Red Book of Crimea. Animals listed in the Red Book of Crimea: list, photo Rare animal of Crimea

Currently, humanity is concerned about the state of nature and is doing everything possible to preserve rare representatives of flora and fauna. The Red Book of Crimea will help you find out which Crimean animals and plants need protection.

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Story

The first list, which listed rare plants and rare animals in Crimea, was compiled in the twenties of the last century. Over time, it changed, many scientists made their additions. But there was not enough material to create a full-fledged publication. Finally, in 2015, by government decree, a decree was issued on the compilation of the work “The Red Book of Crimea. Plants and Animals." The document gave the publication official status. More than fifty specialists worked on its creation. The information contained in it helps in making decisions about expanding protected areas or creating new reserves and nature reserves.

Structure

​The Red Book contains the names of species in Russian and Latin, and their descriptions. Characteristics of rarity are given and actions taken for conservation are indicated. A map indicating habitats, illustrations and photographs is presented. At the end of each essay there are links to primary sources.

On land and in water

Almost 400 species of animals are listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Crimea. Of these, more than fifty are endangered, 16 subspecies are considered almost extinct.

List of some animals from the Red Book of Crimea:

The prairie polecat is a critically endangered group.

Lives on plains, forest plantations and even in small settlements. Feeds on small rodents. Females are fertilized in the spring and give birth in early summer, 10 to 16 puppies at a time. At the end of summer, the puppies leave their mother, live alone, and by the next year they become sexually mature individuals. No special protection measures are proposed. The population size depends on the number of rats, which are the main food.

The bottlenose dolphin is a declining species.

In Crimea, it lives in the Black Sea and the Kerch Strait. It feeds on fish, lives on average 20 - 30 years, becomes sexually mature at 7 years, and bears offspring once every 3 years. Suffering from illegal catching for commercial dolphinariums, dying from collisions with ships. It reproduces in captivity, but produces weak offspring, incapable of full reproduction. The reduction and subsequent closure of dolphinariums was named as a conservation measure.

The small ground squirrel is a declining steppe group.

Lives in colonies in steppes and semi-deserts. Digs long holes with passages. It feeds mainly on cereals. In the cold season, it hibernates for 3-4 months. Upon emerging from hibernation, they begin the breeding cycle, with a litter of five to ten cubs. At the beginning of summer, they emerge from their burrows, and other groups of animals, including those listed in the Red Book in Crimea, settle in the burrows, which makes gophers an ecologically valuable subspecies. They are threatened by plowing of the steppes and predators.

The great jerboa is a critically endangered species.

Prefers meadows and dry banks of water bodies. Lives in burrows, equipping a nesting chamber. During the winter it hibernates. It feeds on bulbs, seeds, leaves and insects. The threat to them is plowing of meadows and grazing. It also suffers from predators: seagulls, owls, ferrets.

A complete list of which animals are included in the Red Book of Crimea can be found in the publication itself, in printed or electronic version.

In the air

The birds listed in the Red Book in the Republic of Crimea amaze with their diversity. Let's look at some of them:

Starling pink.

The color of this bird is actually pink, with the exception of a small crest, wings and tail - they are black, with a metallic tint. This is a rare subspecies. Arrives at nesting sites in May. Over the past 30 years, the number of arriving birds has decreased threefold. Builds nests in shelters - rock cracks, under slate roofs. Lays about 5 eggs, which are incubated by both parents. A month after birth, the chicks can already fly well. The starling feeds mainly on insects; in summer, juicy fruits are added to its diet.

Tirkushka steppe.

Endangered. It nests near the sea or salt lakes, away from water, in colonies. In the seventies of the last century it was a common bird, but now it is extremely rare. Arrives in early May, uses a small hole in the ground as a nest, laying up to 5 eggs. The parents incubate together, flying away during the day to feed. The nest left for this time is looked after by other birds of the colony. At the beginning of September, tirkushkas along with their young fly to Africa for the winter.

The yellow heron is a rare subspecies.

It nests along the banks of brackish and freshwater bodies of water, close to other bird colonies. Arrives in April and lays eggs in early May. By July, the young are already flying away from the colony. Adult birds fly away until the end of September. It feeds on insects, amphibians and small fish in shallow water.

