Solution - Theater House - Tips - LiveJournal. Meeting the mammoth in the museum on Bolshaya Nikitskaya From the history of the Zoological Museum on B

Museums) is located in the very center of Moscow. His address is st. Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 6, at the intersection with Nikitsky Lane. The best way to get here, taking into account the eternal Moscow traffic jams, is by metro; from the Okhotny Ryad or V.I. Lenin Library stations, walk about five minutes, no more.

The museum is located in a historical building, which was built specifically for it in 1902. In the 70-80s of the last century, the building was reconstructed (this did not affect the appearance), the halls became more spacious, and the area of the museum increased.

Initially, the Zoological Museum was formed as a Natural Science Cabinet at Moscow State University. Then the zoological part was separated from it, which at that time made up the main collection of the museum, which was constantly replenished and is still being replenished. Today it has 4.5 million exhibits.

The entire museum is conventionally divided into three large components, which correspond to individual museum halls. The so-called Lower Hall contains the majority of animals - from single-celled ciliates to reptiles. In the Upper Hall you can see birds and mammals. Also on the second floor is the Bone Hall, the name of which speaks for itself.

Before visiting, it is better to choose a specific goal for yourself - for example, today you will examine marine life, next time mammals, and third time insects. In addition, the ticket price is quite affordable and encourages multiple visits. Even better is to book a tour. The Zoological Museum offers more than 30 different thematic excursions; the choice depends only on who you like best - animals and birds, for example, or reptiles. True, there are different guides here: sometimes you will listen to them, but there are also quite dull ones whose stories make you want to yawn. A thematic excursion for a group of schoolchildren costs 1,500 rubles, and an individual excursion will cost the same. For a group of adults, the cost of the excursion will be 2500 rubles.

Of course, if you have already left childhood and are not a fan of Discovery and Animal Planet, then think before going here, the museum may disappoint - there is nothing here except the actual stuffed animals and their skeletons, dried insects, and the remains of mollusks. Children, as a rule, are delighted with the museum. Of course, because here they can show a panda with a cub, a family of polar bears, a Przewalski’s horse, bright butterflies, and huge beetles. Children usually pester with the question: “Are they real?” Yes, everything here is real. It is impossible not to note the high skill of taxidermist artists (these are the people who make stuffed animals). I can’t wrap my head around how the carcass of a dead animal can be turned into a completely lively animal with sparkling eyes. You look at the wolf - as if he is about to attack you.

A feature of the museum associated with the abundance of stuffed animals is the persistent smell of mothballs, like from a grandmother’s chest. Boxes of mothballs (or maybe it’s some other chemical, but it smells exactly like mothballs) stand next to each stuffed animal. All the stuffed animals, by the way, are under glass, so photographing them is not very convenient due to glare.

In general in general Zoological Museum of Moscow State University leaves some strange impression. Such an academic atmosphere remains in few places in Moscow, except perhaps in the Lenin Library, and even then everything there is now electronic, but here it seems that you are in the 80s of the last century. The only thing that reminds us of the present is that there are trading stalls everywhere with all sorts of souvenirs on a zoological theme.

In conclusion, I would like to say that the Zoological Museum on Bolshaya Nikitskaya has undeservedly few visitors. But there are fewer and fewer museums of a purely educational rather than entertaining nature. The Zoological Museum is one of them, and it is one of the ten largest museums in the world in its subject matter and is the second largest zoological museum in Russia after St. Petersburg.

The State Zoological Museum of Moscow State University on Bolshaya Nikitskaya is the largest exhibition center in the capital.

It gives you the opportunity to appreciate how diverse the animal world is - even on the bas-reliefs on the façade there are images of animals, and the museum’s logo is a muskrat animal. This is an amazing building, full of the most amazing specimens of the fauna of our planet. I can’t even describe what it’s like to be in such a place... It’s better to see with your own eyes.

