Wolf
 There are two subpieces in the region: in tundra and forest tundra - tundra wolf and in taiga zone - Siberian forest wolf. The first subspeices is smaller and of light coloration. The second one is bigger, light grey with a darker back and without ochre tinges. Taymyr wolves' weight is: male-wolves - nearly 40kg (up to 52kg), female-wolves - nearly 35kg (up to 40kg). Taiga male-wolves weight up to 70kg. Wolves avoid unbroken and very snowy taiga. The minimum size falls on near-Enisey taiga, where there is the deepest blanket of snow. There are only few wolves in Evenkia, in basin of Podkamennaya Tunguska and to the north up to Nizhnya Tunguska River. Here we can meet wolves mainly in winter. In places, where snow is not very deep (especially in the East), wolves make dens. In Krasnoyarsk region now-a-days hunting for wolf rarely exceeds 300 animals, 2/3 of this number fall on Taymyr and Evenkia and 1/3 on southern regions of the krai. The region of the biggest size spread all over Taymyr's tundra, forest tundra and Evenkian northern taiga. The region takes the space from Pyasina up to Hatanga and Kotuy, including the upper reaches of this river. In the very this region there a lot of migrating herds of wild deer. Apparently nearly 300-400 wolves remained on this area. Total number of animals, which inhabit the krai, is no more than 600. In tundra, according to Norilsk zoologists' calculation, in good areas the size reaches 15- 30 animals (with young ones) per 100 square km; during migrations the size of animals on some areas increases 10 times. Run is on the south of the krai in January- February, on Taymyr is in March. Pregnancy period is 63- 65 days. On the north newborn wolves appear in the second half of May - in the beginning of June. Dens are set in lairs, cracks of rocks, in caves. There are 5- 7 cubs in a brood, on Taymyr up to 11 ones. In the north life of wolves is closely connected with wild deer herbs, wolves migrate with them. On Taymyr wolves lead a settled life only 3 months a year; in May- July in the north main prey is wild deer. Sometimes wolves prey on elks, hares, and rams. In summer rodents (lemmings and field mice) and birds are usual as food. In the southern part of krai the most usual food - roe deer, sometimes - Siberian stag, elk; in summer - rodents (often long tail marmots), bids. Here wolves very often attack domestic cattle - sheep, horses, pigs and cows. In winter wolves leave tundra. Some animals, which left, eat wild deer in places of mass hunting and follow hunters, eating their quarry.
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Big goose (weight 3,5- 4,5 kg) with gray- brown coloration and two- color beak: black with orange stripe. During flying, voice is two-syllable repeating cackling. During flights flocks are usual, but it nests two by two. Not in great numbers, gumenniks nest everywhere in remote places of middle and southern taiga. Summer food: mostly cotton grass, sedge and horsetail. In spring they eat mostly horsetail; in autumn they eat blueberry with a great pleasure.
East- sibirian appearance. Duck of medium size, much smaller than mallard. Long crest is on the head. Three- level wing feathers are lengthened in a shape of original braids. Drake has big green head with a "braid" and white neck. A female bird doesn't have braids. She is of black- brown coloration with scaled crop. Male and female birds have almost black paws and beak. Male bird's voice is low whistle with tremulous ending, like "uit- trr", female bird's voice is very hoarse, rough quacking. It nests on Nyzhnya Tunguska at Evenkian Eastern borders. At Podkamennaya Tunguska upper waters - swallow is a usual duck.
Big (a bit bigger than singa) diving thickset duck of black coloration. Female bird is dark- brown with light spots along head sides. Unlike singa, turpan has white mirror on the wing and white spot near eyes. Beak is of bright orange color, beak bottom is swollen. Paws are red, female birds have dirty red paws. It dives very well. It rises from the water heavily and reluctantly, flies low but quickly. Voice is hoarse, rough cawing, like "kraa- kraa- kra." Nests are on dry places in dense grass, among hummocks. The duck eats molluscs, insect grubs, small fish.
