What is depicted on the facade of the Moscow State University Zoological Museum. Zoological Museum of Moscow State University

Zoological Museum The Zoological Museum was founded on the basis of the collections of the Zoological Cabinet of the Kunstkamera in 1832 and until the end of the 19th century was located in a building adjacent to the academic center. Then he moved to a new building provided to him on the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island in 1901, where he remains to this day. In 1896, it was transferred to the southern warehouse of the Exchange (built in the years under the direction of the architect I.F. Luchini), where the “exhibition hall” was located - the first room in Russia specially equipped for exhibitions. The museum is still located here today. In 1930, the museum was transformed into the Zoological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, which still exists today on the basis of the museum’s huge zoological collections. The museum itself is the exhibition department of the institute and at the same time it is one of the largest zoological museums in the world (animals, stuffed animals and skeletons of many rare and extinct animals, blue corals, etc.). Exhibition area sq.m., where exhibits are displayed. The collections of animals of the Palaearctic, especially Central Asia, and the mammoth fauna (including the mammoths themselves) are unique. Skeletons and fragments of bodies preserved in permafrost are on display. The exhibitions include many dioramas representing animals in natural conditions.

In particular, here you can see the skeleton of Steller's cow. The size of the animal is amazing: 10 meters in length and about 2 meters in volume. The animal was first discovered in 1740 by the expedition of Vitus Bering off the coast of the Commander Islands. An amazing marine mammal was sketched and described by a member of the expedition, scientist Georg Steller, after whom the sea cow was named. Thirty years after the discovery of Steller's cow, it was completely destroyed and disappeared as a species. Mammoths are also on display. These extinct animals were very similar to modern elephants with some exceptions: they lived in a cold climate and were covered with hair. In addition, mammoth tusks were more massive and heavier than those of elephants, and had a more complex shape and structure. Mammoths lived during the Ice Age and not just somewhere in Africa, but in Europe, including in Russia. In August 1900, the first mammoth corpse was discovered near the Berezovka River. And in 1977, the corpse of a baby mammoth was found near the Kirgilyakh stream, which was given the name Dima. It was found that the baby mammoth had eaten well before his death. In his stomach, scientists found grass and tree branches - the remains of his last meal. Dima was successfully transported to the Zoological Museum of St. Petersburg, where he is now kept. In particular, here you can see the skeleton of Steller's cow. The size of the animal is amazing: 10 meters in length and about 2 meters in volume. The animal was first discovered in 1740 by the expedition of Vitus Bering off the coast of the Commander Islands. An amazing marine mammal was sketched and described by a member of the expedition, scientist Georg Steller, after whom the sea cow was named. Thirty years after the discovery of Steller's cow, it was completely destroyed and disappeared as a species. Mammoths are also on display. These extinct animals were very similar to modern elephants with some exceptions: they lived in a cold climate and were covered with hair. In addition, mammoth tusks were more massive and heavier than those of elephants, and had a more complex shape and structure. Mammoths lived during the Ice Age and not just somewhere in Africa, but in Europe, including in Russia. In August 1900, the first mammoth corpse was discovered near the Berezovka River. And in 1977, the corpse of a baby mammoth was found near the Kirgilyakh stream, which was given the name Dima. It was found that the baby mammoth had eaten well before his death. In his stomach, scientists found grass and tree branches - the remains of his last meal. Dima was successfully transported to the Zoological Museum of St. Petersburg, where he is now kept.

History of the Zoological Museum The Zoological Museum of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the oldest museums in Russia. The history of the museum is connected with the Kunstkamera - the first museum in Russia, created by Peter I in 1714. The Zoological Museum of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the oldest museums in Russia. The history of the museum is connected with the Kunstkamera - the first museum in Russia, created by Peter I in 1714. In 1832, on the basis of the zoological collections of the Kunstkamera, the independent Zoological Museum of the Imperial Academy of Sciences arose. This year is considered the year of its foundation. Later, in 1930, the Museum was transformed into the Zoological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, now the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The Zoological Museum of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the largest zoological museums in the world and in our country. Currently, the museum exhibition occupies most of the second floor of the vast building of the Zoological Institute, as well as the choir room in the first hall. About 30 thousand specimens of animals from all regions of the globe are exhibited here, and the total exhibition area is 6 thousand square meters. m. The museum is the exhibition department of the Institute. The Zoological Museum of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the largest zoological museums in the world and in our country. Currently, the museum exhibition occupies most of the second floor of the vast building of the Zoological Institute, as well as the choir room in the first hall. About 30 thousand specimens of animals from all regions of the globe are exhibited here, and the total exhibition area is 6 thousand square meters. m. The museum is the exhibition department of the Institute.

The modern Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and its museum are one of the world's largest repositories of animals. The institute's scientific funds total about 50 million units. storage The division of the Museum’s collections, and then the Institute’s, into exhibition and stock collections was made more than a hundred years ago and continues to this day. The modern Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and its museum are one of the world's largest repositories of animals. The institute's scientific funds total about 50 million units. storage The division of the Museum’s collections, and then the Institute’s, into exhibition and stock collections was made more than a hundred years ago and continues to this day.

At first, the Museum occupied premises in the Museum wing of the academy. The rapid growth of the Museum's collections required new spacious premises. It was granted in 1893. The Museum, and subsequently the Institute, is still located in this building near the Palace Bridge.

The history of the building has many interesting pages that preceded the appearance of the Museum here. Remodeling it for the needs of the Museum, moving collections and creating a new exhibition required a lot of money and effort. Only 7 years later, on February 6/19, 1901, in the presence of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, numerous members of the reigning family and government officials, the Museum was reopened to visitors.

New collections were constantly arriving at the Museum. Replenishment came from three main sources - expeditions of Russian scientists, gifts from individuals from all over Russia and from abroad, and through purchases and exchanges. When placing the exhibition in the new building, much attention was paid to the creation of so-called biological groups - showcases where animals were shown in their natural environment. This museum innovation significantly increased the educational value of the exhibitions.

From the very first days of the Museum's existence to the present, a significant part of the incoming materials was made in the form of stuffed animals for the purpose of exhibiting them in the Museum. Wonderful masters of their craft worked on this, creating the St. Petersburg school of taxidermy, the leading one in Russia. Currently, the museum has its own taxidermy workshop.

The Zoological Museum is the largest center of zoological and environmental education in the North-West region of Russia. The excursions conducted by the Museum's staff of guides cover all modern problems of zoology and are designed for visitors of almost any age and background, from kindergarten children to students of specialized biological and medical institutes. About 500 thousand people visit the museum annually.

Museum exhibition Currently, the museum exhibition occupies most of the second floor of the vast building of the Zoological Institute, as well as the choirs in the first hall. The number of exhibits on display exceeds, and the total exhibition area is sq. m. Currently, the museum exhibition occupies most of the second floor of the vast building of the Zoological Institute, as well as the choir in the first hall. The number of exhibits on display exceeds, and the total exhibition area is sq. m. The main principle of building the exhibition is the demonstration of animals in accordance with a modern scientifically based system. It is complemented by displaying animals in a natural setting. The main principle of building the exhibition is to demonstrate animals in accordance with a modern scientifically based system. It is complemented by displaying animals in a natural setting. Biological groups and dioramas in the birds and mammals section demonstrate the inhabitants of the main biogeographic zones of Eurasia, and the invertebrates section reflects the diversity of natural zones of the World Ocean from tropical to subpolar regions. Biological groups and dioramas in the birds and mammals section demonstrate the inhabitants of the main biogeographic zones of Eurasia, and the invertebrates section reflects the diversity of natural zones of the World Ocean from tropical to subpolar regions. One of the museum's exhibitions is dedicated to the recent geological past of the Earth and demonstrates fossil animals - mammoths and mammoth fauna. One of the museum's exhibitions is dedicated to the recent geological past of the Earth and demonstrates fossil animals - mammoths and mammoth fauna.

The systematic collection of invertebrates contains many rare exhibits. One of these wonders is the longest giant “Sea Pen”, 2.6 m long, obtained by the drifting station “North Pole-6”. The museum has a collection of tridacna, among which there is the shell of the unique Rosewater tridacna (Fig.), described by the staff of our institute in 1991 and known only from one single place - the Sail de Malha Bank in the western Indian Ocean.

Insects This most numerous class of the animal world is represented by more than exhibits located in the choirs of the first hall of the Museum and representing all orders of insects. The collections of tropical butterflies, beetles and grasshoppers attract special attention from visitors with their bright colors and large sizes.

