The Stag Beetle is one of the most widely known bugs in Europe, although recently their numbers have diminished. This small creature became famous, after the artist Albrecht Durer painted a picture of it in real-life size, and this painting was sold for 175 000 Deutsche Marks, which was a very large sum at that
Sturgeons are one of the so-called “living fossils”. In the time when dinosaurs ruled Earth, Sturgeon ancestors were the most widespread sea fish. Their appearance hasn’t changed since that time. This fish is also called the Baltic or simply Common Sturgeon. Nowadays, they live in the coastal waters of Europe north of Africa up to
The Lemon Shark has obtained its name thanks to the yellowish brown colour of the body. It’s also one of the most observed and known sharks, and it’s very easy to breed them in captivity. In the USA these sharks are used to research the impact of drugs and other substances on hearth activity, vision
The European Flounder is possibly one of the most common food fish. This fish has a flattened and disproportionate body. Although the Flounder is very well adapted to living in seas, it also spends a lot of time in freshwater. This species is widespread in the Scandinavian, middle European and Mediterranean seas, as well as
In the Southwestern mountains of Africa there are still a few Mountain Zebras. They are the only species of zebra that don’t constantly live near a freshwater source and while the various species of zebra may seem identical for a non-specialist, they’re actually as closely related to each other as they are to horses. If
The Common Dormouse is a nocturnal predator. This animal spends the night in a tree cavity, thick bushes or a nest. These small mammals inhabit deciduous and mixed type forests in all parts of Europe, except Ireland, Finland and the Iberian Peninsula. Common Dormice were often mistaken to be a small squirrel – the animal
The European Water Vole is a small, semi-aquatic mammal that lives in all parts of Europe, except for Greece, Ireland and Iberia. Despite its name, the Water Vole can inhabit territories not near water – forests, meadows and gardens, and many of these animals actually spend all their lives on dry land. It should, however,
The European Polecat is a solitary night hunter. These animals are close relatives to skunks, and both can excrete an incredibly unpleasant scent from special glands, almost completely paralyzing the respiratory system of the enemy. The European Polecat inhabits territories in Europe, from the Ural Mountains in East to Spain in West. These mammals have
The Apollo Butterfly or simply the Apollo is a very beautiful species of butterfly that were once widespread all over the European and Asian meadows. Unfortunately, nowadays they’re almost extinct and very rarely seen. They inhabit territories in meadows and mountains up to 2200 metres above sea level, ranging from Europe to Central Russia. The
The Topi is one of the largest antelopes inhabiting the African savannas and is also possibly the fastest one. When running from danger, these antelopes can even jump over each other. Their natural habitat are the African savannas from Senegal and Sudan, stretching over all the Eastern and Southern African territories. This impressive mammal reaches
Brittle Stars are small sea creatures closely related to starfishes. They’re very primitive creatures – they can tell where’s up and where’s down, but as they have no brains, all their actions are reflexes. Brittle Star spends most of its life in one position, constantly feeding These sea inhabitants are very small, with their legs
The Hooded Seal is one of the largest seal species in the world. Their pups have a very beautiful grayish blue fur. These young seals are called bluebacks and they were often hunted for their soft, beautiful coats. This species inhabit territories in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in waters
The Serval is a slim and beautiful predator that lives in the bushy savannas of Africa. This cat is a very capable hunter, able to catch low flying birds, catch fish in the water and pick small mammals out of their caves. They inhabit all territories in Africa south of the Sahara desert, except for
Tapirs are one of the oldest mammals on Earth, and their appearance hasn’t changed for 35 million years. Currently there are Tapir species – three in Central and Southern America and one in Asia. The South American Tapir inhabits the Eastern and Central part of South America. These mammals reach a length of 180-210 cm
The Common Swift spends most of its time in the air. In fact, the bird has so short legs that it can’t start flying directly from the ground, thus the bird becomes defenseless on the ground. What’s more amazing, the Common Swift can spend three years flying in the air and not landing a single
