996, as a result of an experiment by Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell, Dolly became the world's first successfully cloned mammal.
Dolly's birth ended the debate about whether cloning complex living beings was even possible, and the technology used in her conception was subsequently widely used to clone mice, dogs, cats and even horses. Thus, Dolly gave a powerful impetus to the development of medicine and biology, determining their development for many years to come.
Keith Campbell
The sheep lived for 6.5 years, and all this time the attention of the entire world community was riveted on it: in the newspaper headlines of that time, its name appeared almost more often than the names of music and cinema stars. In 2003, Dolly was euthanized and her stuffed animal is on display at the Royal Museum of Scotland. By the way, Dolly also became the first cloned mother in history - she gave birth to six lambs.
12. Punxsutawney Phil
Surely many of you have heard about Groundhog Day (February 2): it is believed that by the behavior of groundhogs on this day one can predict the proximity of the onset of spring. When marmots calmly leave their burrows, this indicates that winter is on its last legs, and if the animals, timidly looking around, hide back, don’t expect warmer weather before six weeks.
The most famous groundhog predictor of all time is Phil, who lives in the city of Punxsutawney (Pennsylvania). Residents of the city claim that only Phil can predict the weather, and all the other groundhogs are wrong. According to legend, the marmot is given a special elixir of longevity, so in 2013 he turned 172 years old (despite the fact that the usual life expectancy of marmots is up to ten years).
Of course, Phil's "longevity" is nothing more than a tourist attraction, but the Punxsutawney people's loyalty to their traditions is respectable. True, once the “long-liver” was almost sentenced to death: a lawyer from Ohio accused the groundhog of “promising” the Americans an early spring, but after Phil left the hole the temperature dropped to -30 °C. American climatologists have calculated that the famous groundhog's forecasts are 39% correct, but many Phil fans give other figures - from 75% to 90%.
13. Whip
The little polar bear cub, born on December 5, 2006, at the Berlin Zoo, was abandoned by its mother immediately after birth, but this family tragedy turned out to be a real gift for the zoo. The news of the “abandoned baby Knut” quickly spread throughout Germany, and crowds of compassionate Germans flocked to Berlin, eager to see the “orphan” with their own eyes and take part in his fate. Children were even named after the bear cub: more than a half boys born in March 2007 in Berlin are named Knut.
Zoo employees raised Knut, and for several years he became a “gold mine” for them: books were written about the famous polar bear, films were made, and toys and souvenirs depicting the bear are still sold in Berlin, although he himself died in 2011 year. After Knut’s death, a monument was erected at the zoo, which immediately became a place of pilgrimage for numerous fans of the animal.
14. Laika
The names of Belka and Strelka are known, without exaggeration, to the whole world. Returning from orbit, they forever entered the history of astronautics, but do not forget that their flight was preceded by several other launches, which were not so successful, but allowed scientists to “work on mistakes” and thus ensured the success of the expedition of the famous couple.
Laika's flight took place on November 3, 1957, almost three years before the launch of Belka and Strelka. The experimental program did not include the return of Laika to Earth, so the scientists knew that the dog was doomed, and in addition to the thirst for space exploration that they experienced while preparing the dog to be sent into space, the researchers probably felt something similar to compassion.
The design of the module was designed for Laika to stay in orbit for a week, but as a result of miscalculations, she died after completing four orbits around the Earth. Soviet Union for a long time kept silent about the details of the incident, and scientists even reported to the whole world about observations of the dog’s physiological indicators, although Laika was already dead by that time.
15. Bubbles
Bubbles (translated from English - “Bubble”) is a chimpanzee who was born in one of the medical laboratories, and for some time served as a scientific experimental animal, but thanks to a happy accident, Michael Jackson learned about him, who bought the animal, and For several years they practically did not separate.
The primate knows firsthand about life with the King of Pop: he took an active part in Jackson’s concerts, accompanied him to parties, where he met the bohemia of the 1980s, and was, according to Michael, one of his few true friends. The singer even intended to transplant human ligaments into the chimpanzee so that he could speak, but he was dissuaded from the idea by scientists who believed that Bubbles would not survive the operation. This unusual friendship was immortalized in 1988 by sculptor Jeff Koons, who created a gilded statue that depicts the King of Pop and his life-size monkey.