The building is located in the city center. Official information can be found on the museum website.

In contact with

History of origin

It was founded in 1791. At first, at the capital’s university there was a small office where natural history was studied. In fact, a small exhibition was created here a third of a century later, and it was called the “mineralogy cabinet.”

But when biological specimens were presented among the exhibition specimens, they were used to create a natural history cabinet. The head of the department was Ivan Andreevich Sibirsky.

It is important to know: P.G. made a great contribution to the formation of exhibits. Demidov, who at the beginning of the 19th century donated magnificent exhibits and a library to the center.

The first inventory of the new property dates back to 1806-1807. But a fire in 1812 caused great damage to the complex, its property was almost destroyed.

G.I. Fisher began active restoration; he attracted a large number of collectors and naturalists, and after some time the fund consisted of six thousand exhibits. And six years later, the center’s property doubled.

By the beginning of the 30s. In the 19th century, the collection volume consisted of 25 thousand items. The building on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street was built at the beginning of the 20th century. The project for it was developed by K.M. Bykovsky. And by the 30s. last century, the institution was transferred to the Biological Faculty of Moscow State University.

Exhibitions

The exhibition in this case represents almost ten thousand copies. It begins with single-celled organisms, shown through artificial modeling, and ends with large reptiles and bison.

The main exhibition provides an opportunity to get acquainted with animals from all over the world and is organized according to class method (starting from the protozoa and gradually moving to the order of vertebrates).

The lower hall, located on the 1st floor, displays a wide variety of animals. Visitors can see here both a single-celled organism and a large reptile.

The number of exhibits is so huge that you could spend several days exploring. The 2nd floor is occupied by the upper hall, which is completely “populated” by birds and mammals. There is also a Bone Hall here. The exhibition in this case provides an overview of the animals from the inside. Visitors here can see:

mammoth skeleton;
fake rhinoceros;
fake elephant;
fake hippopotamus;
stuffed crocodile and boa constrictor.

For visitors who want to learn more about animals, the staff of the establishment organizes lectures. They are carried out taking into account children's age characteristics.

On weekends, fascinating lectures for children and parents are given by the Biolektorium. The lobby and exhibition spaces display paintings by famous animal painters. There are works here:

V.A. Vatagina;
N.N. Kondakova and others.

What interesting things you should know about the zoo museum:

The symbol of the museum is the Russian muskrat, listed in the Red Book of Russia. She is depicted on the emblem;
The entomology department has a collection of 4 million insect specimens;

In addition to lectures, the institution’s staff conduct interactive classes for children of different age groups and organize children’s birthday parties;
Every Saturday and Sunday “Biolectory” holds lectures for parents with children aged five years and older. The features and secrets of biology are presented here in an easy, relaxed manner;
The museum has a “Scientific Terrarium” that introduces visitors to the peculiarities of the life of reptiles. The opening hours of the “Scientific Terrarium” are from 11.00 to 17.00 on weekends. You will need a separate ticket to visit it. The price of such a ticket includes not only an exciting narrative, but also the opportunity to hold rare animals in your hands;

Interesting fact: at the end of the last century, the institution was given the name Research Zoological Museum of Lomonosov Moscow State University. After numerous changes of status, this name is still valid.

A youth club was organized for high school and college students; it is based on the original development of researcher E. Dunaev.

Address

The exhibition complex is located at the address: Moscow, Bolshaya Nikitskaya street, building 6. It is not difficult to find. It is located directly in the center of the capital.

Is it difficult to reach by public transport? Not at all - having taken the metro to the Library named after. Lenin" or "Okhotny Ryad", you need to head to house No. 6 on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street (this is the former Herzen Street). The location you are looking for is located nearby and can be reached in less than ten minutes.

Operating mode

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., it is open to visitors. Mondays only - days off. The last Tuesday of the month is also non-working.

Ticket prices

For adult visitors, the ticket price is 200 rubles. For school-age children, students and pensioners there is a discounted price of 50 rubles.

