Remember, as a child, we sang a song: "Where did the baobabs come to the slope, a pink elephant lived in a meadow?" So: as a young man, we showed extraordinary sagacity, because pink elephants are not fiction. Like the pink dolphin, blue-eyed lion, white crow. All of them really exist in nature and feel quite normal, despite the unusual color.
WHITE LION WITH BLUE EYES
In ancient times, a certain tribe lived in the eastern part of the Transvaal, headed by the elderly Queen Numbi. Once a spherical luminous cloud descended on the village, from the depths of which a voice sounded inviting Numbi to enter it. The brave woman did just that. After some time, she returned, already a young and beautiful girl, but at the same time retaining all her knowledge and life experience. Since then, the luminous cloud in the Transvaal has been seen more than once or twice. But since it did not invite anyone else to its place, people were embarrassed to disturb its peace with visits. But the local lions did not know the ceremonies, so they easily entered the cloud ball and left it without hindrance. And soon the lionesses began to bring unusual offspring - white lion cubs with cornflower blue eyes.
One of the African legends explains the appearance of this miracle of nature - the white lion. True, another claims that white lions were sent to Earth to teach people how to deal with troubles and diseases. And as long as they exist, there will be less grief on our planet.
White lions would have remained a beautiful African fairy tale if it were not for two curious Americans who in 1975 went in search of them. Enthusiasts have discovered a family of common lions, in which three snow-white babies have just been born. To save rare animals from the dangers in the wild, travelers took them from their parents and handed them over to the zoo. Perhaps thanks to this, about 300 handsome white men now live in the world.
Scientists managed to find out that these animals are not albinos. White fur and blue eyes are the result of a harmless genetic disorder: leukism. There is, however, another point of view, according to which this is not a deviation, but a kind of memory of ancestors: the dazzling white color went to the lions from their ancestors who lived in the ice age. Then white served them as an excellent disguise. In the current conditions, it is difficult for a white lion to hunt, moreover, it can become an easy prey for poachers. By the way, until recently in South Africa hunting for an ordinary lion cost 20-40 thousand dollars, and for a white one - 140 thousand. Now they are listed in the Red Book, and their shooting is strictly prohibited.
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PINK ELEPHANT
If you believe Jack London, then in a state of extreme intoxication, a person sees pink elephants or blue mice. In Russia they say that squirrels or green devils "come" to drunkards. The latter are not known to science: so far no one in their right mind and sober memory has seen them. But scientists are familiar with pink elephants. They are found in nature. In some places, even in abundance.
For example, in Burma it is difficult to surprise with these animals. In the capital's zoo live an elephant with a baby elephant, which outwardly looks quite normal. Unless their skin is not entirely gray, but light brown. But when, to the delight of the visitors, the zoo caretaker pours water on the family from a hose, before the eyes of people, the elephants turn … pink. Not only elephant skin acquires pink color, but also rare body hairs and nails.
In Burma, Laos and Thailand, pink elephants are called white. There is a belief that five white elephants bring good luck. More recently, another such elephant has appeared at the Burma Zoo. It remains to get a couple more - and all the troubles of the Burmese will be removed as if by hand. Fortunately, these animals live not only in zoos, but also in the wild. Most of them live in Asia. And in Africa, in Botswana, in 2009 the first pink elephant was found, whose appearance was officially recorded. Scientists believe that with such a color it will be quite difficult for him to survive in natural conditions. The African sun burns skin devoid of pigment and blinds the eyes. But if he learns to find shady places or smear himself with mud, then it is quite possible that he will be able to adapt to the harsh realities.
DIVO AMAZON
When it comes to dolphins, we imagine the bodies of these animals, gray, shiny with water. But in the Amazon live … pink dolphins, they are called bouto, or ini. Their very existence in a fresh water body is amazing. Some biologists believe that 15 million years ago, many parts of South America were covered with salt water. Over time, the sea receded, and the dolphins remained in their usual habitat - but only in fresh water bodies.
The pink color of the bowto is not the only difference from their congeners. Adults weigh about 200 kg with a body length of 2.5 m. Instead of the usual beak-shaped mouth for dolphins, the bowto has a leathery snout resembling a sting. This device helps them dig up crustaceans, hunt fish entangled in branches, or steal catch from fishermen's nets. Another amazing feature of the yogas is that their cervical vertebrae are not fused. Therefore, they can turn their head 90 degrees. Their eyes are very small, as the animals are guided by echolocation.
For scientists, pink dolphins are still a mystery. Due to their natural aggressiveness, they practically do not lend themselves to training. Nevertheless, their position in the system of the organic world is known - they belong to the suborder of toothed whales.
Rines acquire their unique color as they grow older. Some bowtos don't even grow pink, but blue. Why? No one knows. But, for example, the English biologist Tony Martin believes that males acquire pink color due to the large number of wounds on their bodies. During the mating season, fights between dolphins are life and death. They can bite off the opponent's jaw, tail, fin. But it is the pink males that the females give preference to.
Unfortunately, pink Amazonian dolphins are on the brink of extinction. Fishermen use their meat for bait. In addition, the bowos become entangled in the nets and, unable to escape, suffocate. It remains to be hoped that after they are listed in the Red Book, the attitude towards these rare animals will become more careful.
WHITE CROWS
“White crows” are usually called people who stand out in some way against the background of the general mass. The expression came from the ancient Roman poet Juvenal, who said: “A slave can go to the king, captives - to wait for triumph. Only such a lucky man is more rare than a white crow. However, the white crow itself is a rarity. I must say that among the black brothers, the albino bird has a hard time. She has nothing to attract marriage partners, since for them she is pale and invisible. A correctly colored mother most often refuses to feed white chicks if they appear in her nest. In addition, albinos are vulnerable to predators and have poor hearing and vision. Therefore, they die very early.
PURPLE PROTEIN
Another interesting animal has been spotted in Pennsylvania. The purple squirrel has fallen into a rodent trap set up by the Emerts. Squirrels were often caught in it, and the Emerts always set them free. When they found the purple squirrel, their first thought was - imagining. But, taking the animal in their hands, they were convinced of its unusual color and hastened to tell the world about it. Skeptics immediately "understood" what was the matter: the Emerts simply dyed the squirrel to attract attention to themselves, or else she herself got dirty somewhere in the paint. But the biologist Eric Stewart, who specializes in the study of these rodents, dissuaded the spiteful critics. He made out the gray hairs in the animal's fur. This means that no one painted it on purpose. According to the specialist, an unusual mutation most likely took place here.
Galina BELYSHEVA