When Bubbles grew up and became too aggressive, Michael sent him to the Ape Center in Florida, but called the ape regularly so he could hear his voice. After Jackson's death, his chimpanzee was in the public spotlight for some time, but gradually interest in him subsided. Now Bubbles still lives in Florida and, according to the Center’s staff, really misses his “star” friend.
All people in their right mind love animals, but some animals were so popular or provided such an important service to people that they continue to be remembered fondly long after their death. Here are ten of the most famous animals in history:
10. Chimpanzee Ham
Ham the chimpanzee was the first hominid in space and fortunately this is the story of good ending, unlike the first dog in space, which is mentioned below. The chimpanzee was named after the Holloman Aerospace Medical Center and was one of six monkeys trained to pull levers in response to flashing lights during space flight. Ham was selected by NASA to fly to spaceship Mercury. The journey, which began on January 31, 1961, was short, but he was still able to cover a distance of 250 kilometers in 16.5 minutes. The flight was aborted due to problems with the oxygen supply and Ham was found about three hours after landing and appeared to be unharmed: he even ate an apple and half an orange after being pulled from the rocket. For the next 17 years of his life, Ham lived at the National Zoo in Washington.
9. Lioness Elsa
Elsa the lioness gained worldwide fame after the publication of the book Born Free, written by naturalist Joy Adamson. The beginning of the lion cub's life was not the brightest - her mother was killed by Joy's husband, a huntsman, for safety reasons. Luckily, the Adamsons took Elsa and her brothers with them, later handing over everyone except Elsa to the zoo. The young lioness lived her life as a domesticated pet, but Joy wanted her to live in the wild, gradually accustoming her to the world of nature reserves. Elsa gave birth to three lion cubs, who most likely have fully adapted to life in wildlife, but the lioness herself, unfortunately, died at the young age of five from the disease babesiosis, transmitted by ticks. George Adamson and his staff fired 20 salvos in honor of Elsa during her funeral.
8. Jonathan the Turtle 
Jonathan the tortoise is at least 179 years old and is the oldest animal in the world. This fact is difficult to verify, although the following photograph speaks in its favor. The picture was taken during the Boer Wars in 1900, on the island of St Helena, which is still Jonathan's home. At that time he was at least 50 years old, but could have been 70, so 179 years is his minimum age. Jonathan lives with five other turtles, and although he is already blind in one eye, age has not affected him much. He loves attention and is still alert enough to hit on his younger girlfriends.
7. Mongoose Mr Magoo
On November 15, 1962, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sentenced the tea-drinking, snake-killing mongoose named Mister Magoo to death or deportation to his homeland of India. The story received loud publicity and caused strong disapproval among the population. He came to the zoo from a foreign sailor, but the authorities decided that he should not stay in the country because of the mongoose’s predilection for reproduction. However, Mr. Magoo had no one to breed with and his sentence was deferred. Thousands of people visited the unfortunate animal over one weekend, and authorities received thousands of letters asking them to get rid of the mongoose (due to the possibility that it would escape and the area would be overrun by many of its offspring). In the end, Mr. Magoo lived out the rest of his life eating eggs, drinking tea, and living quietly in the zoo. He died in 1968.
6. Punxsutawney Phil 
The most famous groundhog in the world, Paxutawney Phil (his full name is "Paxatone Phil, Prophet of Prophets, Sage of Wise Men, Seer of Seers, and Weather Foreteller Extraordinaire") has been predicting the weather at Gobbler's Knob since February 2, 1886. Surprisingly, some people believe that Phil is the same groundhog. The average lifespan of these animals is only ten years, so he would have had to use the elixir of immortality with his wife Phyllis to survive to this day. A mysterious group of people called the "Inner Circle" look after the groundhog, and at the fortune telling ceremony they wear top hats and tails. The groundhog-predictor most likely appeared thanks to a German belief, according to which if a groundhog leaves the house for the Presentation of the Lord, sees its shadow and returns home, then winter will continue for at least six more weeks.