Fishes The collection of fishes and fishes is located in the first half of the second hall on the left side and in its center. There are 720 species of fish from the globe represented here. The collection of fish-like creatures and fishes is located in the first half of the second hall on the left side and in its center. There are 720 species of fish from the globe represented here. The collections of sharks, rays, sturgeon and salmon are especially well represented.

Amphibians and Reptiles Exhibits representing more than 500 species of these classes of vertebrates occupy the central part of the left side and middle of the second hall. Exhibits representing more than 500 species of these classes of vertebrates occupy the central part of the left side and middle of the second hall. Class Amphibians (amphibians) Representatives of this class are four-legged animals from the anamnia group, body temperature is variable, skin is bare, with a large number of glands. There are internal nostrils of the choanae. The middle ear has one auditory ossicle. The cervical and sacral spine are formed by one vertebra. Amphibians have a three-chambered heart with two circulation circles. Fertilization occurs in water, and the larvae also develop in water. The class accommodates about species. Orders of amphibians: Tailless (frog) Tailed (newt, salamander) Legless (caecilian) The habitat of amphibians is located on the border between water and land. Their skin is bare and moist with glands that secrete mucus. Mucus has bactericidal properties, and also contains irritating substances, which, due to their properties, repel amphibian predators. Constantly moisturizing the skin is necessary for breathing, since amphibians suffocate the entire surface. For example, the ratio of the lengths of capillaries of the skin and lungs in a newt is 4:1, and in a toad it is 1:3.

Reptiles Reptiles are terrestrial animals with variable body temperatures. Reptiles have a well-defined neck, dry skin with keratinized epidermis, and no glands. The thoracic spine contains ribs that form the rib cage. The cortex appears in the cerebral hemispheres. The heart is 3-chambered with an incomplete septum in the ventricle. The excretory organs are the pelvic kidneys. Fertilization is internal. The class contains about species. Subclasses of reptiles: Lizards (beak-headed) Scaly turtles Crocodiles General skeleton (crocodile) Komodo dragon

Birds The exhibition dedicated to birds is located in the last third of the second hall, and its entire right side and central part is occupied by biogroups showing the life of birds in a wide variety of conditions - in the European, Siberian and Far Eastern taiga, in the semi-desert and on the sea coast, in the tundra, in the mountains and on lakes. The exhibition dedicated to birds is located in the last third of the second hall, and its entire right side and central part is occupied by biogroups showing the life of birds in a wide variety of conditions - in the European, Siberian and Far Eastern taiga, in the semi-desert and on the sea coast, in the tundra, in mountains and lakes.

The systematic collection (left side of the hall) represents all existing orders of birds. Of particular interest here are the collections of birds of prey, waders, hummingbirds, parrots, woodpeckers, pigeons and passerines. Bird class Birds are warm-blooded animals adapted for flight. The forelimbs are modified into wings, the body is covered with feathers. The cerebellum and cerebral hemispheres are well developed, there is a cortex. The heart is 4-chambered, with a right aortic arch. The lungs are connected to the air sac system. Birds reproduce by laying eggs. The class contains about species. Superorders of birds: Keel-breasted Ratite Penguins The body shape of birds is streamlined, adapted for flight. Almost all systems are adapted for flight. The size of birds varies slightly. The largest flying birds are the condor (wingspan reaches 2.5 m), the smallest are hummingbirds (body length 5 cm). In our fauna, the smallest bird is the wren. Body coverings and their modifications: feathers are a modification of the epidermis. The feather is a horny hollow rod that has a fan (horny beards). This feather system ensures air impermeability of the bird's body cover, which allows it to rely on air. Feathers change regularly, and molting occurs between feeding periods.

Mammals Collections of mammals occupy part I and the entire III halls of the museum. In Hall I, skeletons and stuffed animals of cetaceans and pinnipeds are exhibited; the exhibition in Hall III presents the remaining orders of this class. There are also more than 90 biological groups showing animals in their natural habitat.

The exhibition of mammoth fauna, collections of Przhevalsky, Langsdorff, Voznesensky, as well as superbly executed biological groups of Amur tigers, saigas, giraffes and lions enjoy constant attention. Mammals are warm-blooded animals covered with hair. Mammals have a well-defined head with an external ear, neck, torso, and tail. The skin has sebaceous and sweat glands, the muscles are well differentiated. There is a diaphragm - a flat muscular partition between the lungs and other internal organs. The teeth are differentiated into incisors, canines and molars. The lungs have an alveolar structure. The heart is 4 chambered with a left aortic arch. Mammals give birth to live young, and females feed their offspring with their milk. Mammals are higher vertebrates. Signs of a complex organization: High development of the central nervous system and sensory organs, due to which they are distinguished by complex behavior. The heart is divided into left and right parts, which allows the arterial system to carry pure arterial blood. Females have a hollow organ called the uterus, which allows them to carry a baby for a long time and give birth to it alive. The presence of mammary glands allows them to feed their young after birth. Mammals are the pinnacle of the evolution of animal development, they are ubiquitous, the organ system works perfectly as a whole. The class contains about species. Subclasses: Oviparous (cloacal, monotreme) Marsupial Placental The size of mammals varies significantly. The smallest animal is the tiny shrew, body approximately 2 cm, weight 2.5 g. The largest mammal is the blue whale, whose body reaches 33 m and weighs 150 tons. Mammalian skin consists of epidermis and dermis, as well as subcutaneous fat.

Rare and endangered animals All sections of the exhibition feature so-called “Red Book” species, that is, those animals whose existence is currently under threat. All sections of the exhibition present the so-called “Red Book” species, that is, those animals whose existence is currently under threat. Some of them are included in the Red Book of the World, some - in national or regional Red Books.

Here are rare species of fish (Amu Darya and Syrdarya shovelnose), and the giant Japanese salamander, and the famous hatteria, the last surviving representative of the once vast order of beak-headed reptiles, the Japanese ibis and the Californian condor, Amur tigers, okapi and many others.

Extinct animals Exhibits representing extinct animals are unique because they will never be obtained again. Undoubtedly, the first place among them is occupied by the world-famous collection of our Museum, which includes the remains of mammoths and other animals of the mammoth fauna, preserved in the permafrost of the Eurasian North. Here you can see the world’s only stuffed adult mammoth (Berezovsky mammoth), mummies of two mammoths, heads of woolly rhinoceroses, limbs and skulls of ancient bison, horses, the skeleton of a cave bear...

Do you know that in Moscow there is a house on which “our everything” - Pushkin, Gogol and Tolstoy - are depicted in an ambiguous and... um... frivolous environment? This house is known to many who walk the Arbat lanes, but few people peer at the crumbling bas-reliefs. I didn’t look closely until I learned interesting details.
House 4/5 on Plotnikov Lane was built for the homeowner G.E. Broido according to the design of the architect N.I. Zherikhov, in 1907. The author of the sculptures is presumably L. S. Sinaev-Bernstein.
According to one version, the sculptor was commissioned to display the frieze “Parnassus” for the Museum of Fine Arts on Volkhonka. It originally depicted a procession of 50 figures, including writers, artists and scientists from different countries. They were heading towards Apollo, who was distributing wreaths of glory. Among them were Russian writers, depicted in ancient clothes, in the arms of muses (for example, in the top photo, apparently, Pushkin and Gogol looking at him condemningly). However, the sculptural composition was rejected by the customer, who considered it too frivolous, and somehow some of the figures ended up on an apartment building in Plotnikov Lane.
According to another version, before the revolution the building was a brothel, and writers were frequent guests of the establishment.
A reliable fact is that today the bas-reliefs are in terrible condition, they are gradually being destroyed, and some of the figures are so sad to look at that I did not post photos.
So let's see while there's still something to be had. And at the same time - another unusual building opposite the “house with bas-reliefs” and several atmospheric autumn photos from Gagarinsky Lane.

Oh, these Arbat lanes... On the way to the house in Plotnikovo

General view from Plotnikov Lane

General view of the figures from Maly Mogiltsevsky Lane

An ordinary house above Leo Tolstoy (by the way, it is believed that this is his first lifetime sculptural image) is an ordinary balcony.

Leo Tolstoy hugs Pushkin

The figures are repeated, here is another Gogol

Who is there to the right of Tolstoy??

A copy of the composition from the top photo - but on another wall of the building

And on the other side of Plotnikov Lane there is such a charming mansion (this is the side facing Glazovsky Lane). I thought it was a well-restored Art Nouveau, but it turned out that the date of construction was the second decade of the 21st century. This is a five-apartment PlotnikoFF club house, the construction of which was recently completed. Well, I think the stylization is not bad...