Many species of migratory birds have reduced their numbers in recent years, and those listed in the Red Book are under state protection.

Insects

Representatives of insects require no less protection. Let's look at some of them:

The Crimean ground beetle (another name is “Rough ground beetle”) is a rare subspecies.

Lives on rocky slopes, in gardens, vineyards, parks and forests. It is a predator that eats snails, insects and their larvae. Breeds from early April to late September. The life span is three years; larvae of different ages overwinter. There are noticeable fluctuations in numbers.

The bumblebee is an endangered subspecies.

Occurs singly, rarely. Prefers banks and water meadows. It makes nests on the ground, under last year's leaves or moss. Active from late spring to late summer. It feeds on pollen and nectar from representatives of the legume family. The burning of dry grass and the depletion of feeding areas are recognized as a threat.

Swallowtail is a rare species. Large, beautiful butterfly.

The wingspan reaches 10 cm. It lives in the steppes, but flies over long distances, flying into villages and vegetable gardens and laying eggs there. Before mating, males perform courtship dances. The female lays from 1 to 3 eggs. Caterpillars feed on umbelliferae, preferring their flowers. They develop within a month, then make a pupa. The threat to the population is the plowing of the steppes, uncontrolled grazing of livestock.

All these and many other animals of Crimea listed in the Red Book are protected by the law of the Russian Federation.

Flora

Its representatives play an invaluable role in the development of the planet. The state cares about the conservation of useful species. Endangered plants of Crimea, listed in the Red Book - rare plants, all of them are also listed in the Red Book of Russia and Ukraine.

The introduction to the publication contains a story about the nature of the peninsula with colorful photographs and illustrations of landscapes. A list of regulations is presented. The descriptions themselves include the following sections:

1. name of the species in Russian and Latin with synonyms;
2. photograph or illustration;
3. taxon status;
4. growing area and cartogram indicating places of growth on the territory of the Crimean Republic;
5. morphological and biological features;
6. possible threats and accepted security methods;
7. links to sources of information and authors of illustrations and photographs.

Almost 300 species of vascular species, about 40 bryophytes, slightly less than 20 algae and 55 lichens and fungi are protected by law. The Red Book plants express a loud call for the protection of not only the rare subspecies included in the KK list, but also all other equally important species growing on the peninsula.

Crimean crocus. In addition to the peninsula, it is found in Novorossiysk

Trees

On the peninsula, depending on the distance from the coast, there are different types of forests.
In the foothills there are forest-steppes consisting of juniper, pear, oak, rose hips and other trees. To the south, oaks appear - these are light and not dense forests. Higher in the mountains they change to beech trees (the trees are more than two hundred years old). It's very twilight there, grass doesn't grow under the canopies. The higher you go, the more gnarled and stunted the trees become. Closer to the sea there are pine and beech forests. Even further south, a mixed forest appears, consisting of oak, pistachio, juniper and other drought-resistant plants.

For example, Crimean juniper is a declining species. This is an evergreen tree up to 15 meters high. Prefers steep southern slopes, wind-pollinated, reproduces by seeds. The threat is construction, quarrying, and forest fires. Protected in nature reserves.

Juniper grows in Crimea in many places, but everywhere it is not numerous

Flowers

These representatives of the flora are presented in an incredible number of species. Many of them are endangered. Let's list some of them:

The small size of the peninsula and its isolation from the mainland led to some poverty of the Crimean fauna. This is manifested not so much in the small number of species, but in the small number of individuals of each species.

Some species are endemic (for example, the Crimean ground beetle), others are found in very limited areas (for example, the Crimean gecko lizard, a rare and endangered species, lives only on the Southern Coast no higher than 300 m above sea level between Sevastopol and Alushta). There are relict animals - witnesses of ancient eras (leopard snake, crested newt).

The forests of the mountainous Crimea are inhabited by Crimean red deer, roe deer, fallow deer, wild boar, foxes, stone marten, and badger. Birds of mountain forests: jays, woodpeckers, thrushes, owls, a small number of woodcocks, as well as black-headed vultures and griffon vultures (of the latter there are no more than 20-30 individuals left).

The fauna of the underground cavities is unique, where worms, beetles, and mollusks live. Colonies of bats (horseshoe bats, long-eared bats, long-winged bats, bats, bats, bats, and bats) nest in cracks in rocks, in caves, and sometimes in the attics of houses.