Children under seven years of age have the opportunity to visit exhibitions without tickets. This is also allowed for persons belonging to preferential categories.

If you come with the whole family or a group, you can book an excursion. For a group of 7 people it will cost 1,500 rubles.

If you arrive without a group, but want to ask for a guide, then just purchase a ticket for 250 rubles. for an adult and 100 rub. for a child and join any large excursion group.

Visitor reviews

The fact that this place is truly very interesting is evidenced by numerous positive reviews from visitors. Here are some of them:

“I’ve lived in Moscow for almost 50 years, but this was my first time visiting the zoo museum. And I was pleasantly surprised. Everything turned out to be very educational. I recommend visiting, it won’t be a waste of time” Alexander, 48 years old, Moscow;
“I went to the exhibition on the advice of friends, and did not regret it at all. The exposition turned out to be simply unique. Allowed to take free photos” Anastasia, 45 years old, Reutov;

“I brought my seven-year-old daughter to the Zoological Institute. To make the excursion more interesting, we hired a guide. The child received a lot of impressions, especially impressed by the exhibition of animal skeletons” Lydia, 36 years old, Balashikha;
“We came to get acquainted with zoology with our three children (9, 7 and 5 years old), we left the car in the parking lot. The establishment pleased me with its excellent exhibits and cleanliness. The whole family had great fun, the children were delighted with the starfish, the she-wolf with her cubs, the squirrel and the big sea turtle.” Evgeniy and Svetlana, Yegoryevsk, Moscow region;
“The zoo museum has an exhibition of sea mollusks, and my son is very interested in them. We can say that we came for this exhibition. Immediately on the spot we became interested in other exhibits and had a pleasant time. All the information turned out to be informative and interesting. The staff here is very well-mannered and polite. It turns out that on Sundays they hold special classes for schoolchildren, you should definitely attend these lectures.” Angelina, 36 years old, Moscow.

What excursions are held at the Zoological Museum, see the following video.

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 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 male’s mouth 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 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 foods that usually do 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.

At the Russian Academy of Sciences there is a Zoological Museum, which is the largest in our country both in terms of territory and in terms of the volume of funds. Second place is firmly held by a similar institution at Moscow State University. The Zoological Museum is not one of the ten largest similar institutions in the world.

Famous philanthropists of Russia

The story of its creation is as follows. In 1802, the state issued an appeal for donations for education. Among the first to respond was the learned naturalist and philanthropist Pavel Grigorievich Demidov (1739-1821), a descendant of a famous dynasty. His ascetic activity was very extensive - at his own expense, in 1803 he opened a school of higher sciences, which bore his name until 1919. At the same time, he donates funds in the amount of 100,000 rubles, an extensive library and the natural science collection he collected while traveling around the world to the future Moscow State University. The Zoological Museum will be created thanks to these donations. In addition, in 1805, P. G. Demidov transferred the Mints office to Moscow University, which contained the richest collections (several thousand) of medals and coins. These treasures subsequently formed the main fund of the “cabinet of natural history” formed earlier, in 1791.

Professional approach

In 1755, by decree of the Empress, the Imperial Moscow University - MSU was founded. The Zoological Museum is 36 years younger, which does not prevent it from being considered one of the oldest natural science organizations. He turned 215 years old.

After the funds of the “cabinet of natural history” were significantly replenished through the efforts of philanthropist P. G. Demidov, the need arose to systematize them. This important task was entrusted to the already well-established (he compiled an inventory of a similar office in Paris) Russian naturalist G.I. Fischer (full name - Grigory Ivanovich (Johann Gottgelf, Gotthelf) Fischer von Waldheim, years of life - 1771-1853). A student and follower of the author of the dissertation “On the Respiration of Animals,” G. I. Fischer rejected the offer of the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, which invited him to systematize his “cabinet of natural history,” and remained in Moscow, at the future Moscow State University. The Zoological Museum was created through his efforts.