5. Sam the Cat 
Unsinkable Sam was an unusual cat who survived three shipwrecks during World War II. The first ship that Sam (then known as Oscar) escaped from was the Bismarck, a German battleship sunk on May 27, 1941: Sam survived while 2,000 people died. He was the only survivor picked up by the British destroyer HMS Cossack - on the new ship he was given the name Oscar. The Cossack was then damaged by a German torpedo that same year. While they were trying to tow the ship to a safe port, an explosion occurred on it, which killed 159 people. Oscar survived this too, after which he was transported to Gibraltar. By that time, he was already called Unsinkable Sam (fortunately, cats do not pay attention to what they are called). The cat was taken with them to the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, which took part in the battle with the cat's first home, Bismarck. The aircraft carrier was also torpedoed, but all but one crew member were saved. Sam was found "angry but not injured" adrift on a piece of wood. Fortunately, Sam remained wary of ships from then on, and died in 1955 in a sailor's home in Belfast.
4. Dove Cher Ami (Cher Ami) 
The US Signal Corps that fought in the battles of France during World War I owed much to the carrier pigeon, Cher Ami. Ami was one of 600 pigeons given by British pigeon breeders to the Americans in France to be trained to act as a postman. Ami flew 12 important missions over the course of several months in 1918, and made his last voyage on October 4, 1918, during the Battle of Argonne.
The signal troops came under artillery fire from the Allied forces and Major Whittlesey sent Cher Ami with a small note on her paw asking for the bombardment to stop. Although the pigeon was wounded in the chest, blind in one eye, and one leg hanging from a piece of skin, it was able to complete its mission and save the lives of 200 soldiers. He was cleaned up after this flight and even had a wooden prosthetic leg made, but he still died about a year after his heroic deed.
3. Morocco Horse
The Dancing Horse of Morocco was so famous in Britain in 1591 that it was immortalized by Shakespeare in Love's Labour's Lost (in which he referred to it as the "dancing horse"). Morocco was able to perform a wide variety of tricks, including counting coins by stomping his hooves, dancing on two or four legs, and bowing to the Queen when necessary. Morocco was also considered psychic as he moved his legs in response to certain questions.
However, this skill almost resulted in the loss of life for both the horse and its owner, William Bankes, when they were accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death. According to legend, the judge was so moved by the horse's kneeling before him to save its owner's life that they were both pardoned. Although little is known about Morocco's life after this point, they most likely lived a comfortable life thanks to the money they earned from the dancing horse's tricks.
2. Jumbo the Elephant
Jumbo was a savannah elephant born in 1861, weighing 6 tons and standing 3.5 meters tall: his name comes from "Jambe", which means "Chief" in Swahili. Jumbo was transported from French Sudan to the zoo at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, and then, at the age of four, he was transported to the London Zoo. By this time he had become aggressive and uncontrollable, so much to the displeasure of the British public he was sold to Phineas Taylor Barnum for $10,000. Queen Victoria received more than 100,000 letters asking her to intervene. However, in Barnum's circus he seemed like a happier elephant. Until he died three years later in an accident at railway.
1. Dog Laika (Laika) 
A young stray dog named Laika, who was found on the streets of Moscow, was the first astronaut dog. Unfortunately, Sputnik 2, in which Laika was launched into orbit, was built on a quick fix, since Nikita Khrushchev wanted to launch satellite for the 40th anniversary October revolution, November 7, 1957. According to the official version, which was supported for many years, Laika died from lack of oxygen six days after the start of the flight (at that time, Soviet engineers did not have the possibility of returning rockets to Earth), but in 2002 the truth was finally revealed: the poor dog died 6-7 hours after the start of the flight from overheating (the satellite did not have a heat shield) and stress. However, the memory of Laika is still alive - a two-meter monument to the heroine dog has been erected on the territory of the Institute of Military Medicine.
We all love animals - no one denies this. However, in addition to searching for pictures of Grumpy Cat or adorable pugs, we use our time on the Internet to search for other animals. In this list, we will tell you which animals are the most searched on Google or the most popular in the US trend since 2014. In addition, we will tell you some interesting facts about them so that you will have something to surprise your friends. So, we present to you the twenty-five most popular animals in Google search.
25. Bison
Despite only being the 129th most searched animal in 2014, the bison made it into the top 10 trending animals last year. The American bison was driven to near extinction by hunting in the 1800s, but has since recovered largely due to the commercial raising of bison for meat.
24. Dolphin
, which are very intellectually developed animals, are also very social - they help sick or injured members of their pack rise to the surface of the water for air and can even change their pack.