The steppes of the peninsula are inhabited by rodents (gophers, hamsters, voles, jerboas), which foxes, ferrets, and weasels feast on. The brown hare is widespread (remaining gray in winter, since winters in Crimea have little snow). The world of birds in the lowland Crimea is represented by larks, partridges, and quails. In the northern part of the peninsula, where there are numerous shallow bays of Sivash, Karkinitsky Bay of the Black Sea, lakes and flooded rice paddies, there is a haven for the waterfowl of Crimea: ducks, locusts, coots, crakes, and gulls. Herons nest in the reed thickets.

Thousands of swans gather during the molting and wintering period on the famous Swan Islands. Thanks to these birds, which have an amazing ability to evoke only bright and kind feelings in all people without exception, the small and inconspicuous islands of Sary-Bulat have long been declared protected and are known throughout the world. There are also large colonies of herring gulls and others.

Among the reptiles there are many lizards - the quick, rocky, multi-colored, Crimean and legless yellow-bellied lizard. The latter is often mistaken for a snake and therefore killed, but meanwhile it is an ancient surviving relic.

In Crimea there is only one type of poisonous snake - the steppe viper (cases of bites are very rare), all the others are harmless and never attack humans (common and water snakes, yellow-bellied and leopard snakes, copperhead).

Interesting insects include stag beetles, rhinoceroses, green-violet ground beetles, longhorned beetles, and cicadas. Pests of forests, gardens and vegetable gardens are the gypsy moth, codling moths, scale insects, and the Colorado potato beetle.

Many different species of Crimean animals are found in fresh water bodies. These are representatives of crustaceans: freshwater crab, cyclops, daphnia, amphipods, crayfish. Many of them serve as food for fish: carp, crucian carp, ruffe, etc. Natives of mountain rivers are brook trout, chub, Crimean barbel.

Settlements with their complex architecture, parks, and ponds have become the habitat of many representatives of the animal world. Among such animals in Crimea there are many insects, rodents and birds of Crimea (ringed dove, rock pigeon, crow, rook, jackdaw, swallows, sparrows).

The animal world was not always the same as it is now. This is evidenced by excavation materials and discovered fossils. It is known that several million years ago, when the climate was wetter and warmer, giraffes, antelopes, and hornless rhinoceroses lived in the Crimea. After their extinction, the peninsula was inhabited by camels, southern elephants, and cave bears. During the Quaternary (Pleistocene) cooling era, the white hare, wolverine, lynx, reindeer, black grouse, white and tundra partridge were common in the Crimea, and the remains of a mammoth were found in the vicinity of Simferopol (Chokurchinsky Grotto). In the basin of the Zuya River (Kiik-Koba Grotto) bones of the following species were discovered: saiga antelope, bison, mammoth, brown bear, arctic fox... All these species, except for the extinct mammoth, currently live much north of Crimea.

Of the now extinct animals of Crimea, Biruli's ground squirrels, Eversmann's hamsters, cave bears, hyenas and lions, tarpans, wild European donkeys, and giant deer were settled at different times. And among those not previously living in the Crimea, there were red gophers, marmots, beavers, jerboas, European forest and water voles, housekeeper voles, narrow-skulled voles, brown bears, wild cats, kulans, wild boars, bison and rams.

At the beginning of the 20th century. Animal acclimatization began in Crimea. Mouflons were brought from the island of Corsica and from the Askania-Nova nature reserve, mountain goats from Kyrgyzstan, teleut squirrels from Altai, wild boars from the south of the Far East, and wild rabbits from the Odessa region. Pheasants and mountain partridges were settled in Crimea. In the Sea of ​​Azov, the acclimatization of the sawfish was successfully completed.

Many species of wild animals of Crimea (196 species, or more than 50 % of the entire Crimean fauna) are included in the Red Book of Ukraine and are under state protection. Among them: black stork, bottlenose and common dolphins, bustard, yellow-bellied, demoiselle crane, white-tailed eagle, swallowtail, common cicada, little bustard, pink starling and many others.

Crimea is rightly called “little Australia”. This peninsula includes three climatic zones, so many different animals live on its territory.