And just a few autumn photos from Gagarinsky Lane. I managed to photograph the last good days...

The Zoological Museum of Moscow University is the oldest and largest Moscow museum, where visitors can get acquainted with the diversity of modern animals on our planet, and zoological specialists will find the richest scientific collections. Originating initially (1791) as a university natural history cabinet, in which animals and plants, minerals and coins were collected, the museum from the beginning of the 19th century became actually zoological. In 1902, the construction of the museum building on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street was completed, which housed the museum’s collections and all its employees, and from 1911 to this day there has been an exhibition for the public.

The building of the Zoological Museum, built in 1902.

The Zoological Museum of Moscow University is one of the two largest and oldest museums of natural history in Russia, and in terms of the volume of scientific collections it is one of the 10 largest similar collections in the world. The history of the museum is filled with scientific discoveries, acquisitions of collections, the activities of outstanding scientists and the publication of fundamental scientific works. Three main directions of his activity gradually emerged:
collection and storage of zoological collections - unique scientific material that forms part of the country’s national wealth;
scientific research in various fields of zoology - systematics and faunistics, evolution and taxonomy, morphology and nature conservation;
education, namely, contribution to preschool, school and university education, popularization of zoological and environmental knowledge, publication of relevant popular science publications and teaching aids.

The museum's exhibition includes almost 10 thousand exhibits - from single-celled animals, which, of course, have to be shown using artificial models, to crocodiles, tigers and bison. The main exhibition introduces the diversity of the world's fauna and is built according to the classic systematic principle - from protozoa to vertebrates, class by class, order by order. The exception is a small but colorfully designed new exhibition dedicated to the unique deep-sea ecosystems that exist through chemosynthesis (“Lower Hall” on the first floor of the museum). The theme of the exhibition in the hall of comparative anatomy (“Bone Hall”, second floor of the museum) is the laws of evolutionary transformation of morphological structures.

The foyer and halls of the museum display works by outstanding Russian animal artists; exhibitions are regularly held.

Museum lobby

The scientific library of the Zoological Museum, formed, among other things, from the memorial libraries of many outstanding domestic zoologists, has approximately 200 thousand items. These are books, periodicals and individual prints in Russian and foreign languages, necessary for professional zoologists in scientific research and accessible to schoolchildren, students and other readers in need of scientific, popular science and illustrated zoological publications.

It is convenient for groups of schoolchildren and students to use the services of experienced guides when getting acquainted with the museum’s exhibition. About 100 thousand people visit the museum every year, and almost 1,500 excursions are conducted on a variety of topics.

The museum runs a biology club for schoolchildren. Lecturers are scientists, specialists in the field of biology.

By Decree of the President of the RSFSR dated December 18, 1991 N 294, the museum was declared a particularly valuable object of cultural heritage of the country

Television program (Russia, 2007).
Director Evgeny Khmelev.
Artistic director Lev Nikolaev.

Olesya Semenova
“The façade of the Polytechnic Museum is beautiful...”
(in abbreviation, in full - according to the title-link)
"Our Heritage" No. 99 2011

A museum building is not just the “outer shell of an institution,” it is its face, which reflects individual characteristics and distinguishes it from many other similar institutions; it begins the visitor’s contact with the museum; it in itself is the most important exhibit, especially in a museum like the Polytechnic.

The central facade of the Polytechnic Museum with the southern and northern wings. Drawing by I.A. Monighetti.
Archives of the Polytechnic Museum

The Polytechnic building is one of the notable buildings in the very center of Moscow, is an architectural monument, and is mentioned in many architectural dictionaries, reference books, monographs, including in connection with the names of the architects who took part in its design or construction.

Even before the opening of the Polytechnic Exhibition, the IOLEAiE Committee (Imperial Society of Lovers of Natural History, Anthropology and Ethnography) considered some options for locating the future museum: on the site of the former Mining Administration building on Vozdvizhenka, on the university courtyard opposite the Manege, on Theater Square.

The resolution of the issue accelerated when it was submitted for discussion to the Moscow Duma. According to the Duma commission, “the area intended for such an institution as a museum must meet two conditions: firstly, it should not be remote from the city center for the convenience of visiting it by the public, and secondly, it should be extensive enough for possibilities for expanding the museum in the future...". Lubyanka Square, “having a significant extent and close to the central parts of the city,” was proposed as such an area.

On February 8, 1872, a decision was made to gratuitously cede the territory on Lubyanka Square necessary for the construction of the building. It was also decided to allocate from the state treasury from 400 to 500 thousand rubles for the future museum.

Initially, the idea of ​​a monumental, multi-story building that could constantly grow and expand, and in its architecture and style would serve as a decoration of the capital, a monument to the century, seemed attractive. Then, based on the proposal of the President of IOLEAiE, Professor A.P. Bogdanov, it was decided to divide the museum fund into two parts, and for the natural history part, to arrange pavilions in the first Alexander Garden. The museum organization committee managed to obtain the territory in the Alexander Gardens at its disposal; designs for buildings were drawn up for the zoological, agricultural and other “natural” departments of the museum, but a lack of funds did not allow these plans to be implemented. In 1897, the museum returned the territory in the Alexander Garden to the Palace Department.

On June 10, 1874, the Moscow City Duma transferred to the Committee 2504 square fathoms of land along the stone wall of Kitay-Gorod, between Lubyanka Square and the Ilyinsky Gate. Thus, the question regarding the location for the future museum building was resolved.

Due to problems, primarily with financing, construction took place in three stages. The volumetric-spatial structure of the building was formed over thirty years.

The central building of the museum. Photograph from the late 19th century.
Archives of the Polytechnic Museum

In 1877, the central building was built, ten years later the construction of the southern wing began, and thirty-three years after the start of construction, work on the construction of the right wing was completed.

South facade of the museum. View from Ilyinskaya Square. Lithograph of the early twentieth century.
Archives of the Polytechnic Museum

As a result, while the general compositional solution of the building was preserved, adopted in the original project of I.A. Monighetti, during the construction process stylistic changes arose in the execution of its component parts. The right side of the building, built in the same seemingly “Russian style” traditions, acquires new features - the compositional elements of the facade are “stretched”, decorative elements are reduced, and the floor levels are shifted. The left part is a striking example of the Art Nouveau style in its national version. The asymmetrical composition of the side facades emphasizes the dominant importance of the central building, and the three-part northern facade with a protruding attic reveals the dominant position of the Polytechnic in relation to the surrounding buildings and adequately closes Lubyanka Square from the south.

On September 9 (September 22, new style), 1904, a short message flashed in the newspaper that “... the foundation stone of the left wing of the Polytechnic Museum building, erected by engineer G.I. Makaev, took place...” with a large audience. In addition to the Bolshoi premises, on the third floor there were two more isolated classrooms for 200 people, the so-called “Small Audiences,” as well as chemical and physical laboratories. On the top floor there was a meteorological station. A physiological greenhouse was placed in a glass lantern on the roof. All this is “for the organization of educational lectures.” Construction lasted until 1908. According to G.E. Medvedeva, other buildings in which “a genuine laboratory with a fully assembled furnishing complex” would be preserved<имеется в виду лаборатория при химической аудитории XIX века, где готовились демонстрационные реактивы и приборы>, - are not known to us"

A two-story auditorium, equipped with a ventilation system, covered with a flat ceiling without a single intermediate support, with a light lantern in the center, was built according to the design and under the supervision of engineer A.A. Semenov, and the creation was immediately praised. Although the basic engineering and architectural plan conceived by the author of the project has remained the same to this day, since 1948 the interiors of the Great Auditorium have been constantly changing. Previously, instead of the current chairs, there were birch benches; on the stage, behind the lecturer's podium, there was a glass chamber (fume hood) for chemical experiments, and above it a table depicting Mendeleev's Periodic Table of Elements. In the center of the ceiling there was a glazed space measuring 8 x 4 meters, through which daylight fell. The total area of ​​the Auditorium was 122.8 square fathoms, it had 842 numbered and 60 unnumbered seats. The cost of complete equipment was 50,000 rubles. The first lecture was given on October 11, 1907 by the People's University Society.

