Animals of Crimea: types and habitats

Crimea is rightly called "little Australia." This peninsula includes three climatic zones at once, therefore many different animals live on its territory.

Crimea has a rather modest area of ​​27 thousand square kilometers, but at the same time 50 salt lakes and 257 rivers are concentrated on it. The Black and Azov Seas are washed by mountains and steppes. All of the above factors determined the species diversity of animals, fish, birds and insects that live in the region. There is evidence that in former times even ostriches and giraffes lived here, but amid climate change, they were replaced by less heat-loving animals.

The fauna of the steppes of Crimea includes white-bellied shrew, gopher, jerboa, hamster, mole vole, foxes and many other representatives of the animal world. Among birds of these latitudes are found bee-eater, blue rodents, bustard, cranes, strept, steppe looney and eagles.

You can rarely see a steppe viper here, people are much more common four-lane runners and fast lizards. Nest in the Crimean steppe world herons, mallards, long-nosed groats, cranes.

One of the most popular animals of the steppe - corsac. The steppe fox, dubbed corsac, belongs to the canine family. The body length of the animal is about half a meter, and the tail is up to 35 cm. The weight of an adult is no more than that of a large cat.

The corsac coat has a gray-yellow hue with a redhead, while the fur is lighter from below, and the tip of the tail of this fox is darkened. In pursuit of prey, Korsak speeds up to 60 km per hour. He does not mind eating rodents, birds, and does not disdain carrion.

In the foothills of the Crimea there are wolves, squirrels, but here you will not meet many of the usual inhabitants of Russian forests. But these lands are inhabited by representatives of various Balkan, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and endemic species.

The rich fauna is represented on the northern slopes of Yaila, in the territory of the Crimean nature reserve. A specially protected natural area is inhabited Crimean deer, Crimean chamois, marten and stone marten. Local animals are distinguished by unique features. For example, they walk in their “summer” fur coat all year round.

Let's talk about some interesting inhabitants of the foothills of the Crimea in more detail.

• The white-handed. The second name of the stone marten is the white-breasted. She is so named because of the white fur on her breast and shirt-front. Slender and nimble, she easily makes her way into the chicken coops, but can also enjoy berries.

• Noble deer. It is rightfully considered the pride of the Crimea. The head of this forest beast is decorated with luxurious horns, which increase with age. Herds of deer can be heard by the characteristic roar that is carried through the forest. In winter, they get closer to the gardens to find food there.

• Mouflon. This is the name of the mountain sheep, which took root in this region even in tsarist times. Its horns have the form of a spiral, the weight can reach two centners. The acclimatization of this beautiful animal was not without difficulties, therefore, the mouflon belongs to protected species. In summer, they hide from the heat in shady rocks and go out to eat grass only in the evening, and in winter, due to lack of food, they get closer to human houses.

• Roe deer. During the active resettlement of people, these animals were driven further into the mountains. They do not have tools for protection against predators in the form of horns, but nature endowed these graceful animals with very good hearing. It allows roe deer to hear the enemy from afar.

• Doe. It rarely appears in the foothills of the peninsula. Nimble, dodgy and very beautiful animals can hardly adapt to the conditions of the Crimea. It is not yet possible to significantly increase the population of these artiodactyls, but local residents are trying to protect the animal from the attacks of poachers.

The south coast is replete with reptiles and invertebrates.

• Crimean gecko. These brisk creatures love to live in old buildings, where for them there will always be deep cracks and various tunnels. For this reason, in former times they lived in old houses and courtyards.

They saved people from hordes of insects and thereby rendered services to humans. But today in the cities their population has declined. The reason was the active development of territories, as well as the attacks of cats, who are not averse to feasting on these cute lizards.

• Mantis. It got its name because of the raised forelegs. Of course, these creatures do not hold their limbs in such a position to offer prayer. They just spend a lot of time in ambush, pedantically tracking down the prey, and from such a pose it is easier for them to attack it. The growth of a mantis reaches 5 centimeters, so sometimes they enter into a fight with sparrows.
• Crimean ground beetle. This protected inhabitant of Crimea has a purple color, which shimmers with different colors. It is better not to touch it, otherwise a five-centimeter beetle will give off a scaring secret. Shellfish and snails become prey for ground beetles.

Among the feathered inhabitants of the coast, birds such as herons, mallards, cranes. In total, there are more than 200 species of birds of the Crimea, however, among them there are no unique ones living only in this region.

