The wildlife of Cyprus includes its flora and fauna and their natural habitats. Cyprus has a rich flora and a diverse fauna albeit with relatively few mammals. Like most modern countries, the natural habitats in Cyprus have been steadily disappearing, currently retaining only 20% of its original habitat due to rapid urbanization, usage of forests for commercial purposes, tourism and various other reasons. [1] One of the features of Cyprus' habitats is the wild and sharp differences in elevations and habitats on the island as well as climate, all of which supply a diverse habitat for an array of fauna and flora. [2] Terra Cypria was established as a trust in 1992 to conserve the Cypriot environment and its biodiversity. [3]
The fauna of Cyprus has four amphibians.
Cyprus also has over 380 species of bird due to being on migration routes between Africa, Europe and western Asia including Eleonora's falcon ( Falco eleonorae ), flamingo and the imperial eagle ( Aquila heliaca ). There are two endemic species of songbirds, the Cyprus warbler (Sylvia melanothorax) and the Cyprus wheatear (Oenanthe cypriaca). Both only breed on the island of Cyprus and migrate south to overwinter. [4]
Cyprus is currently home to 21 known mammals, of which three are endangered. [5] The largest wild animal and mammal currently residing in Cyprus is the endemic Cypriot mouflon. Other notable mammals are the large endangered Mediterranean monk seal [6] and the endemic Cypriot mouse, which is the only remaining endemic rodent on the Mediterranean islands. [7] During the Late Pleistocene, the Cyprus dwarf hippopotamus, the Cyprus dwarf elephant and a species of genet ( Genetta plesictoides ) were also native to the island, but became extinct at the beginning of the Holocene, following the arrival of humans to Cyprus. [8]
Most of the reptiles of Cyprus are harmless, and non-venomous such as the Cyprus whip snake (Hierophis cypriensis) and the European blind snake ( Typhlops vermicularis). Other snakes, European cat snake (Telescopus fallax) and Montpellier snake ( Malpolon monspessulanus ) are nominally venomous, but neither aggressive nor particularly dangerous. In contrast, the Cyprian blunt-nosed viper, (Macrovipera lebetina lebetina), though not aggressive, is a large, front-fanged viper. Its bite is dangerous even to large mammals, including people. [9] Three of the reptile species on Cyprus, including Macrovipera lebetina, are endangered. [5]
Cyprus has several species of lizards and a few species of turtles such as loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta).
Cyprus has an especially wide array of arachnids with around 60 species of spiders, including the European tarantula ( Lycosa tarantula ). [10]
The flora of Cyprus contains about 1800 species, of which circa 128 are endemic. [1] The flora also include invasive species such as prickly pears and the yellow oxalis.
Macrovipera lebetinus, known as the blunt-nosed viper, Lebetine viper, Levant viper, and by other common names, is a viper species found in North Africa, much of the Middle East, and as far east as Kashmir. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. Five subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate race described here.
The Meghalaya subtropical forests is an ecoregion of Northeast India. The ecoregion covers an area of 41,700 square kilometers (16,100 sq mi), and despite its name, comprise not only the state of Meghalaya, but also parts of southern Assam, and a tiny bit of Nagaland around Dimapur and adjacent Bangladesh. It also contains many other habitats than subtropical forests, but the montane subtropical forests found in Meghalaya is an important biome, and was once much more widespread in the region, and for these reasons chosen as the most suitable name. The scientific designation is IM0126.
Macrovipera lebetinus schweizeri, the Milos viper, also known as the Cyclades blunt-nosed viper, is a subspecies of venomous snake in the family Viperidae. The subspecies is endemic to the Cyclades Archipelago of Greece in the Aegean Sea.
Macrovipera lebetinus cernovi, known as the Chernov blunt-nosed viper, is a viper subspecies endemic to Asia. Like all other vipers, it is venomous.
Macrovipera lebetinus obtusa is a venomous viper subspecies endemic to Asia, from central Turkey to northern Pakistan (Kashmir).
Macrovipera lebetinus transmediterranea is a viper subspecies endemic to North Africa. Like all other vipers, it is venomous.
Macrovipera lebetinus turanica is a venomous viper subspecies endemic to Asia.
The wildlife of Cambodia is very diverse with at least 162 mammal species, 600 bird species, 176 reptile species, 900 freshwater fish species, 670 invertebrate species, and more than 3000 plant species. A single protected area, Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, is known to support more than 950 total species, including 75 species that are listed as globally threatened on the IUCN Red List. An unknown amount of species remains to be described by science, especially the insect group of butterflies and moths, collectively known as lepidopterans.
The wildlife of Japan includes its flora, fauna, and natural habitats. The islands of Japan stretch a long distance from north to south and cover a wide range of climatic zones. This results in a high diversity of wildlife despite Japan's isolation from the mainland of Asia. In the north of the country, north of Blakiston's Line, there are many subarctic species which have colonized Japan from the north. In the south there are south-east Asian species, typical of tropical regions. Between these areas lies the temperate zone which shares many species with China and Korea. Japan also has many endemic species that are found nowhere else in the world, making it home to many endangered/rare species.
The wildlife of Cape Verde is found across its archipelago of ten islands and three islets, albeit in smaller numbers of species than mainland Africa. Each volcanic island within the archipelago is unique, and each of them have parks under their jurisdiction, by decree promulgated by the Cape Verde government. Located just off the west coast of Africa, the total land area of the island nation is 4,564 square kilometres (1,762 sq mi).
The wildlife of the Democratic Republic of the Congo includes its flora and fauna, comprising a large biodiversity in rainforests, seasonally flooded forests and grasslands.
The fauna of Europe is all the animals living in Europe and its surrounding seas and islands. Europe is the western part of the Palearctic realm. Lying within the temperate region, the wildlife is not as rich as in the hottest regions, but is nevertheless diverse due to the variety of habitats and the faunal richness of Eurasia as a whole.
The wildlife of South Africa consists of the flora and fauna of this country in Southern Africa. The country has a range of different habitat types and an ecologically rich and diverse wildlife, vascular plants being particularly abundant, many of them endemic to the country. There are few forested areas, much savanna grassland, semi-arid Karoo vegetation and the fynbos of the Cape Floristic Region. Famed for its national parks and big game, 297 species of mammal have been recorded in South Africa, as well as 849 species of bird and over 20,000 species of vascular plants.
In our whole Earth and the soil, all of the animals living in Asia and its surrounding seas and islands are considered the fauna of Asia. Since there is no natural biogeographic boundary in the west between Europe and Asia, the term "fauna of Asia" is somewhat elusive but it is a geographical name given. Temperate Asia is the eastern part of the Palearctic realm, and its south-eastern part belongs to the Indomalayan realm. Asia shows a notable diversity of habitats, with significant variations in rainfall, altitude, topography, temperature and geological history, which is reflected in its richness and diversity of animal life.
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. 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 Cyprus Mediterranean forests is a terrestrial ecoregion that encompasses the island of Cyprus.
The wildlife of Somaliland includes the flora and fauna of Somaliland, which is extremely diverse due to the country's location between the temperate and the tropical zones. Somaliland is bordered by the Red Sea. The coastal region is more humid due to its proximity to the ocean. Somaliland is home to over 727 bird species and boasts over 177 species of mammals.
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