Wildlife of Europe

Europe has a surprisingly diverse range of wildlife watching possibilities. The Lynx, though very rare, can be found in the forests of northern Scandinavia and the coastal wetlands of southern Spain and many places in between. Bears are still be found across most of Europe; Wild boar, deer, moose, otters, beavers, Mountain goats, Pine martens, polecats, wolverines and even bison can all still be found.

Whale and dolphin watching in Europe
Whales can be seen on the Atlantic coasts of Europe and in parts of the Mediterranean, especially in the summer. Minke whales are most common, but Humpback, Sperm, Fin and even Beluga whales can all be seen.

Orca (Killer whales), Bottlenose, Common, Risso's and Striped dolphins can all be seen, as well as Basking sharks and a variety of seals. It is even possible to swim with Orca in Norway, click here to read how.

Top European Wildlife countries

Finland
Scotland
Spain
Romania
Bulgaria
Poland
Slovenia
Hungary
Croatia
France

Other articles about the Wildlife of Europe.

Birdwatching in Europe
Europe has a huge range of habitats, from tundra and taiga to bogs, moorland, forests, mountain ranges, coastal cliffs, wetlands and semi arid deserts. This diverstiy provides suitable habitat for a huge range of birdlife, and nearly 80 different 'families' of birds are to be found in Europe, about half of the worlds total. Approximately 550 species of bird are regularly found in Europe, not counting rare migrants and accidentals.

Wildlife of Spain
IberiaNature.com (nothing to do with Wildlife Extra, but very good) has a very good guide to the wildlife of Spain.

Recent Europe news

More Europe news

Put a Cork in it for Lynxes

The Iberian lynx is a great example of how the smallest change can make a big difference to wildlife. With just 150 believed to be left in the wild, efforts to save the species are critical, and supporting charities are urging people to buy cork-stoppered bottles.

IUCN quotas

There is much ado about the illegal wildlife trade, but there is also a huge amount of legal trade in wildlife products, some very rare indeed, that is permitted by CITES. Elephant tusks, rhino horn, chameleons, leopard tortoises, and cheetah, lion, & leopard hunting trophies all had CITES export quotas the 2011.

WWF President number 2 – Let's kill more wolves because we want to kill the elk

WWF has many presidents, but some of their choices are beginning to look questionable. Although, as an organisation they do not oppose all hunting, or even trophy hunting, (UK WWF president Prince Charles and ex-President Prince Phillip are known for their love of shooting), WWF Sweden do strongly oppose hunting wolves in Sweden. However their president, King Gustaf, wants to “cull the wolf population”.

Wolves’ diet study reveals farmers can sleep easy

Scientists in Germany have been investigating the feeding habits of wolves in the last eight years since their re-appearance in Germany. The results are reassuring: The proportion of livestock on the menu lies at less than one per cent.

Brown bears declared extinct in Austria - Again

For the second time in recent history, brown bears have been declared extinct in Austria. "Unfortunately there are no bears left in Austria. The last bear, known as ‘Moritz', an Austrian born bear, has not been seen since 2010. This sub-population is now deemed to be extinct." said Christian Pichler of WWF Austria.

Big game hunting in Africa is economically useless - IUCN

A new IUCN report reveals that Big game hunting is almost unbelievably inefficient as a wealth generator, when taking into account the land used and the financial contribution made to GDP.

In the 11 main big game hunting countries, the surface area occupied by big game hunting parks is 14.9% of national territory, and the contribution of big game hunting to the GDP is 0.06%.

Wolf caught on camera trap in Belgium - Video

After some sheep were killed near the Belgian town of Gedinne in July, a TV camera crew set up a camera trap to see if, as suspected, a lynx had killed the sheep. Much to their, and everyone else's, surprise, what they caught on camera was not a lynx, but appeared to be a wolf.

New butterfly species discovered in Ireland

WORLD FIRST: Spoon-billed sandpiper chicks hatch in captivity

Bear watching in Slovakia

The High Tatras is the highest mountain range in Central Europe outside of the Alps. There is also a high density of bears in the region. The unique terrain makes it possible to have a good chance of seeing bears at certain times of the year without the need to use hides.

Iceland and Japan launch spring whale hunts

The Icelandic Minke Whalers Association has confirmed that one of its boats has sailed from Hafnarfjorður for the start of the Minke whaling season in Iceland.

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Butterflies of Britain and Europe: A Photographic Guide

Good photos and maps make this book easy to use, you will struggle with caterpillar ID though.

Read full review »

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$40,000 to hunt an elephant and you can import the ivory legally into UK!

We are absolutely disgusted to find out that it is still legal to import ivory and rhino horn into the UK, as hunting trophies!

Catastrophic forest fire delivers huge blow to Europe’s rarest seabird

A massive forest fire on the island of Madeira has killed several breeding adults and 65% of this year's chicks of the Endangered Zino's Petrel.

Norwegian whaler filmed taking an age to kill a Minke whale

World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has released footage showing a Minke whale suffering for more than 20 minutes - and potentially 2 hours - after being shot by an exploding harpoon.

Mediterranean Gray whale sighted off Barcelona

The gray whale we reported on three weeks ago off the Israeli coast has now been re-sighted off the eastern Spanish coast.

Alaotra grebe declared extinct and 12.5% of bird species declared endangered

IWC proposal will allow commercial whaling in Antarctic Ocean

A new proposal announced by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) would, if adopted, for the first time in 25 years, endorse the killing of whales in their most precious feeding grounds, the Southern Ocean.

Is eighty-year-old mistake leading to first species to be fished to extinction?

A species of common skate is to become the first marine fish species to be driven to extinction by commercial fishing, due to an error of species classification 80 years ago.

Shocking bird slaughter continues in Malta – Mass bird graveyard found including 34 Marsh harriers

The carcasses of 76 protected birds have been found in Malta, concealed under stones and rubbish.

Bizarre newt sticks ribs out of body for protection

The Spanish ribbed newt displays a bizarre defensive mechanism against predators. X-ray analysis before and after a simulated threat shows that this newt can rotate its ribs until they project from the animal's body.

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Norway suspends whaling

Norwegian whalers have announced that they have suspended their whale season half way through their usual whaling season after killing around 350 Minke whales, less than 40% of the allotted of 885 whales.

250 endangered Mountain gazelles found in Turkey – First record in Turkey

First North Atlantic right whale sighting in Azores since 1888

On 5th January 2009 a North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) was seen 5 miles south of Faial Island in the Azores.

Biscay whale watch 2008

Biscay ORCA Big Whale Watch 2008 clocks up 9 cetacean species
Biscay whale watch 2008.
In two days we had encountered 9 species of cetacean, including rare beaked whales, leaping Bottlenose Dolphins, large tuna, the second largest whale on earth, and ghostly white Risso's Dolphins. Read more »

Iceland suspends Fin whaling due to lack of sales

WDCS (the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society) has learned that Iceland's fin whale hunt is to be postponed indefinitely and a number of workers at the Hvalur whaling company will lose their jobs in a move which reflects the slow demise of the industry in Iceland.