Listeners immediately appreciated the impeccable acoustics, the calculations of which were carried out by A.A. Semenov. Professor D.N. Anuchin noted in a report for 1910 that “the new Great Auditorium of the Polytechnic Museum is the best auditorium in Moscow.” The Committee of the Polytechnic Museum decided in honor of the authors of the project to place a memorial plaque in the auditorium with the inscription: “The auditorium was built in 1907-1908 according to the design and under the supervision of engineer Anatoly Aleksandrovich Semenov, with the close cooperation of the architect I.P. Mashkov, Z.I. Ivanov and communications engineer N.A. Alekseev.” For his work on the construction of the Great Auditorium of the Polytechnic Museum, he was awarded the rank of Actual State Councilor. Semenov also headed the specially created Commission of the Polytechnic Museum, which monitored the construction of the left wing.

Alas, neither this memorial plaque nor the memory of Actual State Councilor Semenov has been preserved. Meanwhile, the contribution of this military engineer to the creation of the Polytechnic Museum and, as we will see later, the museum business in Moscow in general is enormous.

The names of architects are usually indicated in guidebooks and specialized literature, but the engineers who created architectural monuments along with them are not always remembered. Alexey Semenov(1841-1917) was born in the Vyatka province, first studied at the Konstantinovsky Military School, then completed a first-class course at the Nikolaev Engineering Academy, and later worked in the engineering department of the Moscow Military District. During the first seven years, he received three awards: the Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd and 2nd degrees, and the Order of St. Anne, 3rd class. In the summer of 1871, he retired and took part in organizing the Sevastopol department of the Polytechnic Exhibition. Memories of the Crimean War of 1853-1856 were then fresh, and the idea arose “to present as complete a picture as possible of the glorious defense of Sevastopol, both in combat and in military-sanitary terms, and thereby spread among the people a correct understanding of that memorable era.” The pavilion of the Sevastopol department was not inferior to the Marine one and was located in the Kremlin on the square in front of the Nikolaevsky Palace. Back in December 1871, the main organizer of the department, N.I. Chepelevsky, put forward the idea of ​​​​creating a permanent repository for the materials collected for the Sevastopol department - the Russian National Museum: “This temple, erected for the glory of the centuries-old life of the Russian people,” he wrote in a report presented to the Tsarevich, “I must collect together from all over the Russian land the treasured shrines of the people, monuments and documents of the entire Russian state, depict in images and paintings the names of great ascetics and figures and the most remarkable events.” And already on February 9, 1872, the emperor ordered the construction of one in Moscow, which became the Historical Museum. Architect V.O. Sherwood, according to whose design the building was erected, took A.A. Semenov as a co-author “on the technical side.” Sherwood believed that “the moment of clear national consciousness is coming, and our entire future depends on this moment. The people need a clearly embodied image of their own feelings, they need an ideal to strive for.” The building of the Historical Museum had to meet this historical need. “We need to build in Russia the Russian way!”

A.A. Semenov actively participated in this construction. His later works: the temple in the name of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk in Sokolnichiya Grove (1875, reconstruction; the original unpreserved design of P.P. Zykov); Petrovsko-Alexandrovsky boarding house-shelter for the nobility (since 1945 - N.N. Burdenko Research Institute of Neurosurgery); a residential building (ibid.) for doctors and teachers with an infirmary; the main building (ibid.) with a temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (all these buildings are from the early 1900s) and many others.

In addition to the block of premises belonging to the Great Auditorium (entrance, lobby, stairs, “locker rooms”), the entire remaining area of ​​the wing was occupied by retail premises. Along the transverse axis connecting Bolshoy Lubyansky and Kitaisky passages, a two-story passage was built, that is, display cases and windows of the first and mezzanine floors overlooked it. There was free access from the passage to both passages. However, according to the terms of development of the entire building complex, the basement, first and mezzanine floors were rented out for retail space.

Northern façade of the Polytechnic Museum

The street facades of the Polytechnic Museum have retained their original decor and have survived to this day only with minor changes due to the liquidation of retail premises.

Detail of the central façade

Soviet-era lanterns that fit into the appearance of the northern façade

Initial studies of the color scheme of the facades showed that they were not monochrome as they are today, and the wall surfaces were a combination of white and ocher colors. Experts believe that a more complex coloring, characteristic of both the Art Nouveau and eclectic eras, is also possible. On the façade of the northern wing, in three archivolts, monumental painting, damaged by time, but strengthened and preserved, is visible. Researchers attribute its preliminary design to the architect Prince G.I. Makaev, who, simultaneously with the design, founded a foundation with whose funds the wing was built.

Fresco triptych in the archivolts of the northern façade

The triptych was made using the fresco technique, which, generally speaking, is characteristic of the Art Nouveau era, but was not adopted in Moscow: here majolica was more often used in facades. So the fresco on the facade of the northern wing of the Polytechnic is a rare monument.

Watercolor sketches of these frescoes without the author's signature are kept in the department of written sources of the Polytechnic Museum. They symbolize the poetics of human labor in the images of a peasant plowing a field and two workers in a forge, as well as knowledge, which is personified by a book in the hands of a child in a family group against the backdrop of the rays of the rising sun. With a certain probability, it can be argued that the artist Ilya Pavlovich Mashkov, brother of the architect Ivan Pavlovich Mashkov, who participated in the design of the Great Auditorium, took part in the creation of the frescoes.

The main staircase occupies an important place in the interior decoration of the museum. Initially, it “was supposed to consist of four marches leading only to the 1st floor<аж>, and from 2 floor<ажа>there are two special stairs to the top one, but due to unforeseen circumstances this staircase was replaced by a more luxurious one, but not very comfortable for walking.” Today, only a sketch of the lamps of the main staircase with Shokhin’s autograph and a section of the staircase, signed by him, have been preserved, but not a single signed drawing could be found. The main staircase is decorated with decorative elements symbolizing ancient Russian forms.

Gypsum balusters of the main staircase

The architectural and decorative design of the central building has been preserved in the lobbies; in the exhibition halls, the walls and ceilings are decorated with profiled rods, geometric stucco patterns, and stucco lampshades.

Interiors of the museum halls

There is a system of various vaults; semi-circular at the top, two- and four-leaf doors with original ornamentation in the panels and brass handles; stairs with cast iron balusters of complex shape; figured stair railings; cast iron steps and railings of spiral staircases; flooring (tiles, parquet, metal plates, metlakh tiles); tiled stoves; furniture; mirrors The interiors of the Polytechnic Museum suffered the most damage in areas not used for museum purposes. “When clearing the walls, under 20-25 layers of paint, the original finish was discovered - gypsum plaster, which has a specific impregnation, making it look like artificial marble. Very finely graded colors were applied on top of it. Such a painting system remains to be studied. As for the stairs themselves, the first clearing of the handrails showed the presence of artificial marble here.”

Not only the unique collections that visitors see, but also almost all the elements that form the interior spaces of the museum - walls, floors, stairs, lampshades, lamps - are original exhibits. And even if, as a result of the upcoming reconstruction of the museum, for reasons of natural disrepair they cannot be preserved in their places, their samples can be included in the stock of the now, alas, non-existent, but former at the beginning of the twentieth century, Architectural Department of the museum.

Architectural department of the museum. Photography from the late 20th century.
Archives of the Polytechnic Museum

In addition to the well-known ones, the Polytechnic Museum has many internal staircases that are inaccessible to visitors, and all of them are different from each other. For example, near the stairs in the basement, even the simplest flights are monumental: painted casting, dolomite steps, columns with cubic capitals - these are stylistic Russian-Byzantine elements running through many rooms of the museum.

Railings and balusters of painted cast iron of the museum staircase

Unique plaster floor lamps for the main staircase

Until very recently, the floor lamps of the main staircase were painted with the white paint familiar to modern visitors. Today they appear in colorful attire appropriate to the style, just as restorers believe they were intended to be. Research has shown that the floor lamps are made of plaster, which is unprecedented for objects of decorative and applied art of the late 19th century.

The interiors retain original glass shades; ceramic and parquet floors, split oak. There are also rare elements from the Soviet period, quite successfully integrated into the historical interiors.

For a long time, due attention was not paid to the building of the Polytechnic Museum. It was only in the late 1990s that it was included in the list of newly identified cultural heritage sites. “The Polytechnic is a contemporary of the Historical Museum. But if the latter’s building is generally recognized as a unique architectural monument of federal significance, then, as for the Polytechnic, only its Great Auditorium has federal monument status.”

Large auditorium of the Polytechnic Museum

The Polytechnic Museum is one of the first public buildings in Russia, the interior and exterior decoration of which was made in the Russian style. He opened a whole series of buildings of this kind in the center of Moscow. “The Architect’s Companion to Moscow” for 1895 reported: “One can hope that the revival of Russian architecture, begun by Moscow, will continue and gradually progress; the first of the public buildings built in the Russian style are the Polytechnic and Historical museums, later the Korsha and Paradise theaters, the City Duma, the Upper and Middle city shopping arcades.”

