Peloponnese, a place unique and unrivaled in terms of history, legends, monuments. A place of incredible natural beauty, with huge biodiversity, that has nothing to envy from any other place in the world. On the contrary all other places have a lot to envy from the beautiful and historic Peloponnese. In our articles we get to know Peloponnese area, but also we come across many species of the peloponnesian fauna in many of our travels. Most of us certainly aren’t aware of them, as they are rare endemic species of Greece and Peloponnese. Let's meet some of the inhabitants of the Peloponnesian nature. You can also take a look at our first travelogue: Tribute to Fauna of the Peloponnese.
Wild boar, the king of the mountains of Peloponnese. Many years ago the mountains of the Peloponnese were inhabited by many large animals. Bears, wolves, deer, lynx and roe deer roamed the mountains. Unfortunately, over the years, all these animals have disappeared, but there is still one big animal to roam our beautiful mountains, the mighty wild boar (Sus scrofa), which is now the largest mammal in the Peloponnese. The wild boar is the ancestor of domesticated pigs, found in almost all of mainland Greece, as well as almost throughout the Peloponnese. We usually find it in dense oak, chestnut and beech forests, except when it goes to farms to find food. It can reach 1.80 in length and exceed 200 kg in weight, it lives about 15 years and has an excellent sense of smell and hearing. Its coat is thick and hard which when the wild boar takes a mud bath, becomes really impenetrable. Its color varies depending on the season and generation, but it is usually gray, black or brown. The wild boar is considered to be extremely dangerous because of its four tusks. With them it digs the earth for food, but also uses them as a weapon, from which many deaths of hunters and dogs have occurred. However, the wild boar is not aggressive by nature. In the sound and smell of humans around it moves away. But it can become terribly dangerous if hunted or if it protects its young. It is an omnivorous animal, which loves roots, fruits, chestnuts, mushrooms, potatoes, but also feeds on small reptiles, worms, snails, as well as carrion. Wild boars usually live in groups where the leader is the largest female, while the males usually live alone until the breeding season.
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| wild boar |
Hare, of the species Lepus europaeus, a native species of Europe which is found almost all over Greece and of course in Peloponnese. We usually find it on wooded slopes, but also on plains. Its ancient name is "λαγωός" (lagoos). Although it is a relatively common animal in the Greek countryside, it has many things that classify it as a very special species. Initially, the hare is about 75 cm long and usually weighs over 4 kg, while it lives about 5 years. It feeds on grasses, fruits and berries, while a great feature is its speed, as it reaches 70 kilometers per hour, but never in a straight line, only in zigzags to deceive its predators. It has a jump that reaches about five meters, its hair changes depending on the season, between gray and brown, while it usually moves at night. As mentioned above the hare has some characteristics that make it unique. For example it can mate while it is already pregnant, due to the double uterus it has. It is a coprophagic animal and if it does not do so it can die of vitamin deficiency. It is also one of the few "peaceful" mammals, as it never marks or claims areas. It is not a competitive animal in terms of food and does not do special ceremonies to attract females, as males can mate with many females, but also females with many males. Unlike rabbits, the hare does not hide in holes, it prefers to hide among bushes and stones, where it can have good visibility.
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| hare |
Glaux Athena, the commonly named owl (Athene noctua). This little owl is a mythical creature for Greece as it is the sacred bird of the goddess Athena, while it is a symbol of wisdom and the Greek spirit. It was a sacred symbol of the ancient Athenians with which they adorned coins and shields. Its body is 18 cm long, its wings are 14 cm long, while its tail is 8 cm long, weighs 170 grams and lives from 20 to 50 years. Its color is brown with white spots, so that it camouflages itself on tree trunks and soil. It has big and impressive eyes, which offer her sharp vision both day and night, while it also has excellent hearing. Its beak is short, small but also quite strong. Her legs are relatively small, but she has curved and pointed nails. She has a strong and strange voice, something that unfortunately targeted her in the old days when superstitions prevailed. It feeds on small mammals such as mice, rats, etc., snakes, lizards and bats. As nests they use cracks in rocks and walls, old abandoned houses and chambers of the ground. It lives mainly in forests, but also very close to residential areas.
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| glaux Athena |
One of the smallest, cute and sweet inhabitants of the Peloponnese mountains is the beautiful eurasian blue-tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). This beautiful bird is a European species, we find it all over Greece and the beautiful Peloponnese, with the subspecies C. c. calamensis (Parrot, 1908) to be the endemic bluebird which is found only in Greece. The Latin name (Cyanistes), but also the Greek one (γαλαζοπαπαδίτσα = galazopapaditsa - galazo/galazio = blue), refer to the blue dark-blue color of its feathers. The blue tit is found mainly in oak forests, while we can find it also in swamps when looking for food, as well as in villages near mountainous areas with rich vegetation, but also in olive groves. The color of its back and tail is blue, its abdomen is yellow, while its head is white on the sides, above is blue and the bottom is black. Its beak is small, gray to light blue. It has a body length of about 11 cm, a wingspan of 19 cm, a tail length of about 5 cm, and a weight of about 10 to 12 grams. It feeds mainly on insects, while it likes fruits and seeds. They nest in trees but also in vines. A great feature of the blue tit is its high intelligence index, as it has been observed that in order to disinfect their nest, they transfer to it various aromatic plants such as rosemary and mint.