Upper part is black brown, lower part and near tail is white. Breast and neck are black with partycoloured spots; it is dark under wings. By the contrast between black back and white near- tail part it is easily recognized when flight. Legs are dark, greenish, and a bit shorter than other birds of the kind have. Song is ringing, “metallic”: “ti- titi- vi- titivivi…” It usually cries when flight: “tlui- tlui…” The bird is rather careful but at a nest and nestling is bold and noisy. Wood- cock. It lives near remote forest bogs, rivers and lakes, in Evenkia it was found in 1978 by Vakhrushev A. A. on breedingsite in watershed northern larch forests, 40 km to the north from Tura settlement. The bird is usual in the southern taiga, further to the north it is not easy to be met. Chernysh is almost the only cock, who makes nests on trees, usually in nests left by crows, thrushes and jays. As a rule, female bird hatches, male bird guards the nest, lets her know about danger and female bird flies off the nest beforehand and unnoticed. It eats different kinds of invertebrate and near water only.
Big gull (weight 1000- 1200 g, wing- spread up to 1,5 m), much bigger than similar dove- colored gulls. Wings and back are dove- colored; all the rest is white. Wing tips are black, beak is yellow with red spot under it, and legs are of pink color. It flies very well but not quickly. Flaps are light. Sometime it uses airflow for floating. It walks and swims very well, but rarely dives. It has a rest at sandbanks, rocks, rarely perches on trees. Often stays in flocks. When flight, voice is loud laughter. It is careful but rather aggressive at a nest. It nests by colonies or separated couples. Lives mostly on big water bodies, mainly on lakes. When flight it keeps to big rivers. In tundra it nests on bogs, lakes, small water bodies by 2- 3 couples. On big lakes (Khantayskoye etc.) it occupies stony and sandy islands, where it settles colonies, which have 50- 70 nests. In swamped tundra, it makes nests in a shape of heaps from stalks and leaves. Nests, which are built on stony little islands and dry hillocks, don’t demand much of material. In a clutch there are 2- 3 big (nearly 100 g) brown- green or olive- green eggs, with dark spots. On Taimyr it mostly eats lemmings and field- mice, catches nestling, specially ducklings, fish. It constantly robs fishermen nests. It eats garbage of fishing and wild deer hunting. In places where there are great numbers of aquatic birds, silvery gull is harmful as it wipes out their nestling.
Tern of medium size with narrow long wings (weight 100- 120 g) and a forked tail with very long outside steering feathers. Back- part is pale blue- gray, lower part is white. There is a bright black cap on the head. Beak is straight, pointed. Birds of the southern and western parts of the krai, which fall under the category of western subspecies, have a beak red or yellow- red at base with black top. Northern terns and terns which live in Turukhansky region, Evenkia, at Angara river etc. have a black beak. Mixed beak coloration is met as well. Flight is light and quick, very often it folds wings and plunge into the water for catch. It walks very bed and reluctantly. Voice is harsh and shrill “kirrrya” or soft “ki- ki- ki.” It is not careful, aggressive at nests. It nests by colonies on sand- bars or pebble- bars, on lake or river islands, sometimes on flooded areas and bogs. It eats mostly fry, insects, different kinds of invertebrate.
Typical inhabitant of Sibirian taiga. This beast of prey is very slippery and strong for it’s size. Male- bird’s weight is 1100- 1800g, female- bird’s weight – 1500g. It lives on- land way of life, moves by jumps. Traces are big pair imprints of 5x7 up to 6x10cm size. Jump’s length is 30- 70cm. It climbs trees very well. It has hearing and sense of smell very well developed, eyesight is weaker. Voice is rumbling, like cats have. It moves easily through soft snow. Pelt's coloration varies and it's variations have special names. “Golovka” – is the darkest (almost black) and the most expensive. “Mekhovoy” – coloration is very light, sandy- yellow or straw- colored – the cheapest. Intermediate coloration: “podgolovka”, “vorotovoy”. The last is the most widespread in krai. Pelts of that coloration are of brown tone with dark belt on the back, lighter sides and a big bright throat spot. The animal prefers dark- coniferous lumbered taiga, especially it likes cedar- forests. By the 30s of this century sable was almost completely exterminated in krai and only small number of it left within some isolated areas. Later, as a result of protection measures, numbers recovered up to the primary level of 17th century. In 1961- 1963 sable numbers in krai reached maximum. Then, as a result of over- hunting, sable reserves started to reduce in many places. The situation, which set successful development of hunting economy in danger, arose. This situation is not improved till now- a- days. We accept the following approximate estimation of sable numbers: many – 25 sables more per 100 square kilometres; average – 12- 25; very few – 12; rare – single. Sometimes the gradation “very many” is distinguished (50 more). But, as a rule, with such density sable inhabits only isolated places, which are not large ones. On the whole, in typical northern taiga the numbers are “average” and “very few”. In the middle and northern taiga only in Evenkia there is no over- hunting (80% land development). Quarry volume approaches increment size, i.e. normal usage. Preparations fell but not so sudden as in the south: in Evenkia it dropped from 26 down to 22 thousands of pelts. In the Far North taiga sable is rare everywhere, except of some lacustrine hollows, but area of good taiga plots in hollows is infinitesimal.
