Fauna of Italy

The Italian wolf, which inhabits the Apennine Mountains and the Western Alps, features prominently in Latin and Italian cultures, such as in the legend of the founding of Rome.[1] It is the national animal of Italy.[2][3]

The fauna of Italy comprises all the animal species inhabiting the territory of the Italian Republic and its surrounding waters. Italy has the highest level of faunal biodiversity in Europe, with over 57,000 species recorded, representing more than a third of all European fauna.[4] This is due to various factors. The Italian peninsula is in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, forming a corridor between central Europe and North Africa, and it has 8,000 km (5,000 mi) of coastline. Italy also receives species from the Balkans, Eurasia, and the Middle East. Italy's varied geological structure, including the Alps and the Apennines, Central Italian woodlands, and Southern Italian Garigue and Maquis shrubland, also contribute to high climate and habitat diversity.

The fauna of Italy includes 4,777 endemic animal species, which include the Sardinian long-eared bat, Sardinian red deer, spectacled salamander, brown cave salamander, Italian newt, Italian frog, Apennine yellow-bellied toad, Italian wall lizard, Aeolian wall lizard, Sicilian wall lizard, Italian Aesculapian snake, and Sicilian pond turtle. In Italy, there are 119 mammals species, 550 bird species, 69 reptile species, 39 amphibian species, 623 fish species and 56,213 invertebrate species, of which 37,303 insect species.

  1. ^ Livy (1797). The history of Rome. George Baker (trans.). Printed for A. Strahan.
  2. ^ Sheri Foster (January 2021). "What is Italy national animal?". Yourtrip.com.
  3. ^ James Hansen (June 2018). "Il lupo grigio degli appennini e l animale dell Italia". "affaritaliani.it">.
  4. ^ "Italy's Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity" (PDF). Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.