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| eurasian blue tit |
Greek frog (Rana graeca). It is found almost all over Peloponnese. It is a medium-sized frog, usually 8 cm long, an amphibian that is active equally well day and night. We find it in mountainous and wooded areas with running, cold and clear waters. It usually sits on rocks on the banks of streams. It is found at an altitude of 200 to 2000 meters. The females of the species lay their eggs in various safe hiding places and the males protect the eggs until they become tadpoles. The color of the frog is usually in shades of brown and gray.
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| greek frog |
Marginated turtle (Testudo marginata). It is one of the three species of land turtles in Greece, with the subspecies Testudo marginata weissingeri Trutnau, 1994 Taygetus, being endemic to our country. We find it almost all over the Peloponnese and also spreads up north to Olympus. It is almost 27 cm long, eats plants, fruits and insects, while it lays its eggs in holes it digs in the soil. Being free in nature can exceed 100 years of life. Its color is mainly shades of gray and brown, with some characteristic white-yellow spots on its shell. It has excellent sense of smell, quite good eyesight and good hearing which is based on the vibrations of the substrates. It is characterized by the special sense of patriotism that it has, as it chooses specific places of living which it does not leave even if there is a lack of food.
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| marginated turtle |
Cephalonian slow worm (Anguis cephallonica Werner), a beautiful little reptile that many people due to its appearance confuse with a snake, while it is a completely harmless legless lizard. It is an endemic species of Greece and is found only in Peloponnese, Zakynthos and Cephalonia. In Peloponnese, however, we also meet a cousin of the Cephalonian slow worm, specifically we meet the Greek slow worm (Anguis graeca Bedriaga). This lizard has eyelids and ear canals, which differentiates it from snakes. It grows up to 40 cm in length, is active during the morning and the afternoon, while it likes to hide among dense vegetation, as well as under stones and wood. It eats small invertebrates but also small reptiles. Both slow worms mate in early spring.
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| above: cephalonian slow worm bottom: greek slow worm |
Butterfly (Plebeius eurypilus pelopidas van der Poorten), an endemic species of Greece that is found mainly in Taygetos. It lives mainly in gorges and in large cavities, at altitudes from 110 to 2000 meters. Unfortunately under threat due to collector interest and the intensification of grazing which destroys the environment where this unique butterfly lives. Its color is brown with light shades of yellow and gray, while it has orange spots. The underside of the wings is white with black spots that look like eyes.
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| butterfly Plebeius eurypilus pelopidas van der Poorten |
In Taygetos we come across another endemic species of butterfly, that of Turanana taygetica (Rebel, 1902). This is an extremely rare species, has been recorded in critically endangered species, as well as the previously mentioned butterfly, and faces reckless collection and destruction of areas where it lives. You may find it at high altitudes over 1000 meters, in dry and rocky areas. Its color is dark blue with black details, while the bottom is light blue to white with black spots.
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| butterfly turanana taygetica |
Let's go and check some fish species that live in the rivers of the Peloponnese. Starting with the freshwater blenny (Salaria fluviatilis). It is a Mediterranean species that prefers clear and fresh waters, with sandy or muddy bottoms, with several aquatic plants. It is found almost in most rivers of the Peloponnese and the rest of mainland Greece. It likes to hide in cracks in rocks and near stones. It can also live in brackish waters, where rivers meet the sea. It has an elongated body without scales, usually grows up to 10 cm in length, has a large head and large eyes. Its color is usually greenish to brown, while the abdomen is more towards yellow. It is a very curious fish that is constantly checking what is happening around it. It feeds on small invertebrates and insects, while it is characteristic that it can be easily bred and reproduced successfully in an aquarium, under right conditions. Unfortunately, freshwater bennies, like all river fish in Greek waters, are threatened by water pollution and poor river management.
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| freshwater blenny |
Peloponnesian barbel (Barbus peloponnesius). A fish species that is found in almost all rivers of the Peloponnese, as it is an endemic species of Greece. It lives only in rivers and lakes with fresh clean water. It belongs to the carp species, it likes high flow streams with stony bottoms. It reaches 19 cm in length, while feeding on invertebrates.
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| peloponnesian barbel |
Peloponnesian river fish carp (Squalius peloponnensis). One of the most common fish of our country’s rivers, is an endemic species found only in the Peloponnese and Western Greece. It likes fresh running water, it lives in rivers, large lakes but we can also meet it in brackish water, in places where rivers meet the sea. It reaches 30 cm in length, while its color is usually gray to silver.
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| peloponnesian river fish carp |