23. Eagle
Although the bald eagle is best known to Americans, there are about 60 species of eagles in the world, most of which live in Eurasia and Africa - 44 species. There are only two endemic species in North America - the bald eagle and the golden eagle.
22. Pony
A pony is a small horse, however, contrary to popular belief, it is not a foal or a young horse. Most likely, these horses developed shorter legs, thicker manes, and smaller bone structure due to living at the very edges of areas suitable for horse survival.
21. Great apes
The easiest way to distinguish an ape from a normal monkey is by looking at its backside - apes do not have a tail. Africa's great apes are currently under threat, mainly due to the spread of the Ebola virus.
20. Lobster
At the bottom of the top 20 searched animals on Google is the lobster, which can live up to 70 years. Unlike humans, lobsters do not become weaker with age; on the contrary, they become more fertile.
19. Monkeys
Monkeys can be distinguished from other primates by their tails and dry noses. Capuchin monkeys are sometimes trained as service animals. They learn to help paralyzed people with meals and personal hygiene procedures.
18. Cow
The cow, sacred to followers of Hinduism, is one of the most common domestic animals in the world. It is widely believed that bulls are irritated by the color red, but in reality, cattle do not distinguish between green and red colors. The bulls are enraged by the matador's fluttering cape and therefore rush at him.
17. Deer
Found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica, deer are very widespread. However, there is only one endemic species in Africa - the Barbary deer. With the exception of Chinese water deer, male deer of all species have antlers, and even female reindeer have antlers.
16. Duck
Ducks, feathered birds that inhabit most of the Earth's water bodies, are for the most part monogamous - but only for 1 year. After the chicks grow up, the pair splits up.
15. Rabbit
The rabbit is a particularly Googled animal in North America, as more than half the world's rabbit population lives there. Rabbits differ from hares in size (hares are larger). They have shorter ears than hares and are born furry and with open eyes.
14. Spider
If you suffer from arachnophobia, then you can safely look away. At the moment, science knows more than 43,000 species of spiders, and of all of them, only one is a herbivore.
13. Wolf
Gray wolf differs from other representatives of the canine family in its character and expressive behavior. Dogs and gray wolves descend from the same ancestor that lived in Europe approximately 15,000 years ago. The gray wolf is especially popular on Google: it is one of the most well-studied animals in the world. A huge amount of literature has been written about him.
12. Turkey
Turkey is a common sight on the tables of families in the United States and Canada on Thanksgiving. But in fact, this bird (in English "turkey") was named after the country. Turks have inhabited what is now Turkey since the 1300s. It was through this area that poultry was imported from East Africa to Europe. Europeans who settled in the New World misnamed the bird we know today as turkey, mistaking the guinea fowl for a turkey.
11. Leo
Approximately 10,000 years ago, the global population of lions was much larger, they were the most widespread land mammals on Earth, excluding humans.
10. Pig
The most trending animal of 2014 was the pig, which is also considered a very smart and social animal. IN Lately People are increasingly keeping mini pigs as pets. When it comes to pigs raised for meat, they account for 38 percent of global meat production.
9. Snake
Snakes are often associated with fear, perhaps due to their widespread distribution on every continent except Antarctica, with a few honorable exceptions in Ireland, New Zealand and other islands. Besides the fact that snakes are quite useful animals, there are a lot of interesting facts associated with them, for example, did you know that they only have one lung?
8. Shark
Despite being called one of the most terrifying creatures on Earth, the predator is responsible for far fewer human deaths than other predators - only 4.3 people are killed by sharks each year. More dangerous animals are cows and horses, which kill 20 people a year in the United States alone. (The most searched animal on Google even kills seven times more people every year than the shark).
7. Bird
Since the introduction of Google Trends in 2004, the bird has consistently ranked in the top 10 most searched animals every year (along with six subsequent animals). Today, birds are one of the most widespread animals on Earth. Since the 1600s, nearly 130 bird species have become extinct due to human activity.
6. Bear
The fifth-place animal lover on our list, the bear, prefers a solitary lifestyle and only interacts with members of its own species during mating season or with cubs. Of the eight species of bears, known to science, six are omnivores. In addition, pandas almost exclusively eat bamboo, and polar bears almost exclusively eat meat.