I would like to quote the completely fair words of I.P. Mashkov regarding the architecture of the capital of the last decades of the 19th century: “During the period under review, Moscow significantly changed its physiognomy, due to the many new buildings that appeared, both public and private. In this relatively short time, some parts of the city became completely unrecognizable; By the way, several grandiose buildings have appeared, which, in terms of their significance and size, are among the outstanding buildings in Europe.”

One of them - the building of the Polytechnic Museum on Lubyanka Square - and these days visibly testifies to the talent and high professionalism of domestic architects who, at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, managed to decorate the ancient city with a beautiful architectural monument that requires from us, people of the 21st century, care and attention.

PS:
In the next six years, the museum building is planned to be significantly rebuilt. It will be taken on by Japanese architect Junio ​​Ishigami, who won the design competition in October last year.
More details - Cultured place
"Arguments of the week", 05.04.2012

The ancestors of mammals were reptiles that retained certain structural features of amphibians: skin glands, a double occipital condyle, and a peculiar arrangement of joints in the limbs. At the same time, they had such advanced features as a secondary bony palate, complex differentiation of the dental system; perhaps fur and the ability to thermoregulate. The most likely ancestral group for mammals is considered to be one of the orders of animal-like reptiles, Therapsida; The Cynodontia group, which existed until the Upper Triassic, was especially close to them. From this period (160 million years ago) until the beginning of the Tertiary time (about 35 million years ago), the most common group of mammals were the so-called multitubercles. These small animals got their name due to the presence of numerous tubercles on their molars. They had no fangs, but, like modern rodents, they had highly developed incisors. Polytubercles were specialized herbivores and cannot be considered the direct ancestors of other groups of mammals, but it is possible that early forms could have given rise to monotremes. In sediments from the mid-Jurassic to the Cretaceous, fossil remains of representatives of another group of mammals, tritubercles, are found, revealing the true history of this class. Their dental system was less specialized than that of multituberculates; the dentition was continuous. These were small animals close to insectivores; They ate both animal and plant foods. Tritubercles, in particular Panthotherium, are the most likely ancestors of modern marsupials and placental mammals. The first marsupials apparently appeared at the beginning of the Cretaceous period, but their fossil remains are known only from the Upper Cretaceous deposits in North America; in Lower Tertiary deposits they are also found in Eurasia. Thus, the homeland of marsupials is the northern hemisphere, but even before the end of the Tertiary period they were pushed south by more highly organized placental mammals, and are currently preserved only in Australia, New Guinea, Tasmania and South America. Higher, or placental mammals, like marsupials, evolved from tritubercles at the beginning of the Cretaceous period (125 million years ago). To date, 35 placental orders are known, of which 21 currently exist, and 14 are completely extinct. The formation of modern orders of higher mammals occurred 90–85 million years ago, and the currently existing families arose in the late Eocene and early Miocene.

The most important features of the general organization of mammals are: a high level of development of the nervous system, providing complex and perfect forms of reaction to environmental influences; a perfect thermoregulation system that determines the constancy of the internal environment of the body; and viviparity, combined (unlike other viviparous vertebrates, such as fish and reptiles) with feeding the young with milk. Of the structural features, several points should be noted. The body of mammals is covered with hair, or wool (although there are exceptions of a secondary nature). The skin is rich in glands that have diverse and very important functional significance; especially characteristic are the mammary glands, which are absent in other vertebrates. The lower jaw consists of only one (dentary) bone. The teeth sitting in the alveoli are differentiated into incisors, canines and molars. In the middle ear cavity there are three (and not one, as in amphibians, reptiles and birds) auditory ossicles. The heart is four-chambered, with one (left) aortic arch. Red blood cells - erythrocytes - lack nuclei, which increases their oxygen capacity. It is easy to imagine how enormously important these adaptations are for the distribution of mammals in a variety of living conditions.

A positive or negative assessment of individual animal species is not always unambiguous, because in different natural and economic environments they can play different roles. Thus, many species of small rodents harm field crops or young forests; in certain situations, they pose a danger to human health, as guardians of infections and feeders of ticks - disease transmitters. On the other hand, in natural habitats these animals are an important and necessary component of ecosystems.

Since prehistoric times, our ancestors hunted for the meat, skins or fat of mammals. Later, in order to protect himself from the accidents of hunting, man began to tame wild animals. Scientists judge the time and place of domestication of individual breeds from excavations of ancient settlements and preserved objects of fine art, and the supposed centers of origin are determined by the areas of their wild ancestors. For thousands of years, domestic animals have been a source of food for humans or perform various forms of household chores. Others, without bringing any immediate benefit, simply occupy leisure time and provide pleasure.

Museum exposition

In total, the collection of the Zoological Museum exhibits 704 species of mammals, represented by 1,493 stuffed animals, skeletons and alcohol preparations. Of these, 44 exhibits (related to 34 species of cetaceans and pinnipeds) are exhibited in Hall I, and 1449, representing 670 species of the remaining 19 orders of mammals, are located in Hall III of the museum. On the walls of Hall III there is also a collection of horns in the amount of 144 specimens belonging to 28 species of ungulates. In addition, sculptures, models and anatomical preparations are displayed on information stands. The total number of exhibits in the mammal department in halls I and III totals 2,110 storage units.

The main part of the first hall of the museum is occupied by an exhibition dedicated to two orders of mammals - cetaceans and pinnipeds. Modern representatives of these groups are closely associated with the aquatic environment, but trace their origins to terrestrial ancestors. The central exhibit of the collection is one of the world's largest skeletons of a blue whale, 27 m long. Its history is well known: the whale died when it found itself at low tide on a sandbank near the Belgian city of Ostend in November 1827. Among the townspeople who gathered to look at the rare animal were scientists who described the animal in detail and artists who captured this event in several engravings. Over the course of several days, the whale carcass was cut up, the bones carefully cleaned, and then mounted. Soon the skeleton was taken for display, first to Paris, then to London and America. 30 years later, in 1856, this exhibit was acquired by our compatriot, E.P. Balabin, and donated to the Imperial Zoological Museum. The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever existed on Earth. This giant feeds on the smallest sea crustaceans - plankton, so its jaws are devoid of teeth, and the oral cavity is filled with whalebone - horny plates up to 1.5 m in height with a rough, thick fringe along the lower edge. These plates make up a huge sieve on which crustaceans captured with sea water settle. This peculiar structure of the oral apparatus is characteristic of the so-called baleen whales, in contrast to toothed whales, most of which have a well-developed dentition and are true predators. The five-meter skull of a sperm whale, the largest of the toothed whales, can be seen in the center of the hall. Sperm whales feed on fish and cephalopods, even attacking giant squids that can weigh more than 200 kg. In search of prey, these whales can dive to depths of more than 1800 m and remain under water for more than an hour. They navigate underwater using echolocation, emitting sounds of a special frequency and then perceiving them reflected from the bottom, prey or enemy. Next to the skull of a sperm whale is the skeleton of an orca, or killer whale, as it is called. The gloomy glory of killer whales is obviously associated with their attacks on large marine mammals - seals, dolphins and baby baleen whales, although they more often feed on fish and cephalopods. At the same time, like other species of dolphins, killer whales tolerate captivity well, are well trained and quickly get used to humans. The skeleton of a narwhal, or unicorn, deserves special attention. This large (up to 6 m in length) toothed whale, which lives in polar waters, is famous for the fact that in the mouth of the male there is a single helical tooth, reaching 3 m in length. Its purpose is still unclear and causes controversy among scientists. Until recently, products made from narwhal bone – “fish tooth” – were highly valued, and sometimes they were given magical meaning.

In addition to various species of whales, in Hall I you can see stuffed representatives of another order of marine animals - pinnipeds. Unlike cetaceans, these animals did not completely lose contact with land - perhaps because they mastered the aquatic environment 30 million years later. Modern pinnipeds, or seals, are divided into two main systematic groups, differing not only in appearance, but also in biological features - eared and true seals; The family of walruses stands somewhat apart from both. Walruses are the largest of the seals in the northern hemisphere, and are second in size only to the elephant seals that live off the coast of Antarctica, reaching a weight of 3.5 tons. There, in Antarctic waters, lives the leopard seal - the only seal that preys exclusively on warm-blooded animals; a beautifully made stuffed animal of this beast can also be seen on display.