Features of fauna

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

Since there are endangered species among the animals of the peninsula, it was decided to create a Red Book of Crimea. The publication is still under construction, but the animals on the list have already been taken under protection.

Who lives in the steppe?

The fauna of the Crimean steppes includes white-bellied shrew, ground squirrel, jerboa, hamster, mole vole, foxes and many other representatives of the animal world. Among the birds of these latitudes there are bee-eaters, rollers, bustards, cranes, little bustards, steppe harriers and eagles.

The steppe viper can rarely be seen here; people see it much more often four-striped snakes and agile lizards. They nest in the steppe world of Crimea herons, mallards, long-nosed mergansers, cranes.

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

The corsac fur coat has a gray-yellow tint with reddish tint, while the fur below is lighter, and the tip of this fox's tail is darkened. In pursuit of prey, the corsac reaches speeds of up to 60 km per hour. He is not averse to eating rodents and birds, and does not disdain carrion.

Domestic chickens often become victims of corsacs. There is also a place in the fox’s diet for vegetarian food - she eats fruits and berries with pleasure.

Foothills areas

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

A rich fauna is represented on the northern slopes of Yayla, on the territory of the Crimean Nature Reserve. The specially protected natural area is inhabited by Crimean deer, Crimean chamois, pine and stone martens. Local animals have unique characteristics. For example, they wear their “summer” coat all year round.

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

• Belodushka. The second name for the stone marten is the white marten. It is so named because of the white fur on its chest and bib. Slender and nimble, she sneaks into chicken coops without much difficulty, but she can also feast on berries.

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

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

• Roe. During the active settlement of people, these animals were pushed further into the mountains. They do not have weapons to protect themselves from predators in the form of horns, but nature has endowed these graceful animals with very good hearing. It allows roe deer to hear the enemy from afar.

In addition to predators, they are hunted by poachers.

• Doe. Rarely appears in the foothills of the peninsula. Nimble, resourceful and very beautiful animals have difficulty adapting to the conditions of Crimea. It has not yet been possible to significantly increase the population of these artiodactyls, but local residents are trying to protect the animal from the encroachments of poachers.

Who lives on the coast?

The southern coast abounds in reptiles and invertebrates.

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

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

• Mantis. It gets its name from its raised front legs. Of course, these creatures do not hold their limbs in this position in order to offer prayer. They just spend a lot of time in ambush, meticulously tracking down prey, and from this position it is easier for them to attack it. The height of the praying mantis reaches 5 centimeters, so sometimes they get into fights with sparrows.
• Crimean ground beetle. This protected inhabitant of Crimea has a purple color that shimmers in different colors. It is better not to touch it, otherwise the five-centimeter beetle will secrete a repellent secretion. The prey of ground beetles are mollusks and snails.

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

Inhabitants of reservoirs

Over two hundred fish live in the numerous reservoirs of the peninsula, and a quarter of them periodically visit the Crimean waters from the Bosphorus. A lot in the region frogs, toads and newts. There is only one poisonous snake living here - this steppe viper. Lives in bodies of water and swamp turtle.

The toes of this animal are equipped with membranes, allowing it to swim better, and the size of the shell usually does not exceed 15 cm in diameter. Turtles are diurnal– they sleep until dawn, and then begin to hunt small fish. Also, these animals are not averse to trying plant foods. They spend the winter buried in the mud.

Such animals can be kept at home; in this case, they wait out the cold season in the basement.

Dangerous wild animals

In addition to animals that cannot harm humans, quite dangerous creatures also live in Crimea; it is better to avoid meeting them.

Black Widow

This dangerous species is found not only in steppes and forests; sometimes it can also be seen in city areas. A bite from a female black widow can be fatal. If this happens, you need to burn it with a match head or a hot object and immediately go to the doctor. If help is delayed, severe body aches, trembling of the arms and legs and dizziness will begin, and hallucinations will occur due to damage to the nervous system.

Scolopendra

Ringed centipedes are not as dangerous as black widows, but they are also their bite can cause serious discomfort. The bite can unsettle you for several days, during which time the victim feels fever, muscle aches, and the bite site itself can hurt for a long time. Scolopendra lives everywhere on the peninsula, and it is also very agile - suddenly appears and just as suddenly disappears.

