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] .

Group	Known species	Estimated number of species
Amoeboids	68	140
Flagellates	89	200
Apicomplexa	13	50
Ciliophora	176	300
Sponges	3	6
Hydrozoa	5	8
Scyphozoa	3	3
Turbellaria	55	200
Monogenea	73	40
Digenea	110	130
Ribbon worms	106	130
Gastrotricha	6	40
Rotatoria	230	500
Nematoda	200	500
Nematomorpha	1	5
Kinorhyncha	1	3
Acanthocephala	14	40
Nemertea	4	10
Priapulida	1	?
Polychaeta	6	?
Oligochaeta	103	200
Bryozoa	7	15
Gastropods	74	80
Bivalves	62	70
Crustacea	326	356
Arachnids	786	2055
Myriapods	38	50
Tardigrades	1	50
Insects	~10000	20000-21000

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