Fauna of Estonia
Estonia is a small, heavily forested country situated on the Baltic Sea. It is a part of the Euro-Siberian region of terrestrial Palearctic realm, and the Temperate Northern Atlantic marine ecoregion.[1]
Phytogeographically, Estonia is shared between the Central European and Eastern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Estonia belongs to the ecoregion of Sarmatic mixed forests.
Estonia's sparse population and large areas of forest have allowed stocks of
five national parks, including Lahemaa National Park on the northern coast as the largest. Soomaa National Park, between Pärnu and Viljandi, is known for its wetlands. Reserves such as Käina Bay Bird Reserve and Matsalu National Park (a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention) are also popular with locals and tourists and support a wide variety of birdlife.[5]
The roe deer
is the most common ungulate of Estonia.
.jpg)
Vertebrates
The largest bear populations can be found in north east Estonia in
wild boars.[2]
Its birdlife includes
Matsalu Nature Reserve (a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention) are also popular with locals and tourists and support a wide variety of birdlife.[7]
Invertebrates
The following table gives an overview of species numbers of selected invertebrate groups.[8]
| Group | Known species | Estimated number of species |
|---|---|---|
Amoeboids |
68 | 140 |
| Flagellates | 89 | 200 |
| Apicomplexa | 13 | 50 |
Ciliophora |
176 | 300 |
Sponges |
3 | 6 |
| Hydrozoa | 5 | 8 |
| Scyphozoa | 3 | 3 |
| Turbellaria | 55 | 200 |
| Monogenea | 73 | 40 |
| Digenea | 110 | 130 |
Ribbon worms |
106 | 130 |
Gastrotricha |
6 | 40 |
Rotatoria |
230 | 500 |
Nematoda |
200 | 500 |
| Nematomorpha | 1 | 5 |
| Kinorhyncha | 1 | 3 |
| Acanthocephala | 14 | 40 |
| Nemertea | 4 | 10 |
| Priapulida | 1 | ? |
Polychaeta |
6 | ? |
| Oligochaeta | 103 | 200 |
| Bryozoa | 7 | 15 |
Gastropods |
74 | 80 |
Bivalves |
62 | 70 |
Crustacea |
326 | 356 |
| Arachnids | 786 | 2055 |
Myriapods |
38 | 50 |
| Tardigrades | 1 | 50 |
Insects |
~10000 | 20000-21000 |
See also
- List of Estonian mammals
- List of birds of Estonia
- List of fish in Estonia
- List of Estonian butterflies
- List of Odonata species recorded in Estonia
External links
References
- ^ Spalding, M.D., et al. "Marine Ecoregions of the World: A Bioregionalization of Coastal and Shelf Areas". Bioscience Vol. 57 No. 7, July/August 2007
- ^ "Systematic list of Estonian mammals". Archived from the original on 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
- ^ "Laupäeval algab hundijaht" (in Estonian). 2008-01-25. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
- ^ (in Estonian)Keskkonnainfo: hunt Archived 2019-10-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Birds Of Estonia
- ^ "status2". Archived from the original on 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
- ^ Birds Of Estonia, Checklist Of The Birds Of Estonia, Its Complete Birdlist
- ^ Eesti Loodus (Ed. A. Raukas), Tallinn, Valgus & Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus 1995