Steppe viper

Its habitat is wide: mountains, steppes, salt marshes, vineyards, sandy roads. She, like the karakurt, is capable of killing with her bite. After it, there is an increase in heart rate, dizziness, nausea, and the appearance of blood in the urine.

The poison can be sucked out by rinsing your mouth each time with water or a solution of potassium permanganate, At the same time, there should be no wounds in the mouth, otherwise the poison will penetrate the rescuer’s body. Next, the wound is disinfected, a bandage is applied, but no tourniquet is applied.

The victim is prohibited from drinking alcohol; he needs to drink as much clean water as possible. Such a person must be shown to a doctor as quickly as possible.

South Russian tarantula

Mountains and steppes are favorite places for tarantulas. Allergy sufferers are most at risk when meeting it; for everyone else it is less dangerous. The signs of a bite from this spider are approximately the same as in the case of a black widow. The bite site should be cauterized with brilliant green, and you should also consult a doctor.

A wild boar

A large and dangerous predatory animal was once exterminated in this region, but years later it settled again in its forests. The habitat of wild boars is mountainous areas where oaks and beeches grow, because they are not averse to eating plant foods. They avoid meeting people, but if a collision occurs, the boar is capable of showing strong aggression towards the stranger.

The most dangerous are females with piglets; they are ready to fight for their children not for life but for death.

Scorpion

Pushed out by people from the inhabited territories, he did not go too far, but began to settle right in the houses, or rather, in their darkest and dampest rooms. Spiders, scolopendras, and mantises often become its prey, so Scorpions to some extent help people fight dangerous insects.

They are nocturnal, so encountering them during the day is unlikely. The symptoms of the bite are similar to the reaction to the bites of other poisonous inhabitants of the Crimea: shortness of breath, pressure surges, chills or fever, dizziness.

They can appear either immediately or after a day, so you should consult a doctor as soon as possible after the incident.

Protected species

Both unusual and interesting animals of Crimea and well-known ones are under protection. arctic fox, wolverine, beaver, marmot, bear, steppe ferret, because their populations in the region are small. The only mouflons for many thousands of kilometers, including Eastern European ones, live in Crimea. They also came from individuals that lived in the royal nursery, and therefore are of particular value.

Serpentine yellowbell has a body a meter long or a little more, it often frightens people as it resembles a viper. The representative of the spindles is completely harmless if you do not specifically frighten it.

Unlike snakes, its eyes have eyelids that blink.

Monk Seal, which is also called the white-bellied seal, is critically endangered. According to scientists, the population of this rare animal numbers no more than 600 individuals in the world. The seal received such an unusual name because of its solitary lifestyle; its head is also decorated with peculiar short fur. Two-meter sea animals can reach a weight of three centners, however, they are capable of diving quite deeply and returning with prey.

In this post:

Fauna of Crimea - features, groups, rare representatives

The fauna of Crimea is not rich, but unique. About 60 species of mammals live on a relatively small area of ​​26 thousand square kilometers. The bulk are endemic animals found exclusively on the peninsula. Many representatives of the Crimean fauna are included in the Red Book. The most striking, interesting species are described below.

Fauna of the peninsula - what is worth knowing

In ancient times, ostriches and giraffes lived on the territory of Crimea. Today, ostriches can only be seen in private areas. For example, . Most tourists are particularly interested in endemic Crimean animals: fox, roe deer, deer and others.

Geographically, they are all divided into 5 main groups:

• Stepnaya;
• Mixed - forest-steppe;
• Gornolesnaya;
• Mountain;
• South coast.

In the steppe area there are large jerboas, shrews, hares, steppe foxes, and so on. Birds of the steppe group: eagles, cranes, larks and many others. The most dangerous animal in these parts is the steppe viper. The only poisonous creature out of 14 species of reptiles. In the forest-steppe there are representatives of the steppe and mountain fauna: ground squirrels, stone martens, hamsters and teleut squirrels.

In the mountain forest environment there are bright representatives of the animal world: deer, roe deer, ram, mouflons, foxes. Birds have taken up residence in the forests on the mountain slopes: finches, yellow-browed tits, black tits, blackbirds. While walking through the mountainous forest area, do not forget about the numerous reptiles: copperheads, yellow-bellied snakes, lizards.

