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.
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.
Recent Europe news
- New species of sea worms discovered in Australia & Sweden
- Alpine marmots spreading throughout the Catalan Pyrenees
- Ivory tusks and elephant feet seized at Paris airport
- USA in favour of resuming Humpback hunt
- Huge INTERPOL investigation into illegal wildlife trade across 18 countries
- Restricting fishing time and zones will save many Mediterranean loggerhead turtles
- Europe’s rarest seabird threatened by new military radar
- 2 million sea birds killed by European fisheries
- Fungus killing high altitude toads - Low altitude toads survive
- Join the campaign against illegal hunting in Malta
- Questions raised over the winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year
- Sweden culls 27 wolves – Brings conservation credentials into question
- Cross-border conservation efforts can yield better results at less cost
- Massive hunt for potentially extinct Slender-billed curlew launched
- Coto Donana National Park threatened by strawberries
More Europe news
- DNA study sheds new light on horse evolution
- ‘Hypocritical’ EU gives €34.5m to fleets fishing tuna to extinction
- Leucistic Cory's shearwater chick on the Madeira Archipelago
- 95% decline in migratory fish in North Atlantic
- Artificial refuges created to save the reptiles of Doñana
- Beyond sunlight: Explorers census 17,650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss
- Europe’s red kites down by 30-40%
- 200,000 seabirds killed every year by European fisheries
- Tuna commission – A Turkey voting for Christmas?
- Is eighty-year-old mistake leading to first species to be fished to extinction?
- Unusual migration of Eleonora’s falcon revealed
- New study reveals first ever method to genetically identify all eight tuna species
- Poland’s threatened wildlife saved by landmark decision reprieves
- Soomaa, Estonia's ‘land of bogs,’ joins the PAN Park network
- Endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna formally recommended for international trade ban - Algerian official arrested
Put a Cork in it for LynxesRelated News Articles
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 »
Mammals of Europe, North Africa and the Middle EastRead full review »
