Fauna of Estonia

Fauna of Estonia

Estonia is a small, heavily forested country situated on the Baltic Sea. It is a partof Palearctic ecozone (being a transitional area between the Western Palearctic and European-Siberian regions) and Temperate Northern Atlantic marine ecoregion [Spalding, M.D., et al." "Marine Ecoregions of the World: A Bioregionalization of Coastal and Shelf Areas". "Bioscience" Vol. 57 No. 7, July/August 2007] .

Vertebrates

Estonia's spare population and large areas of forest have allowed stocks of European Lynx, Wild Boar, Brown Bears, Wolves and moose to survive, among other animals [ [http://bio.edu.ee/animals/Imetajad/imetajalist2.htm Systematic list of Estonian mammals ] ] . The largest bear populations can be found in North East Estonia in the counties of Ida and Lääne Viru [ [http://enrin.grida.no/biodiv/biodiv/national/estonia/status2.htm status2 ] ] . The numbers of Bears, Lynx and Wolves suffered during the Soviet Occupation as the animals were persecuted heavily. After they were given protection the numbers of the larger carnivores peaked in the early 1990s but they have since fallen slightly from those highs due to increased hunting pressure. Estonia is currently home to 450-550 brown bears, 600-800 lynx, and 100-150 wolves [ [http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/issuedetails.aspx?issueid=d6290705-e8fa-11d7-91f3-0000b4a60532&articleId=d629071b-e8fa-11d7-91f3-0000b4a60532 CEEOL Transitions Online , Issue 09/16 /2003 ] ] . There were estimated to be only 10 wolves left in Estonia in 1970.

Its birdlife includes Golden Eagles and White Storks. It has around a dozen national parks and protected areas, including Lahemaa National Park, the country’s largest park, on the northern coast. Soomaa National Park, near Pärnu, is known for its ancient wetlands. Reserves such as Käina Bay Bird Reserve and Matsalu Nature Reserve (a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention) are also popular with locals and tourists and support a wide variety of birdlife [ [http://www.birdlist.org/estonia.htm Birds Of Estonia, Checklist Of The Birds Of Estonia, Its Complete Birdlist ] ] .

Invertebrates

The following table gives an overview of species numbers of selected invertebrate groups [Eesti Loodus (Ed. A. Raukas), Tallinn, Valgus & Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus 1995] .

GroupKnown speciesEstimated number of species
Amoeboids68140
Flagellates89200
Apicomplexa1350
Ciliophora176300
Sponges36
Hydrozoa58
Scyphozoa33
Turbellaria55200
Monogenea7340
Digenea110130
Ribbon worms106130
Gastrotricha640
Rotatoria230500
Nematoda200500
Nematomorpha15
Kinorhyncha13
Acanthocephala1440
Nemertea410
Priapulida1?
Polychaeta6?
Oligochaeta103200
Bryozoa715
Gastropods7480
Bivalves6270
Crustacea326356
Arachnids7862055
Myriapods3850
Tardigrades150
Insects~1000020000-21000

ee also

*List of Estonian mammals
*List of birds of Estonia
*List of Estonian fishes
*List of Estonian butterflies
*List of Odonata species recorded in Estonia

External links

* [http://blog.moment.ee/ Photos of Estonian Wildlife]

References


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