Flora and fauna of Europe

The European continent presents a great diversity of animals, plants and habitats. Despite being a small area, this territory has a very varied mosaic of flora, fauna and wild habitats and cultural landscapes. The diversity and abundance of fauna and flora are due especially to climatic conditions, with a temperate climate prevailing , although there are also other varieties of climates, such as the polar climate in the north.

However, anthropic activities have killed off many species and then humans have had to recover forests as in the case of the cork oak forests of the western Mediterranean. In general, throughout Europe there are national parks and nature reserves to conserve the flora and fauna of the continent, since many species are in danger.

Here are some plant species from Europe :

Daisy (Belli perennis)

It belongs to the Asteraceae family and is native to Europe and North Africa to Central Asia, although it can now be found all over the world. Its center is yellow and its thin and elongated petals are white.

Here you can know the different types of daisies .

Jasmine (Jasminum officinale)

Common in the Mediterranean areas and tropical areas of Europe. Its flowers are white and emit an intense smell at night, that is why they are usually found in gardens.

Learn about various types of jasmine in this other article.

Red poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

Plants of the papaveráceae family, with straight and hairy stems. Its flowers are scarlet, flared, with 4 petals and two sepals.

Narcissus of the poets (Narcissus poeticus)

It is a bulbous plant belonging to the amaryllidaceae family that is usually found in Andorra. This beautiful flower usually measures about 5 cm and contains 6 white petals and a kind of trumpet-shaped tube that is usually orange or yellow.

Here we tell you what are the care of daffodils .

Here are some species of animals from Europe :

European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos)

This subspecies of the brown bear extends from the Iberian Peninsula to Russia or Scandinavia, inhabiting tundra areas in the eastern area and wooded areas in the western area.

In this other post we talk about Why the brown bear is in danger of extinction .

European bison (Bison bonasus)

It is the largest mammal in Europe, it belongs to the Bovidae family and unlike other bison, they prefer to live in forests, instead of grasslands. Unfortunately it is seriously threatened by what is trying to breed it in captivity.

European mink (Mustela lutreola)

It is a small mustelid that lives in aquatic areas such as lagoons, streams, rivers, coastal areas, swamps or marshes. It is brown in color and has white lips. To differentiate it from the American mink, we must pay particular attention to the lips, since the American mink does not have a white upper lip and also the color of the coat is darker.

European wild cat (Felis silvestris silvestris)

European wild cat, or also called European wild cat, is found inhabiting the forests of central Europe, extending from Spain to Turkey.

Common cod (Gadus morhua)

This species is found inhabiting the cold seas of the north, it usually has a small size, although some specimens have been found that have weighed up to 100Kg. It is a migratory species and highly appreciated in the world for its culinary value.

Since 2015, the IUCN offers data that determine that 36 species have become extinct in Europe. Also, according to IUCN data, it is known that of 15,060 species that have been evaluated in Europe, approximately 1,680 are in danger of extinction. Here are some examples of endangered flora and fauna species in Europe :

Plants of Europe in danger of extinction

• Four-leaf clover (Marsilea Quadrifolia)
• Sea pineapple (Attraylis Preauxiana)
• Gran Canaria Dragon Tree (Dracaena tamaranae)
• Sierra Nevada Chamomile (Artemisa Granatensis)
• Alboran Dandelion (Diplotaxis Siettiena)
• Pinsapo (Abies Pinsapo)
• Silene de Ifach or pink slaver (Silene hifacensis)
• Clog orchid (Cypripedium calceolus)
• Blue jade tree (Strongylodon macrobotrys)
• Greek Fir (Abies Cephalónica)
• Common Birch (Betula Pendula)

Animals of Europe in danger of extinction

• Iberian lynx ( Lynx pardinus)
• Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus)
• Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
• Kemp’s ridley turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)
• Iberian imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti)
• European eel or common eel (Anguilla anguilla)
• Pond bat (Myotis Dasycneme)
• European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
• Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea)
• Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata)
• Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus)
• The glutton (Gulo gulo)
• Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis)
• Corsican Deer (Cervus elaphus corsicanus)
• Karpathos frog (Pelophylax cerigensis)
• Common squirrel or red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)