5. Fish
The fish, which was included in our list immediately after the bear, has huge variety species (currently 32,000 different species are known to science). There are more species of fish than any other vertebrate in the world. They also vary greatly in size, from 8mm juveniles to 16m whale sharks (and yes, sharks are fish too).
4. Chicken
Chickens are so extensively farmed for meat that their population exceeds that of any other poultry species. Today, more than 24 billion chickens are raised annually around the world.
3. Horse
The horse, which has been used for war and labor for thousands of years, was originally multi-toed (approximately 50 million years of evolution ago). Most horses are currently domesticated, and even those horses that actually live in the wild and are considered wild are simply feral: their ancestors were domesticated at some point in time and they have since escaped and are living in the wild. The only truly wild species of horse is the Przewalski's horse, a rare and endangered species that was recently reintroduced to the Mongolian steppes.
2. Cat
Despite being the second most searched animal on Google, the cat is the most popular pet on the planet. In addition to being great companions, cats' ability to see in the dark makes them excellent hunters.
1. Dog
First on our list is best friend humans, being the most searched animal on Google. Even though only approximately 17-24 percent of dogs are pets, the global dog population is approximately 1 billion, which means that the dog will never lose its leadership position.
Many people love animals, but some animals were loved so much by their owners or did such extraordinary things that they are remembered fondly long after their death. Here is a selection of the ten most famous animals in history.
1. Chimpanzee Ham
Ham the chimpanzee was the first hominid in space and, fortunately, his story is happier than that of the first astronaut dog, which we will talk about a little later. Named after aerospace medical center Holloman, Ham was one of six monkeys trained to pull levers in response to flashing lights during space shuttle flight.
Ham was selected by NASA and launched into space in a Mercury capsule, his short trip he made it on January 31, 1961 - he managed to cover 250 km in 16.5 minutes. The flight had to be aborted due to oxygen problems, but Ham recovered three hours after the end of the journey - he even ate an apple and half an orange immediately after leaving the capsule. Ham then lived for more than 17 years at the National Zoo in Washington.
2. Lioness Elsa
Elsa the lioness came to public attention after the publication of naturalist Joy Adamson's book Born Free. The little lion cub's life was hard: his mother was killed by a huntsman, and Joy's husband, George, because she attacked him. Fortunately, George took Elsa and the other lion cubs, her brothers and sisters, with him, and went out to send them to zoos.
The young lioness Elsa lived with the Joy family as a pet, but people gradually prepared her to return to her natural habitat. Elsa gave birth to three lion cubs, who fully adapted to life in the wild, but Elsa herself, unfortunately, died at the age of five from a tick-borne disease. George Adamson and his assistants buried Elsa and staged a farewell fireworks display at her grave - 20 gun salvos.
3. Jonathan the Turtle
Jonathan the turtle is at least 179 years old and is the oldest known animal in the world. This is difficult to verify, but there is photographic evidence: the photo was taken during the Boer War in 1900 on the island of St. Helena, where Jonathan still lives. He was at least 50 years old at the time, and possibly as old as 70, so the turtle is now at least 179 years old.
Jonathan enjoys life in the company of five female turtles, and although he is blind in one eye, age does not seem to be a hindrance for him: he loves attention and is still aggressive enough to protect his young compared to him wives from sexy harassment of other males.
4. Mongoose Mr. Magoo
On November 15, 1962, a snake hunter, a mongoose named Mr. Magoo, was taken from the Duluth Zoo by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was sentenced to death or deportation to his homeland of India. The story caused a national scandal. A foreign sailor turned him in to the zoo, but the Service decided that mongooses had no place in the United States.
Ultimately, Mister Magic was given a reprieve. Over one weekend, thousands of people visited the unlucky predator, and many wrote to the authorities, saying that they needed to get rid of the beast: the mongoose could escape and live in a region where it has no natural enemies. In the end, they decided not to kill the mongoose, and he lived the rest of his life in the zoo, eating bird eggs. The mongoose died in 1968.
5. Punxsutawney Phil the Groundhog
The most famous groundhog in the world, Punxsutawney Phil, also known as full name Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages and Greatest Weather Forecaster, has traditionally predicted the weather every year on February 2, Groundhog Day, since 1886. Surprisingly, some people believe that the same groundhog is still doing this to this day. Since these animals live on average only ten years, a groundhog would have to take regular doses of the elixir of life to live for more than a century.
