European Animals Belgium and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Wildlife of Belgium

The European country of Belgium is bordered by France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. There are many different wild animals that make their homes here.

Official National Animal

The Lion

It is regarded as the King of Beasts and represents strength, valor, nobility, royalty, and courage. The Belgium lion is on the country’s official seal and on its banknotes as well as on the Coat of Arms.

Hoge Kempen National Park is a great place to spot wildlife.

There are Moor frogs, Natterjack toads, and several species of butterflies.

High Fens-Eifel Nature Park is home to wild boars, roe deer, hen harriers, black grouses, wood mice, shrikes, and many other animals.

Parc De Furfooz is located in Lesse Valley southeast of Brussels, There are forests, meadows, caves, and the Lesse riverbanks. Animals here include foxes, bank voles, and wood mice.

Animals Native to Belgium

Flemish giant rabbits are the largest breed of domestic rabbits. They originated from the city of Ghent.

Eurasian wolves are the most famous species of wolf. They are found all over Europe and Asia.

Wild boars or Eurasian wild pigs are native to Eurasia and North Africa.

Eurasian lynxes are medium-sized elusive wild cats living in Europe and Asia.

Red deer are one of the largest species of deer. They have a strong presence in European folklore and art.

European badgers are among the most common and widely distributed species of badger.

Birds

Little owls are a tiny species of owls that live in the temperate areas of Europe, North Africa, and northern Asia.

Marine Animals

Mute swans are a species of swan that are less vocal than others.

Eurasian otters are a species of otters living in Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Eurasian beavers are a species of beavers widely spread in Eurasia. Their diet consists of water plants and trees.

Harbor porpoises are the smallest species of cetaceans. They’re found in most of the seas in the world. One of the biggest populations are in the southwestern part of the North Sea by Belgium.

Endangered Animals

Northern right whale

Bechstein’s bat

Garden dormouse

Harbor porpoise

Pond bat

Western barbstelle bat

Eurasian otter

Sperm whale

White whale

Wildlife of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a small Balkan country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro. It has a small coastline along the Adriatic Sea. The country is dominated by mountain ranges like the Dinaric Alps, the Vlasic, the Grmec, and the Cincar. Over half of the country is covered by pine, beech, and oak forests.

There are three national parks where you can see a variety of wildlife and enjoy the hiking trails through the forests and mountains.

The Una National Park is located near the Unac River. It stretches along the western border with Croatia and is the largest national park in Bosnia. The park includes forests, rapids, and waterfalls.

It is home to a wide diversity of freshwater fish and birds. You can also see lynx, wolves, chamois, foxes, and bears.

The Kozara National Park is located at the convergence of the Una, Sava, Vrbas, and Sana Rivers in northern Bosnia. This is home to ducks, hares, boars, deer, foxes, and pheasants.

Native Animals

Gray wolves are a large species of canid and among the most iconic wild animals on the planet.

Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized species of wild cats native to all of Europe, Central Asia, Siberia, and the Himalayas.

Red squirrels are among the most common species of tree squirrels and native to most of Eurasia.

Least weasels are among the most common weasels native to Eurasia, North Africa, and North America.

Lesser white-toothed shrews are a tiny species of shrews, widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Marine Animals

Eurasian otters are semi-aquatic mammals native to Eurasia,

There are less than 700 Mediterranean monk seals in the wild and most of them live in isolated areas of the Aegean Sea,

Endangered Animals

Eurasian lynx

Balkan Snow Vole

Illyrian spined loach

Adriatic salmon