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 one of the highest levels 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.
^Livy (1797). The history of Rome. George Baker (trans.). Printed for A. Strahan.
^Sheri Foster (January 2021). "What is Italy national animal?". Yourtrip.com.
^James Hansen (June 2018). "Il lupo grigio degli appennini e l animale dell Italia". "affaritaliani.it">.
^"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.
This list of snakes ofItaly includes all snakes in the state ofItaly. Natrix natrix Natrix tessellata Natrix maura Hierophis Viridiflavus Zamenis longissimus...
third of all European fauna, and the highest level of biodiversity of both animal and plant species within the European Union. The faunaofItaly includes...
The Italian reptile fauna totals 58 species (including introduced and naturalised species). They are listed here in three systematic groups (Sauria, Serpentes...
Vigna (eds.). Fauna d'Italia: Mammalia III, Carnivora-Artiodactyla [FaunaofItaly: Mammalia III, Carnivora-Artiodactyla] (in Italian). Bologna: Calderini...
There are 39 species of amphibians ofItaly (including introduced and naturalised species) in two orders; no Caecilian is known to live in the country...
country: Blasius's horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus blasii FaunaofItaly List of chordate orders Lists of mammals by region Mammal classification Grubb, P.;...
This is a list of the bird species recorded in Italy. The avifauna ofItaly included a total of 577 species recorded in the wild by March 2024, according...
Kingdom ofItaly (Italian: Regno d'Italia, Italian: [ˈreɲɲo diˈtaːlja]) was a state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia...
ligustica is the Italian bee or the Italian Honey bee which is a subspecies of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera). The Italian honey bee is endemic...
The Italian newt (Lissotriton italicus) is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found only in Italy. The species can be found in temperate...
Subterranean fauna refers to animal species that are adapted to live in an underground environment. Troglofauna and stygofauna are the two types of subterranean...
The regions ofItaly (Italian: regioni d'Italia) are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative...
The Italian sparrow (Passer italiae), also known as the cisalpine sparrow, is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in Italy and other...
Apennine brown bear, and orso bruno marsicano in Italian, is a critically endangered population of the Eurasian brown bear, with a range restricted to...
The faunaof Europe is all the animals living in Europe and its surrounding seas and islands. Europe is the western part of the Palearctic realm (which...
sicilianu) is an extinct subspecies of the gray wolf that was endemic to Sicily. It was paler than the mainland Italian wolf and comparable in size to the...
Demographic features of the population ofItaly include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious...
following is a list ofItalian municipalities (comuni) with a population over 50,000. The table below contains the cities populations as of 31 December 2021...
species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus, endemic to the forests of the regions of Calabria and Basilicata, in the south of the Italian Peninsula...
known as the African crested porcupine, is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae native to Italy, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. The adult crested...
The languages ofItaly include Italian, which serves as the country's national language, in its standard and regional forms, as well as numerous local...
The Italian Aesculapian snake (Zamenis lineatus) is a species of snake in the Colubridae family. Z. lineatus is endemic to southern Italy and Sicily....
PMC 6849585. PMID 28075073. List of fossil sites (with link directory) Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event List of vertebrate faunaof the Campanian stage...
presence of marine fauna in the Straits, though noted by much earlier zoologists, was first effectively publicised by the Italian scientist Anastasio...
This is a list of flags used in Italy. For more information about the national flag, visit the article Flag ofItaly. Wikimedia Commons has media related...
The Italian loach (Sabanejewia larvata) is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cobitidae. It is found only in Italy. It is threatened by habitat...
Many species of plants, animals, and other organisms are considered invasive species in Italy. Ailanthus altissima (Tree of heaven) Amorpha fruticosa (Desert...
recorded for the first time in Europe, in Italy, in 2021. Bipalium vagum is a relatively small species of Bipalium, measuring about 25 mm (0.98 in) in...
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