Currently, most marine mammals, especially whales, have become extremely rare in nature due to excessive fishing. Such animal species, endangered or threatened, are included in the Red Book, first compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1948. Their extraction, including for scientific purposes, is prohibited by legislation in most countries. And although in the halls of the museum you can see many exhibits with the “Red Book” icon on the label, it should be borne in mind that at the time when the main collections were collected, many of the rare or now extinct animals were quite common and even numerous.

The systematic exhibition, located on the left side of the third hall of the museum, demonstrates the main diversity of the class of mammals. On the wall at the entrance to the hall there is an evolutionary tree reflecting modern ideas about the origin and systematics of this group of animals, and next to it there is a stand describing the distinctive features of their structure and biology.

The exhibition begins with monotremes - an ancient group of mammals, which includes two modern families, platypuses and echidnas, combining the features of primitive mammals and reptiles. A distinctive feature of these creatures is that, unlike all other mammals, they lay eggs covered with a dense shell, but not hard, like that of birds, but elastic, like that of turtles or crocodiles. In order to hatch an egg, the echidna places it in a special fold of skin on its stomach - a pouch, where after 7 - 10 days a small cub hatches. In contrast, the female platypus makes a real nest in a specially dug hole, where she lays from 1 to 3 eggs. The cubs born in such an unusual way are fed by these animals with milk secreted in certain areas of the abdominal part of the female body, called the glandular fields. At the same time, the biology of these animals is different: the echidna leads an exclusively terrestrial, nocturnal lifestyle, feeding on termites and other insects, the platypus looks for prey in the water - these are, first of all, various small aquatic animals, which it selects from the silt with its “beak”.

Echidnas and platypuses are native to Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. Representatives of another systematic group of animals, marsupials, numbering seven separate orders, are also common there. The modern distribution of marsupial mammals is limited mainly to the southern hemisphere, but their fossil remains are known not only from Australia, South America and the Antarctic coast, but also from Mongolia and China. Unlike monotremes, marsupials give birth to live young, but they are so tiny and underdeveloped that they must remain in the mother’s pouch for a long time. The museum contains representatives of almost all orders of this group, among which there are rare and recently extinct animals, such as the marsupial wolf or the hare kangaroo. Perhaps the most popular of Australian animals - the marsupial bear, or koala - can be seen on the branches of a eucalyptus tree in a separate display case. Koalas feed exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, which no other animal is able to eat, since they contain a strong poison - hydrocyanic acid. This animal has no enemies in nature, and the main reason for the catastrophic decline in its numbers in nature is hunting and clearing of indigenous eucalyptus forests. Currently, several special reserves have been created to preserve the marsupial bear. Equally rare is one of the few marsupial predators - the Tasmanian devil. Currently, it survives only on the island of Tasmania, although it formerly inhabited most of Australia. This predator hunts quite large prey, attacking, among other things, domestic sheep. Obviously, it was this last circumstance that led to a sharp decrease in the number of marsupial devils. An even sadder fate befell the largest marsupial predator - the thylacine, or Tasmanian wolf. The last time marsupial wolf tracks were seen was more than 50 years ago, and since then there has been no evidence that the species has survived. Even in the largest museums in the world, skeletons or stuffed thylacines are very rare, so the exhibits on display are the pride of our collection. In addition to the well-known giant kangaroos and wallabies, it is worth paying attention to the small animals displayed on the side of the display case. These opossums are the only marsupials found outside the Australian continent. Most possums live in Central and South America, but some species can reach quite far north. Opossums adapt well to any living conditions, and in the southern states of the United States, for example, they feel great on the outskirts of villages and small towns. The exhibits presented in the collection have another value - many of them, such as the southern and ash possums, were collected by the great Russian traveler and collector G.I. Langsdorf almost 200 years ago.

The entire subsequent part of the exhibition is devoted to the so-called higher mammals, which make up the absolute majority of this class of animals. It is discovered by exotic inhabitants of Central and South America - armadillos, anteaters and sloths belonging to the order of edentates. Armadillos are the only animals whose body is covered with a durable shell, consisting of integumentary ossifications and horny plates. These nocturnal, practically omnivorous animals live mainly in open places, where they dig numerous burrows. In case of danger, they roll up into a ball or, almost instantly, bury themselves in the ground. Typically, a female armadillo gives birth to several twins, developing from one egg, so the babies are always of the same sex. The museum's exhibition presents almost all the main types of armadillos, many of which are now rare in nature. Unlike armadillos, sloths that live in the tropical forests of South America spend almost their entire lives in trees, an example of extreme specialization for an arboreal lifestyle. They move by clinging to tree branches with powerful claws, and in the same state they rest and even sleep. Sloths are really sedentary and “leisurely”, since they do not have to use practically any effort to get food, and they have practically no enemies in the treetops. However, if necessary, these animals can descend to the ground, they swim perfectly, and their powerful claws, in case of danger, can become a serious weapon. The last of the families of edentates, anteaters, living in the forests and pampas of South America, are interesting for their specialization in feeding only on termites and ants. Only sometimes tree anteaters - tamaduas - diversify their diet by eating wild bees and wasps. Many exhibits from this exhibition are of not only zoological, but also historical value, as they were collected during the expeditions of Academician G.I. Langsdorf at the beginning of the 19th century.

Not only anteaters prefer termites and ants, which is explained by the abundance and availability of this type of food. In the same display case you can see animals living in Africa and Southeast Asia - these are representatives of the order of pangolins, or lizards, as they were previously called for their peculiar appearance. The body of pangolins is entirely covered with horny scales, and they really resemble some kind of ancient reptile rather than a mammal. These animals search for food - ants and termites - at night and, like anteaters, obtain food with the help of a long sticky tongue. All pangolins are not numerous; some especially rare species are listed in the Red Book.

A separate exhibition is dedicated to small insectivorous animals - well-known hedgehogs, moles, shrews, and less familiar species - tenrecs living in Madagascar, African jumpers, and slittooths. Until recently, all these animals were combined into one large order of insectivorous mammals, but recent studies have shown that, despite their external similarity, these animals come from different ancestors. It is among the insectivores that the smallest mammal on the planet is found - the dwarf shrew, whose weight does not exceed 2 grams. Snaptooths, ancient and very rare in nature, are interesting because they are the only mammals with poisonous glands. The venom of the slittooth is not dangerous for humans, but for its victims - insects and small vertebrates - it has a strong paralyzing effect. The stuffed slittooth on display at the museum is one of the first to fall into the hands of European scientists in 1828. There is also another interesting animal on display – the Russian muskrat. Despite the fact that the muskrat is the closest relative of moles, its entire life is connected with water. The beautiful fur almost caused the complete extermination of the muskrat, but timely measures taken to protect this rare species made it possible not only to preserve it, but also to significantly increase the size of the natural population. In the same display case you can see small animals that live in Southeast Asia - these are tupai. Outwardly, they look like slender, pointy-nosed squirrels. The English name for tupaya is tree shrew, and, indeed, scientists used to classify them as insectivores. However, recent genetic studies have shown that tupai are located on the same family tree with primates and woolly wings, being our very ancient relatives.

In the wall display cases of the hall there is an exhibition of bats - the only order of mammals that have mastered active flight. Along with rodents and insectivores, bats and fruit bats are the largest group among mammals. Fruit bats are the largest of the order and live only in the eastern hemisphere, from Africa to the islands of Oceania. These are exclusively herbivorous animals, whose main food consists of fruits, nectar and pollen. In areas where fruits ripen only periodically, fruit bats make seasonal migrations of hundreds and thousands of kilometers, such as the flights of the East Australian flying fox or the epaulette fruit bat in southern Angola. Unlike fruit bats, smaller bats are predators and feed primarily on flying nocturnal insects. The animals are active at dusk and at night. In order to navigate in the dark and catch fast-flying prey, bats use their unique ability to echolocation. With the help of reflected ultrasound, animals not only distinguish what exactly is in front of them, but also at what distance. Not all bats hunt moths and beetles - large bats can hunt small reptiles and mammals; In Mexico, bat fishermen live, snatching small fish from the water, and, finally, in South America there is a whole family of vampire bats. They feed on the blood of animals, using sharp teeth like a scalpel, cutting the skin of large mammals and licking the resulting drops; at the same time, the vampire’s saliva makes the bite painless and prevents the blood from clotting.