Big animal. Bull weight is up to 500- 600kg, crest height is up to 2m. Usual weight of Eniseysky elk – 200- 300kg. Cows are smaller. There are two subspecies living in krai: European, small (to the west from Enisey river) and big, East- Sibirian – to the east from Enisey river. New- born elk weights 13- 16kg. Bulls’ voice during a run is hoarse, harsh roar. In Evenkia there are o lot of elks in lowlands rich with water bodies. Sometimes many elks live on low taiga plateaus, where there are rich dense bush valleys on the smooth surfaces of the upper reaches of rivers. There are twice fewer elk in the northern taiga than in the middle one. Before, the southern taiga was richer with elks than the middle one, but now elks in the middle taiga are exposed to hunting and numbers of elks in both subzones became nearly equal. Average density in not rich forest- lands of the north of the krai can be increased twice or three times (up to 20- 30 heads per 100 square km). Numbers rise is restrained by excessive poaching hunting. In the north regions of the krai only, no less than 5- 6 thousands of animals are hunted every year, although legal amount is 500- 600 heads. Run is in September or first half of October. Calving is in May – beginning of June (one- two calves). On the third day little elk starts to walk easily, on the fifth it is difficult to catch him up, and on the tenth day it keeps pace with it’s mother. Lactation is 3,5- 4 months, i.e. before a run. During 6 months elk’s weight increases up to 120- 130kg, average daily overweight is up to 2kg. Male- elks put on weight till they are ten, female- elks – till 4- 5 years old. Male- animals throw off horns in November- December. New horns growth begins in April, they get hardened in July. Moulting is in spring. Elks swim very well, but sometimes they die in water, especially in autumn when they fall down under ice. The most dangerous beasts of prey are bears and wolves. Sometimes a glutton attacks elks.
Deer of medium size. In autumn weight of bulls is up to 100- 220kg. Weight of antlers is up to 11- 12kg. Newborn deer weight is 6- 7kg. Bulls and cows have antlers but sometimes hornless she-deer are met (in Sayan mountains there are up to 25- 33% of such deer). There are no sex distinctions in coloration. Moult is from the end of winter till the end of summer. By the end of winter deer get very lighter, sometimes they get almost white. Hoofs are big and flat, they are adjusted for walking on snow or bogs. Load on 1 square cm of a footprint is 4 times less than even elk's load (140g and 560g). Very large number of it is in Evenkia (60 000 head). For the last 15 years the number of it increased two times in Evenkia. Mass calving takes place in the second half of June. In July deer concentrate in big herds. High concentration of "wild animals" is observed no more than a week. Then, after fall in temperature, herds fall apart. In August and September deer disperse in tundra; in August migration to south begins. The migration is up the hill, to "Putoran" foothills, to the northeastern part of Evenkia, to Kotuy river basin. Deer hibernate here. Migration ways are rather regular, but sometimes deer changes them. Wild deer food is motley grass, rags, small bushes, mushrooms, and lichen. Lichen takes smaller part in wild deer food, than in food of domestic reindeer. In the end of September deer have a run, it begins in September and mainly takes place in October. Moult is ended by the time when run is begun, antlers harden; bulls' state of nourishment is close to maximum, neck gets much thicker. Fights are very often between bulls. Cows' puberty comes when they are two years old. Bulls' puberty comes when they are three. Period of pregnancy is 230 days. A hind brings one calf, very rarely two ones. Reindeer is a very valuable trade species, which gives fine meat and warm pelt. Pelt is suitable for sleeping-bag manufacture. In fur industry pelts of young deer are used - "pyzhik", "vyporotka", "nyebluy". Antlers are used for souvenir production. Very good suede is made from skin.
