Harvestmen (Opiliones) are arachnids, but unlike spiders, they are not venomous and cannot spin webs. They are harmless to humans.

When sensing danger, a harvestman tries to escape with its eight legs. Despite having flexible, long legs (about 5-6 cm on average, or 10 times longer than their body), they don't always succeed in running away. If someone manages to grab one of their legs, it's not the end - they will discard that limb and continue on with the remaining ones. The wound heals quickly, but the detached leg will continue to twitch for several minutes, resembling the movement of a scythe and distracting the predator. That's why they are called harvestmen, as well as grass cutters, long-legs, and other folk names.

Harvestmen are active at night and rest during the day, sometimes gathering in large groups like this. Together, they emit a strong unpleasant odor that repels animals. In dry weather, by clustering together like this, harvestmen maintain the vital moist microclimat

In the tropical forests of Ecuador, there is a creature that resembles a hybrid of a spider and a werewolf. In English, this strange animal is called the "bunny harvestman" (bunny harvestman), and scientifically - Metagryne bicolumnata.

Its real eyes are not the bright yellow circles on its back, but shiny black balls on the nose of the "muzzle". Without scale, it seems like a real arachnophobe's nightmare, but in reality, the size of the disaster does not exceed the size of a thumbnail (if you count only the body).

Despite popular belief, the bunny harvestman does not have venom glands and is absolutely harmless to humans. But this does not prevent it from being a terrible predator for small invertebrates, such as flatworms, nematodes, annelids, etc. This makes the harvestmen excellent sanitation workers. The fact is that in addition to hunting, they also pick up the remains of all kinds of dead organic matter.

🕷️ Meet the six-eyed sand spider, resembling a crab due to its flat body and curved pedipalps.
Its scientific name, Sicarius, means "murderer" in Latin.
Despite its powerful cryotoxin venom, it's a shy creature, with only 2 recorded human deaths.
Considered "living fossils", they've remained unchanged since the Gondwana supercontinent era, over 100 million years ago 🌎💀

🦊 The Aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) is an African mammal of the hyena family, not canine, despite its name.
It's smaller than the striped hyena, with a body length of 55-95 cm and weighing 8-14 kg.
🐜 It feeds on termites, using its sticky tongue to gather them, and occasionally eats small rodents and birds.
🌞 During the day, it rests in burrows, often taken over from other animals. 🐾

🐯 The clouded leopard is not a relative of true leopards, it's smaller, similar in size to a lynx.
🌳 They feed on monkeys, birds, and even deer, with huge canines, the largest among all felines!
🚨 Only 10,000 remain in the wild, a endangered species found in Southeast Asia. 🐾

🦔 Porcupines are large rodents, with some species reaching up to 27 kg in weight and 90 cm in length.
They have two types of quills: long, flexible ones (up to 40 cm) and shorter, thicker ones (15-30 cm).
🔊 They make noise when threatened, grunting and puffing.

The Northernmost Cat 🐱
The lynx is the only cat living in the Arctic Circle. Its fur is the warmest and fluffiest, helping it survive harsh conditions ❄️.
Its luxurious coat keeps it cozy in the coldest regions 🌎.

🐨 The tree kangaroo lives in tropical forests of New Guinea.
It has a short snout, round ears, and large claws for climbing.
They jump 9m between trees and drop 18m to the ground! 🌳
Nocturnal, they eat leaves and fruits, and live up to 20 years. 🌟

🦎 The frill-necked lizard, Chlamydosaurus kingii, has a unique appearance due to its large, ruff-like skin fold around its head.
Its total length is 80-100 cm, with two-thirds being its tail.
🌴 It lives in northwest Australia and southern New Guinea.
The "frill" serves as a defense and communication tool, supported by cartilaginous protrusions. 🌟 When threatened, it fans out its frill, which turns bright red or orange due to its many blood vessels.

🦀 Every November or December, millions of red crabs migrate from the island's central forests to the Indian Ocean coast to breed.
🌊 For 18 days, roads, sidewalks, and tunnels are closed as 120 million crabs create a "red carpet" to reach the coast.
🌴 After mating, females release eggs into the ocean, and the larvae develop into young crabs, starting their journey back into the island. 🌊

🕷️ Amazing video!
A jumping spider hunts an orchid mantis, but retreats after seeing its kung-fu skills 🥋.
Interestingly, mantises are known for their speed and agility, making them formidable predators 🐜.
The orchid mantis is also a master of disguise, mimicking flowers to catch prey 🌼.

The rusty-spotted cat, one of the smallest cats in the world 🐱, explores its forest home in Sri Lanka.
It's the smallest feline in Asia, found only in India and Sri Lanka. With fewer than 10,000 adults, this species is endangered 🌳.
They weigh just 0.9-1.6 kg and are 35-48 cm long 🐾.

Watch as Sumatran orangutans communicate with tourists! 🐒💬
They're the largest tree-dwelling apes, with males reaching 1.5m tall and 50-100kg. 🌳
Orangutans live in rainforests, spending most of their lives in trees, using their long arms to move around. 🌴
They're so adapted to tree life that they even drink water from leaves! 💧

🌳 Ringtail possums live in Australia and New Guinea, leading a mainly arboreal life. They are herbivores, feeding on leaves.
🐨 A study tracked 20 radio-tagged possums, showing they survived in an Australian city, finding all they needed.
🌟 This gives hope for the survival of endangered possums near humans. 🐨💚

🐻 The Indian sloth bear, Melursus ursinus, is distinct from other bears due to its unique appearance and lifestyle.
It has a long, movable snout and bare lips that can protrude, forming a trunk-like feature.
Its shaggy coat and V-shaped chest marking make it easily recognizable.
This bear has adapted to eat ants and termites, unlike other bears, and its curved claws are perfect for climbing and breaking termite mounds 🌳💪

The Sulawesi macaque 🐒, also known as the crested black macaque, is native to Indonesia's Sulawesi island. Locals call it "yaki" or "macaque-mag".
It has a distinctive crest on its head and a short tail.
They live in groups of 5-25 in highlands, feeding on leaves, fruits, and even snakes 🐍.
Unfortunately, they are hunted for their meat and due to crop damage 🌾.

🏔️ The Alpine ibex reaches 150 cm in length and 90 cm in height. Males weigh up to 100 kg, females around 40 kg.
🦌 Males have impressive curved horns up to 1 m long, while females have short, slightly curved horns.
🌄 They inhabit the Alps at high altitudes, and can climb up to 3500 m. Today, there are 30-40 thousand ibex in the Alps, saved from extinction in the 19th century 🙏

🐿️ The American ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) inhabits tundra meadows and steppes.
🌡️ They hibernate from August to September, and emerge in April-May, even in -40 °C temperatures! 🥶

Meet the Persian horned viper, a snake that mimics a spider to catch birds 🕷️🐍!
It has a "spider-like" tail that lures birds in.
This unique tail grows after birth and is fully formed in adulthood.
Interestingly, adult snakes only hunt migratory birds, as local birds may be aware of their tricks 🐦💡

The Blue-winged Traupis 🐦 lives in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeast Argentina.
It visits farmlands, gardens, and adapts to urban areas with many trees and fruit 🌳.
This bird eats flowers, buds, and insects, making it one of the most common urban birds in southeast Brazil 🌴.

🦆 The Mandarin duck is a symbol of marital fidelity and family happiness.
In China, figurines of these ducks are placed under a girl's pillow if she's taking too long to get married.
They got their name from Chinese mandarins, as officials loved to dress up, and the drake's plumage resembles their colorful robes 🌟