Special attention is paid to endangered and rare animals listed in the Red Book. If a wolf had been introduced into it at one time, it is unlikely that the last individual would have been destroyed in the fifties of the last century.

Reference: The mouflons (genus of sheep) living on the peninsula are the only surviving family throughout Eastern Europe.

Animals of Crimea - Red Book

The Red Book of the Crimean Peninsula includes reptiles, mammals, aquatic life, and birds. The list is quite large, it is difficult to describe everyone in one article. Therefore, I decided to focus on the most interesting, vibrant species.

Exceptionally cute, unique creatures in the world, bottlenose dolphins reach speeds of up to 40 km/h. The lifting height above the water is up to 5 meters. Only 600 individuals survive on the entire Earth. In search of food, these creatures are capable of diving far from the shore to depths of up to 500 (!) meters. The length of an adult animal is about 2 m, weight – up to 300 kg. Males are dark in color, females are lighter.

Foxes: steppe and mountain

From the names of the animals it is clear where each one lives. Foxes mainly prefer hamsters, gophers, and mice as food. Sometimes they can catch a wild rabbit. When a cunning animal is hungry, and there is nowhere to get its usual food, it does not disdain lizards, insects and even frogs. The animal is more susceptible to rabies than others, so tourists should be especially careful when meeting the “red beasts”. Although a close meeting is a rare occurrence. They became afraid of people.

The name of this animal, cute at first glance, often misleads people. These are predators whose bloodthirstiness even wolves would envy. At the same time, they often become pets. The weasel is easy to tame, but in captivity it will not live more than 5 years. But in the house where the weasel lives, there will never be rodents or insects. And if they do appear, she will quickly destroy them.

The animal's throat and chest are covered with white fur, hence the name. The predatory animal is characterized by maximum mobility and gluttony. The marten also happily accepts plant foods. As a rule, they eat pears, grapes and even hawthorn when they are in season. The animal loves birds, having gained access to the chicken coop, it will not miss the opportunity to kill all the chickens.

The most peaceful animal, until it comes to encroachment on its “relatives” or home. Brave, energetic badgers amaze with their cleanliness. Their houses are cave-like burrows, multi-story. Moreover, each floor has its own meaning. The labyrinths reach 20 meters in length. They lay fragrant grass on the floor, which they change with enviable regularity twice a year. They don’t go overboard with food; they prefer mushrooms, berries, and acorns. They can eat gophers, snails, and mice. Favorite treat is honey.

Even-toed ungulates of the sheep genus have chosen forests. With the arrival of winter, they change their place of residence and go down a little lower. The weight of adult males is about 50 kg, females do not exceed 35 kg. Mouflons are distinguished into male and female by their horns; they grow exclusively on the “stronger half”. Quite cautious animals that try to stay away from people.

These representatives of the Crimean fauna can be called “old-timers”. They inhabited the peninsula in ancient times. But in the 19th century they were almost completely destroyed. The situation was saved by the import of one individual from the Chernigov region and 34 from the Primorsky Territory in 1957. This animal can well be called a vegetarian. They prefer a variety of roots, mushrooms, nuts, and acorns. Sometimes they can afford an insect, a bird or rodent egg.

Crimean deer are endemic large animals. Weight – up to 260 kilograms, height – just under one and a half meters. Life expectancy is almost human: 6 – 7 decades. The main weapon of deer used in the fight for a female is antlers. Red deer were saved from complete extinction only by a strict ban on shooting, announced in 1923. After 20 years, the number of individuals increased significantly (to approximately 2 thousand).

Once this graceful animal lived in the steppe part of Crimea, over time they changed their habitat to the slopes of the mountains. Roe deer are also often found in forest areas. The animal is quite attentive, when it sees people, it freezes for a few seconds, as if assessing the situation. Then he quickly disappears into the thickets. They have an almost musical ear; as soon as they sense danger, they warn their fellow creatures with a loud cry that can be heard over 3 km. The main enemies are martens and foxes.

The list of Crimean animals listed in the Red Book is much longer. I described the most interesting, in my opinion, species. More information about representatives of the Crimean fauna can be obtained by booking a tour of one of the reserves. Do you know more? Share in the comments. It will be interesting for us and our readers. Have a nice holiday everyone!