More than 2,250 species include the largest order of mammals, rodents; this is approximately 40% of all mammals living on the planet. This success can be explained by several reasons: the small size of the animals, the short life cycle and the evolutionary youth of the group, which gives rodents almost unlimited opportunities to adapt to any living conditions and occupy almost all possible ecological niches. Gophers, mole rats and mole rats live underground; dormice, squirrels and flying squirrels - in the trees; jerboas and gerbils have colonized waterless sandy deserts; muskrat, nutria and beaver, on the contrary, have perfectly adapted to living in an aquatic environment. In many natural ecosystems and in anthropogenic, especially agricultural landscapes, rodents play a leading role. Gophers, hamsters and gophers dig up pastures with their burrows; voles and mice eat crops; beavers flood thousands of hectares of forest, radically changing the habitat; voles, rats and gerbils are carriers of dangerous diseases such as plague and tularemia. At the same time, in natural ecosystems, rodents are often one of the main environment-forming components. The largest rodent in the world is the capybara, or capybara, which lives in South America, weighs more than 60 kg, the smallest is the tiny mouse - only 5 - 6 g. Many rodents - chinchillas, beavers, squirrels, marmots - have thick, beautiful fur, because of which they are mined in nature or bred on special farms. The exhibit of rodents presented at the Zoological Museum is truly unique. Among the exhibits there are specimens from which scientists first described this species of animals more than 200 years ago (South American giara and kui, Brazilian porcupine, narrow-skulled vole), as well as exhibits collected by the great travelers of the past - G.I. Langsdorf, K.Ya. Temmink, I.G. Voznesensky, N.M. Przhevalsky and others.

Lagomorphs, located in neighboring display cases, were previously grouped together by taxonomists with rodents, but, despite their external similarity, these animals are so different from each other that they were subsequently separated into a separate order. Lagomorphs differ from rodents in their lifestyle, features of their anatomical structure, even in the number of incisors - there are not 2, but 4 of them in the upper jaw. This order includes hares, rabbits and pikas, or haymakers. All lagomorphs are terrestrial animals. Some species prefer vast open spaces, others live among dense thickets and rock formations, sometimes climbing high into the mountains. Hares and rabbits feed on low-calorie food, which usually does not attract rodents - mainly bark, young branches, leaves, and grass. Hares, as a rule, do not make special shelters and stay alone, while rabbits and pikas dig holes and settle in small colonies. Among the rare exhibits of this collection, it is undoubtedly worth mentioning the Ladakian pika and Kozlov’s pika, brought by N.M. Przhevalsky from Northern Tibet.

Two species of woolly winged lemurs, or flying lemurs as they are sometimes called, live in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. In appearance they resemble a rodent - a flying squirrel, but in origin they are close to primates. Woolly wings glide using a large, fur-covered membrane that connects the neck, all the legs and the tail. They feed on fruits and leaves. Females, like bats, do not leave their young for a minute; they carry them with them all the time until they become almost the size of an adult animal.

The oldest primates, similar to modern lemurs, were widespread in North America and Europe more than 60 million years ago, but to date only five families of these primitive monkeys have survived in the forests of Madagascar and the Comoros Islands. The most unusual representative of this group is undoubtedly the little arm, or aye-aye. Little arms are the rarest and most ancient of the lemurs. They live in trees, spend the day in a hollow or in a nest, and after sunset they wake up and begin to examine the branches in search of food - insect larvae, nuts or fruits. Having detected prey with the help of unusually acute hearing, the animal removes the larvae from narrow tree passages with a very long, thin third finger of the hand, equipped with a sharp curved claw. The next group, traditionally belonging to the suborder of lower monkeys, is the Loriids. This includes the loris proper, which lives in Southeast Asia, as well as the potto and galago, which live in tropical Africa. All these animals live in trees, are nocturnal, feeding on insects and, to a lesser extent, plant foods. But there are differences between them. While lorises and pottos are prone to a solitary lifestyle, slow and extremely careful in their movements, galagos prefer to live in groups, and when hunting or chasing strangers they can jump up to 12 meters. There are currently only three species in the tarsier family living in the Malay Archipelago, but in the Eocene, about 45 million years ago, similar forms were common in Europe and North America. According to modern taxonomy, these monkeys are classified as higher, although until recently they were combined with lemurs and lorises. Huge eyes, characteristic of all nocturnal animals, help the tarsier during the night hunt for insects.

All other monkeys, including anthropoids, are divided into two large systematic groups - broad-nosed, or New World monkeys, and narrow-nosed, living in Eurasia and the African continent. The nostrils of American monkeys are separated by a wide septum; Another distinctive feature is the long, prehensile tail, which performs a wide variety of functions. Among the broad-nosed animals there are no large species such as African baboons or great apes, but marmosets can undoubtedly be considered the smallest of the primates. Many exhibits in the collection of American monkeys - howler monkeys, sakis, koats - were collected at the beginning of the 19th century by the famous Russian traveler G.I. Langsdorf; some came here from St. Petersburg menageries or from private owners. Unlike the broad-nosed monkeys, the lower narrow-nosed monkeys - monkeys, mangabeys, macaques - have tails that are never prehensile. A distinctive feature of most species of monkeys is their voluminous cheek pouches, which help them quickly collect large amounts of food. Thin-bodied monkeys (gwerets, langurs), which feed on low-calorie plant foods, do not have such bags, but their stomachs consist of three sections and have a complex structure. The most notable among the dog-headed monkeys are obviously the baboons. Inhabitants of foothills and open spaces, they have a very complex social hierarchy, allowing the herd to more successfully obtain food and resist numerous predators. Modern apes are represented by two families of tailless primates: gibbons and hominids. Fossil forms (Propliopithecus), which could give rise to the entire superfamily Hominoidea, are known from northern Africa and date back to the Lower Oligocene (about 25 million years). The museum's exhibition presents almost all representatives of this group - gibbons, chimpanzees, gorilla; The biogroup showing the orangutan family in their natural habitat is especially eye-catching. The stuffed adult monkeys displayed in this display case were obtained from the Stuttgart Museum at the end of the 19th century.

The next section of the exhibition is dedicated to sirenids - distant relatives of elephants and hyraxes, which, like whales and pinnipeds, have mastered the aquatic habitat. Currently, the order includes the families of dugongs and manatees - herbivorous animals that live in the coastal waters of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. An exhibit that is the pride of our museum is kept here - the skeleton of Steller's sea cow, donated to the museum by the Russian-American Company in 1857. This gigantic animal, reaching a length of 10 meters, was discovered by the expedition of Vitus Bering near the Commander Islands in 1741, and literally 30 years later it was completely exterminated. Now in museums around the world only a few incomplete skeletons and individual bones of these animals have been preserved.

Proboscis is a small order of mammals, currently numbering only 3 species of elephants belonging to two genera - Indian and African. This group is similar in origin to hyraxes and sirenians, and historically comes from Africa. The fossil ancestors of modern elephants, starting from the Eocene (more than 40 million years ago), inhabited almost all continents of the world, with the exception of Australia and Antarctica. The main distinguishing feature of the representatives of the order is a long muscular trunk formed by an upper lip fused with the nose - a universal organ that elephants successfully use as a hand. Another unique feature of these animals is the molars that change throughout life, adapted for grinding coarse plant food. The Indian elephant on display is one of the oldest exhibits in our museum. Mammoths occupy a special place in the exhibition of proboscideans, and many exhibits in this section of the museum are truly unique (section Mammoth fauna)

Here you can also see hyraxes, which live in Africa, Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula. For many millions of years, these marmot-like animals were the most numerous herbivores in Africa and the Middle East, until they gave way to more advanced ungulates. Modern representatives of the group include 4 species belonging to three genera - tree, mountain and Cape hyraxes. Mountain hyraxes are diurnal animals that live in large colonies in arid savannas and on mountain slopes; arboreal - stay alone or in small groups, and prefer to feed at night.

The aardvark, or aardvak, is the only living representative of the order Aardvarks. For a long time it was classified as belonging to the same family as the South American anteaters, but the similarity with them turned out to be superficial, associated with an adaptation to feeding on termites and ants. The origins of the aardvark remain unclear; it is probably close to sirens, hyraxes and proboscideans. The current distribution area of ​​the species covers central and southern Africa, with the exception of tropical forests.