More than two hundred fish live in numerous reservoirs of the peninsula, with a quarter of them periodically visiting the waters of the Crimea from the Bosphorus. A lot in the region frogs, toads and newts. Only one poisonous snake lives here - it’s steppe viper. It lives in water bodies and swamp turtle.

The fingers of this animal are equipped with membranes that allow it to swim better, and the size of the shell usually does not exceed 15 cm in diameter. Turtles have a daily routine - they sleep until dawn, and then begin to hunt small fish. Also, these animals are not averse to tasting plant foods. They spend the winter burrowing in silt.

In addition to animals that can not cause harm to humans, quite dangerous creatures live in Crimea, it is better to avoid meeting them.

This dangerous species is found not only in the steppes and forests, sometimes it can be seen in urban areas. The bite of a female black widow can be fatal. If it happened, then you need to burn it with a match head or an incandescent object on fire and immediately go to the doctor. If help is delayed, severe body aches, trembling hands and feet and dizziness will begin, hallucinations occur due to damage to the nervous system.

Ringed scolopendras are not as dangerous as black widows, but their bite can cause serious discomfort. The bite is able to unsettle for several days, all this time the victim feels heat, aching muscles, and the very place of the bite can hurt for a long time. Scolopendra lives on the peninsula everywhere, and besides, it is very agile - suddenly appears and disappears just as suddenly.

Its habitat is wide: mountains, steppes, salt marshes, vineyards, sandy roads. She, like karakurt, is able to kill with her bite. After it is noted increased heart rate, dizziness, nausea, the appearance of blood in the urine.

The poison can be sucked off, each time rinsing the mouth with water or a solution of potassium permanganate, in this case, there should be no wounds in the mouth, otherwise the poison will penetrate the body of the rescuer. Next, the wound is disinfected, a bandage is applied, but not a tourniquet.

Mountains and steppes are favorite places for tarantulas. Most of all, when meeting with him, allergies are at risk, for everyone else he is less dangerous. The signs of the bite of this spider are about the same as in the case of the black widow. The bite site should be burned with brilliant green, you must also consult a doctor.

A large and dangerous predatory beast was once exterminated in the territory of this region, but after years it again settled in its forests. The habitat of wild boars is mountainous areas where oaks and beeches grow, because they are not averse to feasting on plant foods. They avoid meeting people, but if a clash occurs, then the boar is able to show strong aggression against a stranger.

Displaced by people from the inhabited territories, he did not go too far, but began to settle right in the houses, more precisely, in their darkest and most damp rooms. Spiders, scolopendras, and mantises often become its prey, therefore scorpions to some extent help people fight dangerous insects.

They lead a nocturnal lifestyle, so meeting with them is unlikely during the day. Symptoms of a bite are similar to the reaction to bites of other poisonous inhabitants of the Crimea: shortness of breath, pressure surges, chills or fever, dizziness.

Under protection are both unusual and interesting animals of the Crimea, as well as everyone known Arctic fox, wolverine, beaver, marmot, bear, steppe ferret, because their populations in the region are small. The only mouflon for many thousands of kilometers, including Eastern European, live in Crimea. They went even from individuals that lived in the royal nursery, and therefore are of particular value.

Serpentine Yellowfang has a body a meter or more in length, it often scares people because it resembles a viper. A spindle representative is completely harmless, unless you frighten him on purpose.

Monk seal which is also called the white-bellied seal, is on the verge of extinction. According to scientists, the population of this rare animal totals no more than 600 individuals in the world. The seal got such an unusual name because of its solitary lifestyle, and its head is decorated with a kind of short wool. Two-meter sea animals can reach a weight of three centners, however, they are able to dive quite deeply and return with prey.

Red Book Bottlenose Dolphins reach speeds of up to 40 km / h. They have a friendly character and are able to travel very long distances. These mammals have been under protection since 1956.

These include rare species that exist only in the Crimea. We already spoke about the scorpion; it has been living on the lands of the peninsula since ancient times. Consider other unique views of the region.

• Retovsky's woodcutter. This species was discovered by the scientist Otto Retovsky. Green color allows the insect to go unnoticed in the thickets of grass. Most often, such a rare grasshopper can be seen near Alushta or Alupka.
• Marigold Black Sea. These beautiful butterflies are often found in Yalta and its environs. Brown coloring helps them hide on stones, so not everyone can see this beauty.

Going on a trip to the Crimea, remember that along with beautiful and friendly representatives of the fauna of the peninsula, there are some harmless views. But no matter how dangerous they are to humans, each of these species is part of an ecosystem that does not need to be disturbed.

All about the animals of Crimea, see the video below.