Important hunt species. It inhabits all forest and tundra zones of the country. Length of the body is 50- 75cm. In tundra and forest-tundra - tundra type of the hare lives, to the south - taiga type. In summer it is brown with grey or ochre tinges. There is no black hair on the tail. In winter it is pure white with black tips of years. The number of hare change very much from year to year: mass reproduction and declines in number are characteristic for the species. Size is very high in south tundra, forest tundra and in the Far North taiga. In typical north taiga size is much more low than in the far North taiga. In general, in an unbroken taiga there are few hares. The lowest size of hare is in the Middle and Southern taiga. Valley ribbon type of hare settlement is sharply expressed here. In thin forests of the North and in the South tundra hares inhabits watersheds as well. During wintering, places of blue hare congestion are forest tundra and the Far North taiga; mainly along big rivers valleys (along Enisey river mainly). In an unbroken taiga blue hare prefers inhabit new slash fires, bog edges. In the south of the region it lives almost everywhere: in forest steppe, subtaiga, taiga and even in steppe; especially in hilly steppe with hawthorn and birch groves. In pinewoods it keeps to edges. It avoids dark and thick taiga, prefers light forests, slash fires and river valleys with osier-beds and meadows. Blue hare is active during night or in the morning generally. In summer it digs holes in tundra; as shelter it uses stone deposits; often it lives in colonies by 15- 20, sometimes up to 80 animals. In winter it digs shallow den in snow for rest, sometimes length of the hole is up to 1m. Pregnancy period is up to 50 days. There are 3- 6 newborn hares in a brood. In summer it eats grass; in winter - sprouts and bark of a willow, birch, aspen, hawthorn and others. In the south it harms gardens, because it eats bark of fruit trees. On Taymyr moulting is in May- June in spring, and in August- September in autumn. In the beginning of October, pelt corresponds to the third sort. It gives tasty meat and good but not strong pelt.
Hare-like small animals of a rat size. Body length is 17- 25cm. Tail is very short and inconspicuous from the outside. Ears are big round and their length is equal to half of head length approximately. Paws are rather short. Summer fur on the back is light brown usually, sometimes it is dark-brown. Winter fur is grey, with a tinge of yellow on the head and sides. They utter typical loud whistle, which reminds the whistle of a bird. Northern hares of one colony warn animals of the other colony of danger by whistles. Northern hare is a typical species of the mountain taiga and not only of highlands (Khlebnikov and Shtilmark, 1965). Large number of northern hare is in the areas, where there are stone deposits, covered with moss or outcrops of radical rocks. Also there are a lot of the animals along the upper reaches of small taiga rivers and brooks. Here are very good protective conditions because of lumbered territory. In appropriate places it settles by colonies, very often by big ones. Sometimes density of its population reaches 40- 60 animals per 1ha. In taiga it settles by small settlements. It reproduces in summer. Shelters are hollows between stones or under tree rocks. There are 1- 2 offspring a year. In the south there are 4- 5, in the north -1- 3 newborn animals. The method by which these hares lay in food (plants' stalks and leaves) for winter is very interesting. Animals lay food out on the stones, dry it, and than they put it into rocks' cracks or stacks. Very often other inhabitants of taiga (reindeer, musk deer, blue hare and even bear) use northern hare's hay reserves. In summer except of above-land parts of plants, northern hares eat roots, plants' tubers and bulbs, sprouts of wood and bush sorts. Also they eat flowers, berries, fruits and seeds of plants and cap mushrooms as well. Northern hares, which live not in the forest, lay in grassy plants (especially cereals) for winter; and animals of the forest zone - mainly lay in bushes' small branches (dog rose, blue berry, juniper, alder scrubs, black current and etc.). On rather flat parts they lay in hay reserves in fin obstructions along riverbanks and under roots. Northern hare is undoubtedly useful, because it is a reserve food for sable and other fur-bearing beasts of prey, especially in the northern part of the krai. In Evenkia sometimes it is one of the main foods for sable.