Ascetic activity

In 1806-1807, he carried out the first inventory of all collections, including coins and medals. As you know, in 1812 Moscow burned. A lot of buildings were destroyed in this fire; the priceless collections of the future Zoological Museum were almost completely destroyed. And the Russian patriot Grigory Ivanovich Fischer, who managed to save part of the conchological collection (shells and mollusks) during the fire, began to restore the “office”, transferring his own collections, collections and library to it. Then, using his personal authority and fame in scientific circles, he turned to naturalists and curators of private collections with a request for help in restoring the lost museum, the revival of which could be discussed already in 1814. The second inventory, carried out by G.I. Fisher, was completed in 1822, and its data were published. Simultaneously with the systematization of funds, the zoological collection was allocated, and a new museum at the university was created only on its basis. By 1830, thanks to the selfless activity of G.I. Fisher, the number of exhibits reached 25 thousand units.

Necessary reconstruction

The next improvement was carried out already in 1860. Then all the museum’s funds were divided into educational, scientific and exhibition. For visitors, the future Zoological Museum of Moscow State University named after. Lomonosov opened in 1866. Of course, throughout the years of its existence it developed dynamically, and by the end of the century the premises allocated for it became cramped. And therefore, in 1989-1902, a new specialized three-story building was built for the museum according to the design of the academician, hereditary architect K. M. Bykovsky, at that time the chief architect of Moscow University. He built university buildings on Bolshaya Nikitskaya, in addition to the Zoological Museum, K. M. Bykovsky erected a library and buildings of several faculties.

A beautiful building, made in a classical style, located in the very heart of the capital. The nearest metro stations are Biblioteka im. Lenin" and "Okhotny Ryad". The museum moved into it from the old building on Mokhovaya. After the move, the museum became public only in 1911.

In 1930, the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University in Moscow was given to the Faculty of Biology. A serious reorganization took place in the 90s of the last century. After all the ordeals, the museum acquires independent status. Today its scientific funds reach several million units.

It is visited by up to 150,000 people a year, the number of excursions conducted during the same time reaches 1,700. More refined and extensive information on each type of scientific collections is widely available. Three well-equipped observation rooms are given to visitors - two on the first floor, one (Bone Hall) on the second. All collections are arranged according to species proximity, from protozoa to vertebrates.

Serious scientific research

The Research Zoological Museum of Moscow State University carries out serious work - it studies and systematizes knowledge about animals in general, and modern ones in particular. Therefore, out of the available 10 million exhibits, only 8 are exhibited, among which there are unique representatives of the world fauna, for example, the largest and heaviest Goliath beetle and hundreds of other one-of-a-kind specimens. It is not surprising that Muscovites begin to visit this museum at a very young age - they come here with one-year-old children and are satisfied with the excursion. The Zoological Museum, about which most people have the most positive reviews, is really very good, keeps up with the times, providing all the “tricks” that can attract and interest the largest possible number of visitors. And the tour guides here are extraordinary people. But always, when visiting any museum in the world, there will be people who think that the guides speak quietly and the exhibits are covered with dust. The photo shows that this is not the case.

Ticket prices, reviews, interesting facts

You can see the colorfulness and high level of the collections by visiting the museum. The ticket price is only 100 rubles for a child in an excursion group of at least 20 people. For an adult with excursion service - 250 rubles, without excursion - 200. There is a flexible system of benefits, free days for special categories of citizens and one free night a year.

Periodic exhibitions are very interesting. Some visitors buy tickets in advance with prepayment. It remains to add a few interesting facts - for some time Marina Tsvetaeva lived in the apartment of Professor A.N. Severtsev, located in the building of the museum, which was the founder of the evolutionary morphology of animals. And he himself served as the prototype of the hero of “Fatal Eggs” by M. A. Bulgakov.