Representatives of one of the most ancient and primitive groups of equid mammals, tapirs, live in Southeast Asia and South America. Tapirs are inhabitants of swampy forests and bushes, usually located near water bodies. They swim and dive beautifully, searching for aquatic plants or hiding from enemies. The tapir's muzzle ends in a small movable proboscis formed by the nose and upper lip, which allows the animal to practically not appear on the surface. A separate exhibition is dedicated to rhinoceroses. The white rhinoceros, found in southern and central Africa, is the largest living land mammal after the elephant: older males can weigh more than 3 tons. Like the black one, the white rhinoceros has two horns on its face, from which the animals got their name. All rhinoceroses are very rare in nature, especially the Sumatran and Javan ones, which live in Southeast Asia. Stuffed rhinoceroses were made more than 100 years ago, when these animals were common in the savannas of Africa: for example, the white rhinoceros is a trophy of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, obtained on a safari arranged for him by the King of Abyssinia. Horses are better adapted to life in open landscapes than other ungulates. Wild horses, which appeared more than 15 million years ago on the American continent and once lived throughout the plains of Eurasia, are now practically never found in the wild. A little over a hundred years ago, the great Russian traveler and naturalist, explorer of Central Asia N.M. Przhevalsky brought from an expedition to Dzungaria the skin of a wild horse, unknown to zoologists. A stuffed animal of this horse, which later received the name of its discoverer, can be seen in our museum. The African savannas are home to the well-known medium-sized striped horses - zebras. Initially, they were distributed throughout the continent, but in northern Africa they were exterminated already in ancient times. Of the three living zebra species, the mountain and desert zebras are rare, while the savannah is quite common. These animals live in small herds, sometimes forming significant aggregations together with wildebeest, giraffes and other African ungulates.

Unlike equid mammals, artiodactyls have an even number of toes. This large order includes such famous animals as pigs, antelopes, deer, rams, and bulls. The most common member of the pig family is the wild boar; Two more unusual species, the brush-eared pig and the warthog, are found in Africa, but the most exotic representative of this group is undoubtedly the babirussa, living on the island of Sulawesi. The upper jaw of this pig is decorated with long thin fangs that grow upward and break through the skin; in old males they bend so strongly that they practically form a ring. The peccaries that inhabit Central and South America are similar to pigs, but given their origin and some anatomical features, they are classified into a separate independent family. The hippopotamus, or hippopotamus, which lives in eastern and southern Africa, can reach a weight of 3 tons with a shoulder height of about 160 centimeters. All four toes of the hippopotamus have small hooves, and the toes themselves are connected by a membrane, because most of the life of this animal is spent in water. The hippopotamus can easily walk along the bottom of a shallow reservoir and swims and dives well. After sunset, hippos come ashore to feed, and from generation to generation the animals use the same paths, trampling deep ruts, steps and ditches in the ground. However, few people know that the hippopotamus has a relative - the pygmy hippopotamus, which lives in the inaccessible jungles of Nigeria and Liberia. The weight of this animal does not exceed 250 kilograms, and its height is only 70 centimeters. Along with such giants as hippopotamuses, among the artiodactyls there are also very tiny animals, for example, deer, barely reaching the size of a hare. They do not have horns, but males have large, protruding, sharp fangs in the upper jaw. In contrast, male true deer grow new antlers every year. The exhibition presents many species of these animals, but the most interesting among them are the white-lipped and Alashan deer, hunted by N.M. Przhevalsky, as well as the North American white-tailed deer brought from California by I.G. Voznesensky. The most numerous group among artiodactyls are bovid animals: bulls, antelopes, goats and rams. The horns of these animals grow throughout their lives, but they are empty inside and seem to be mounted on the bony base of the skull. The museum's collection includes many stuffed ungulates: Philippine and African buffalos, bison and bison, yaks brought from Tibet by N. M. Przhevalsky, a large number of species of antelopes and gazelles from Africa and Southeast Asia. Many of the ungulates, such as duikers, bezoar and Nubian goats, European mouflon, goral, are currently rare in nature and are included in the Red Book. The small suborder Callosidae includes Old World camels and llamas, or humpless camels, found in South America. The ancestors of callosopods appeared more than 40 million years ago in North America, from where they subsequently spread to Asia, North Africa and Europe, as well as to South America. Now only one wild species (the Bactrian camel) is found in remote areas of Central Asia and two (guanaco and vicuna) in South America. As for the dromedary camel, llama and alpaca, they are known only in their domesticated state. In the exhibition you can see all these animals, but especially interesting are the wild camels brought from Mongolia by N.M. Przhevalsky. Only two species include another family of artiodactyls - giraffidae. About 20 million years ago, the ancestors of giraffes inhabited vast areas of Europe, Asia and Africa, but then their range sharply decreased. In the museum's display cases you can see both living species - the steppe and forest giraffe, or okapi. Okapi is probably one of the rarest species of ungulates; its discovery in 1901 created a real sensation among scientists.

The exhibition ends with a collection of carnivorous mammals. Predatory animals live on all continents except Antarctica, and inhabit all landscapes, from the ice fields of the Arctic to sandy deserts. They are extremely diverse in behavior, hunting methods and size: from the tiny weasel, which weighs only 25 grams, to the polar bear, which reaches almost a ton in weight. The history of carnivores began more than 60 million years ago, when a family of primitive marten-like predators, the miacids, formed. But only 30 million years later, this group took a dominant position among other terrestrial carnivores, and seven main families of carnivores emerged that make up the modern order. Probably the most versatile predators are wolfs, which include wolves, foxes, jackals and wild dogs. Most often, wolves live and hunt in packs, which among hyena dogs living in the savannahs of Africa can number up to 60 animals. However, among them there are also loners, such as the maned wolf - an inhabitant of South America, foxes or arctic foxes. The most numerous group of carnivores are mustelids. This family includes more than 50 species, including the well-known weasel, ermine, marten, badger and many others. Perhaps the most unusual of them is the sea otter, or sea otter, which lives in the northern waters of the Pacific Ocean. Sea otters live in small groups near the coast, where there are small bays, rocks and dense thickets of algae. They usually lie on the surface of the water for a long time, on their backs, resting or feeding; Females hold small cubs on their chests. The sea otter's fur is very thick and durable, which is why this animal was actively hunted. Now, as a result of protection, its number has increased noticeably, but still the sea otter is a rarity. Unfortunately, the situation with the sea otter is no exception: as a result of constant persecution, approximately 40% of mustelids are listed in the Red Book, although on average, for other families, this figure is about 15%. Endangered species include the Colombian weasel, European and Indonesian mink, and the giant otter; animals such as the sea mink and the black-footed ferret disappeared already in historical times. Another rare animal presented in the museum’s exhibition is the bamboo bear, or giant panda. It lives in the mountain forests of Southern China. The unusual black and white color of the fur, oddly enough, does a good job of camouflaging this slow-moving animal both in the summer, among thick bamboo stems, and in the winter on the snow. The campaign to save the giant panda was one of the first tasks of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, founded in 1948, and the image of this bear became the symbol of the organization itself. The remaining representatives of the bear family, with the exception of the brown one, are also few in number, which is associated both with the destruction of their habitats and with direct persecution by humans. The most specialized predators adapted to active hunting are felines. Distinctive features of this family are retractable claws and an extremely specialized dental system, especially pronounced in the saber-toothed cats, or mahairods, which became extinct about a million years ago. The largest number of cat species live in South America and Southeast Asia, and only a few, such as the lynx and puma, go far enough north. The largest of the wild cats is the tiger; it once lived on a vast territory from Transcaucasia to the Far East, but now its range has been catastrophically reduced, and many subspecies, such as the Turanian tiger, remain only in museum exhibitions. Noteworthy is the masterfully executed biogroup, representing two Amur tigers. It was made by an unknown artist about 200 years ago to decorate the halls of the Winter Palace, and in 1874 it was donated to the museum by Emperor Alexander II. At the end of the exhibition there is a large diorama representing a pride of lions resting. By the way, lions are the only cats that form such groups; other species prefer to survive and hunt alone. Another exception within the family concerns not social organization, but the method of hunting - we are talking about the cheetah. This unique predator is the only one of the cats that does not lie in wait, but drives its prey. This specialization allowed the cheetah to become the fastest mammal on earth - its throwing speed can reach 110 km/h. Concluding a far from complete review of the exhibition of predatory mammals, it should be noted that the greatest zoologists and travelers of the 19th century participated in its creation. Thus, the steppe cat was obtained by N.A. Severtsev, the red lynx, coyote, Laplat otter - by I.G. Voznesensky, manul - by E.A. Eversman, jaguarundi, maned wolf and small fox were brought from South America by G.I. Langsdorf , and the food-eating bears and the Tibetan fox were delivered by N.M. Przhevalsky.