Small animal, a bit smaller than squirrel, with a long fluffy tail. Body length is 135- 205mm, tail's length is 90- 140mm. Head is round, with big dark eyes; ears are small, without tassels. Paws are joined together with a skin web, covered with fur. The web tightens when the animal jumps, all the rest time it is folded. Fur is soft, light grey, sometimes with yellow tinge; belly is whitish. It is a night secretive crepuscular animal; in winter it feeds during daylight as well. It lives on trees, climbs up the trunk and branches very neatly; also it jumps from tree to tree. Volant squirrel stretches its web just like a parachute and glides from one treetop to other tree trunk middle. The animal overcomes up to 50m distance. There are more volant squirrels in forests and along reservoirs' banks. It makes nests in hollows, in artificial wild hives, sometimes in rock cracks. Reproduction begins in April. Apparently, there is only one brood, and there are 2- 4 new born animals in it. It doesn't hibernate, but animals' activity drops sharply. It eats buds, sprouts, leaves, wood plants' seeds, mushrooms, berries, and insects. It lays in birch branches with buds for winter.
Very important fur-bearing species. It is wide spread everywhere in forest zone and in forest-tundra. There are no squirrels in tundra, non-forest highlands and steppes. Squirrel rarely inhabits larch thin forests, forest tundra and the Far Northern taiga, because its enemy - sable inhabited these places. It inhabits taiga of all types. Especially it likes cedar-forests. Main conditions of inhabitation are availability of old or mature coniferous forests, which give harvest of seeds. In connection with it, squirrel doesn't inhabit slash fires, felling areas and silkworm moths. Food is seeds of coniferous plants (spruce, cedar, larch, fir, pine), sometimes mushrooms. It eats buds, sprouts, nestling, birds' eggs, and insects. It lays in reserves for winter, but sometimes doesn't find them. Usually it is active in the morning and in the evening; in winter it is active all day long. While strong frosts and wind it doesn't go feeding. It builds ball-like nest on the tree - shelter with a chamber covered with moss, lichen, bast and rags. The nest has one or two exits. Squirrel has rest and breeds newborn squirrels here. The size of a squirrel is subjected to fluctuation, it depends on crop of coniferous trees' seeds. During years of poor crops, big migrations take place, squirrels go away for hundreds of kilometers. Small migrations take place every year. Coupling is in February- March or in June. Pregnancy period is 35- 40 days. Squirrels give two broods. In the northern taiga, during years of poor crops, there can be only one brood. There are from three up to eight newborn squirrels in a brood. Moult is in spring (April- May) and in autumn (September- October). In Evenkia up to 800 000 pelts were got. During last decades, squirrel size reduced sharply and now it is only 66 000 pelts per year in average. Not only pelt getting reduced sharply (because of the fact that hunters paid more attention to sable hunting), but also size of squirrel. Now in taiga covered with sable imprints you can meet no squirrel imprints for may be a day, though these places were rich with squirrels before.
It is a usual animal of the krai and in some places there are a lot of it. It inhabits all the krai, to the north till limits of forest zone. In forest tundra, even in the northern one, bears live constantly and make dens. In general, size of bear in Krasnoyarsky krai reduced sharply, because of the fact that it is hunted. There are only few regions, where there are a lot of bears. These are Turukhansky region, some areas of southern and middle Evenkia, of Priangarye and of remote mountains of krai's south. Puberty comes when they are 4- 5 years old. 1- 3 newborn bears (usually 2) are born in a den in February. She-bear feeds young ones with milk till they are 6 months. Going out from dens is in the end of April - in May, over the frozen snow. Going into dens is in the first half of October. Period of time of being in a den is nearly 7 months in the north of the krai. The first winter and sometimes the second one as well, small bears go into a den together with their mother. Moult is since June up to August. Nourishment base is vegetable food. In spring and summer grassy plants are prevailing in food: bear's onion, Siberian cowparship, and horsetail. A bear gives apparent preference to bear's onion and umbrella-shaped plants. When berries ripen, bears begin to eat them. They eat black and red current, bilberries, blue berries, raspberries, foxberries, bird cherry and ash berries almost with the same pleasure. Favorite autumn food are cedar nuts. Insects mainly present animal food, chiefly by ants and their grubs. Bears eat fish with a great pleasure and they live near river channels because there are a lot of fish there. Very often bears attack wild hoofed animals (elk, Siberian stag, reindeer) and domestic animals.