The groundhog is looked after by a mysterious group of people called the "Inner Circle", and at the beginning of the prediction ceremony they bring the groundhog a top hat and tuxedo. Weather forecasting by the groundhog probably comes from a German superstition: if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on February 2nd and sees its shadow, winter will last another six weeks.
6. Sam the Cat
Unsinkable Sam was a wonderful cat who survived three shipwrecks during World War II. The first sinking ship from which Sam (at that time his name was Oscar) managed to escape was the Bismarck, sunk during a naval battle on May 27, 1941. Sam survived, although 2,000 crew members died.
Then the cat ended up on the British battleship Cossack, which was hit by a torpedo and exploded that same year. All 159 crew members died, but the cat survived, swam across Gibraltar and crawled ashore. The cat received the name Unsinkable Sam (fortunately, for cats it does not matter what their names are) and went to the ship Ark Royal, which was also eventually hit by a torpedo, but all the crew members except one were saved. Sam was found “angry but safe,” drifting in the middle of the ocean on a piece of wood. Fortunately, after this the cat was no longer taken on ships, and he lived to old age in a sailor's house in Belfast, where he died of natural causes in 1955.
7. Dove Cher Ami
The US Army owes a lot to the carrier pigeon Cher Ami, who did a lot for the war effort in France during the First World War. During bloody battles British troops kept homing pigeons to exchange important information - there were 600 of these birds in total, and Cher Ami was one of them. He delivered 12 important messages for several months in 1918, and made its last flight on the afternoon of October 4, 1918, during the Battle of Argonne.
The corps of troops were under fire and Major Whittlesey sent Cher Ami with a small note tied to his paw. Seriously wounded in the chest, blind in one eye and with one leg shot off, the bird managed to fly to its destination and thereby save the lives of 200 people. After this flight, the pigeon was cured and even given a wooden prosthesis to replace the lost paw, but he died less than a year later.
8. Horse of Morocco
The Dancing Horse of Morocco was so famous in 1591 in the United Kingdom that it was immortalized by Shakespeare in Love's Labour's Lost, in which the playwright referenced the dancing horse. The horse could do many things, including counting coins by stomping its hooves, dancing on two or four legs, and bowing to the queen when needed. The horse was also believed to be psychic because it moved its legs in a special way in response to certain questions.
This skill, however, nearly cost the horse and its owner, William Banks, their lives when they were accused of witchcraft, found guilty, and sentenced to death. But, apparently, the judge changed his mind when the horse knelt before him, asking for the life of its owner, and pardoned both. About them later life little is known, but, apparently, they lived comfortably on the income received from previous performances.
9. Jumbo the Elephant
Jumbo was born in 1861. While still a baby elephant, he was taken from French Sudan to the Paris Zoo, and at four years old he was transported from there to the London Zoo. When he became grumpy and uncontrollable, Jumbo was sold to R. T. Barnum's circus for $10,000, to the horror of the British public. Queen Victoria received more than 100 thousand letters asking her to be involved in the incident. But the elephant seemed quite happy at Barnum's circus until he died from a horrific injury sustained in a train explosion three years later.
10. Laika the dog
A young stray dog named Laika, a stray from the streets of Moscow, was destined to become the first astronaut dog. Unfortunately, Sputnik 2, in which Laika was sent into orbit, did not pass all the necessary tests, since USSR President Nikita Khrushchev wanted to launch the satellite on the day of the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution - November 7, 1957.
According to the official version, Laika died from lack of oxygen six days after the start of the journey, but in 2002 it became known that the poor thing lasted only six or seven hours, after which she died from overheating and stress, but a monument to the little dog was erected in Star City .
Animals that are close to people have left a noticeable mark on history. Starting from the same Serpent, Roman geese and she-wolf to the favorites of rulers and military assistants. Nowadays, the use of pets to improve the climate in offices and to treat many diseases in people is becoming increasingly popular. After all, the very presence of a dog or cat gives a person confidence, calms him down, and gives him a feeling of security. And now some interesting facts about man's most famous friends.
1. Bucephalus
The name Bucephalus is firmly entrenched in ancient history. This famous horse was the constant companion of Alexander the Great.
