The most important and symbolic species of Serre’s forests is the Wolf (Canis Lupus Italicus), who returned to re-conquer his territory after decades of absence. In second place among Sere’s mammals, as a rarity and importance, there is the Porcupine (Hystrix cristada).

According to official zoology, this kind of specie was considered nonexistent on Serre and Aspromonte. Another important protagonist of Serre’s fauna is the Wild Cat (Felis silvestris). The Marten (Martes martes), is a tirelss predator tonnage of an house cat, similar to the most common Stone Marten. These are four rarer mammals of Serre’s fauna. Now we come to the most common and widespread.

Firstly, the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), who is the real protagonist of Serre’s forests.

The Wild boar prefers the oak, chestnut, beech forests, where it lives on acorns, chestnuts. The Badger (Meles meles) prefers forestry habitat. None too common, the native Hare of our forests. The Hare is a shy and bashful animal and he lives in mixed grounds, he prefers valley where he lives on grasses, barks and branches. A very common animal is the Fox (Vulpes vulpes): this animal lives everywhere, digging his nest in the ground and living on everything without disdain the remains of food that are in the garbage dump. Another predator of little animal is the Stone Marten (Martes foina), similar to the Marten. This type of animal does not disdain as a nest, the attick of old buildings, he lives on little mammals and birds, but above all in Autumn, he eats fruits and berries.

The Weasel (Mustela nivalis) is very very small animal and thanks to his dimensions and his tapered form is able to chase the rodents in the nests. An unmistakable animal is the Skunk (Mustela putorious) similar to the Stone Marten.

There is also the Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) widespread averywhere in the Serre, during the winter it goes into hibernation. The Dormouse (Glis glis) is characterized by grey colouration. It prefers broad-leaved forests where he lives on dried fruits and seeds. An unmistakable animal for his black fur with a white spot on his chest and belly and for his long tail is the Southern Squirrel (Sciurus meridionalis), who is a very prince of the conifer, beech and chestnut forests, he builds  his nest in the log of the tree. The Garden Dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) is another little rodent that feeds of many things such as insects, snails, eggs and chick of birds; Garden Dormouse builds his nest in the walls, in the trees o between the stones. The Common Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) ia a rodent with arboreal habits. Certaintly, other little mammals live in the Serre’land, like Mole (Talpa europea), Pygmy Shrew (sorex minutus), Common Shrew (Sorex anareus), Water Shrew (neomys fodiens), Lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura suaveolens), Etruscan Shrew (Sunsuc Etruscus), Earth Vole (Arvicola terrestris).

As far as concerns bird fauna and other predatory there are: the Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), who nests on big conifer trees and prey on ability mammals and birds. Similar to Goshawk is the Sparrow hawk but he is only smaller and more widespread. On the stone peak of the group   of Mammicomito-valley Precariti, the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) nests, known for his velocity (about 300 kilometers per hour). The Red Kite (Milvus milvus) distinguishes himself by other predatory for his pronged tail like that of swallows. In the eastern of Serre the Black Kite (Milvus migrans) nests and he is smaller than Red Kite. There is also the Buzzard (Buteo buteo). As common is the Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) who lives in open environments. The Kestrel nests inside of big log or on stone cliff. Probably, in the Serre there is also the uncommon and big Eurasia Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) that is able to reach 70cm of height. Among other predatory there are the Long-eared Owl (Asio otus), the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), the Barn Owl (Tito alba), the Little Owl (Athene noctua) and the Eurasian Scops Owl (Otus scops).

Naturally, a number of other birds crowd Serre.

Starting with the diverse species of waterfowl that are around Angitola’s lake, on the north-western slopes range: coot, moorhen, common pochard, ferruginous duck, mallard, grey heron, little egret, magpie, cuckoo, sandpiper, pipper, holed crow, great spotted woodpecker, lesser spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, robin redbreast, nightingale, flounder, short-toed tree creeper, long-tailed tit, backcap, Eurasian jay, Feral Pigeon, woodcock, wryneck, grested Lark, goldfinch, blue rock thrush, corn buting, chaffinch, Sardinian warbler, great tit, et. .


Among snakes , the Common Viper (Vipera aspis hugyi) plays a major role, other snakes of Serre are: the Green Whip snake (Hierophis viridiflavus), Elaphe quatuorlineata, the bigger italia reptile can reach also 2 m; Grass snake (Natrix natrix) expert swimmer able to expel a foul-smelling liquid; the Aeuscalapian (Coronella austriaca); Elaphe longissima; Asserella snake (Natrix tassellata). Among the amphibious the are: Fire Salamander (Salamandra Salamandra), Spectated salamander (Salamandrina terdigitata), Yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegate).

Land tortoises are represented by Hermann’s Tortoise (Testudo Hermanni).

In rivers and inland waters Mediterranean trout (Salmo trutta macrostigma) leves. The largest group of insects among which deserve to be reported: Alpine Rosalie (Rosalia Alpina), the big oak longhorn (Cerambyx cerdo) and the curious Oryctes rhinoceros (Oryctes nasicomis).


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