The heroes first met at the court of Philip II, ruler of Macedonia and father of Alexander. The horse, believed to be an Akhal-Teke breed, was brought by the merchant Philonik. Bucephalus was valued at 13 talents, which amounted to about 340 kilograms of silver and would have allowed him to support 1.5 thousand warriors. The price for an eleven-year-old turned out to be too high for Philip, especially since the horse was nervous and wayward. But ten-year-old Alexander liked the animal, and he offered the merchant a deal. If he can tame the horse, he will take the animal for free; if he cannot, he will pay in full.
Alexander noticed that the horse was afraid of shadows on the ground, and therefore the first thing he did was turn it directly with its muzzle towards the sun. They started jogging just next to each other, when the horse calmed down, the boy jumped into the saddle. At first he let the horse run on its own, and when he noticed that he had become accustomed to the rider, he began to urge him on. So they broke into a gallop under the wary gaze of the king and the court.
But Alexander first calmly began to try the reins, and then everything more confident than the rules Bucephalus. And after a clear turn, they proudly drove up to Philip and Philonicus. It was to this incident that Philip’s phrase about the future of Alexander is attributed.
Since then, the horse and the conqueror have become inseparable. In all his campaigns, Alexander did not part with Bucephalus; he saved his rider more than once, and carried him out of the most terrible slaughters. But age took its toll; during his campaigns in Asia, Alexander already went to battle on other horses. And after 17 years, when Bucephalus reached a very respectable age for a horse, in 326 he passed away. It is not known exactly how Bucephalus died - he died in battle, died from wounds afterwards, or simply from age and difficult traveling conditions. But in the name famous animal Alexander founded and named the city, which is now known as Jalalpur (Pakistan).
2. Harietta
In 1835, while traveling on the Beagle, Charles Darwin visited Galapagos Islands. In addition to all other impressions, the naturalist took from there three small, saucer-sized elephant turtles. Judging by their size, they were 5-6 years old. On the way to Great Britain, our heroine was considered a boy and named Harry.
After 6 years, the turtles moved to Brisbane botanical garden Australia. They lived there until the garden was closed in 1952. After this, the turtles were released into the wild in a nature reserve on the coast. In 1960, Harry was found by a zoo director from Hawaii. It is he who has the honor of accurately establishing the sex of the animal, and now she has turned into Harietta.
Harietta moved to the Australia Zoo. Her documents were lost almost 40 years ago, but in 1992 a genetic examination was carried out. It was then confirmed that the tortoise was from the Galapagos Islands and was indeed at least 162 years old.
In 2005, Garietta's 175th birthday was solemnly celebrated. By that time she was the size of a small table and weighed 150 kg, interesting fact
- The birthday girl received a pink hibiscus cake. Unfortunately, it was her last birthday - she soon died of heart failure.
3. Chico
Chico is a literary image of a cat. From his point of view, the biography of Pope Benedict XVI is told in the children's story “Joseph and Chico” by Gianni Perego. The 2007 book about the life of Joseph Ratzinger, who eventually became Pope, features the cat Chico.
Chico also had a real prototype - the neighbor's ginger cat. She loved to visit Joseph during his life in Pentling, Germany, which Ratzinger left in 1981. After his departure to Rome, the cat often visited the empty house, with the hope of meeting her friend there...
4. Zemira
In the late 60s of the 18th century, the English Baron Dimmesdale, after staying in Russia and being vaccinated against smallpox, gave Empress Catherine II a pair of Italian greyhounds Sir Tom Anderson and Duchess. Since then, the dogs have firmly entered the heart of the ruler. The ancestor himself lived for 16 years; the empress gave his descendants to best houses Moscow, St. Petersburg, gave to foreign rulers.
One of the most beloved dogs was Zemira, named after the heroine of the opera based on the plot of Beauty and the Beast. Zemira was born in 1777 just during the premiere.
The entire dog family accompanied the empress on walks, a special page looked after them, and a special doctor was responsible for treating the dogs. The dogs slept in a pink satin cradle in the bedroom of Catherine II.
Zemira lived only 6 years; her death greatly upset her owner. All the beloved imperial dogs, including Zemira, are buried in Catherine Park under a marble tombstone in the form of an Egyptian pyramid.
There are others no less
