Polish Nature - Fauna

European Bison

At the present time there are no more than 300 European bison in the wild - located in the Bialowieska Forest. This animal reaches over ten feet in length and six feet in height. The males can weigh up to one ton or more, while the female is much smaller than the male. Their coat are dense, long, and either dark brown or black. The hair is longer on the neck and head, where it almost forms a mane. European Bisons live in herds which are led by a mature male.

White Stork

One of protected species. Poland is the kingdom of White Stork. There is no other country with more stork residents per square kilometer. There are about 40.900 stork couples nesting in our country. White Storks are tall (1 m., 2.3-4.4 kg) long-necked wading birds with long bare red legs and a straight pointed red bill.

European Elk (Moose)

This animal is the size of a small pony and is the largest of the deer. There animals live mostly in the marshland areas of Poland. They are shy and secretive. They are good swimmers. They eat a variety of things, such as soft woods, branches, twigs and juicy bark. In the summer they live singly or in small groups, but in winter they congregate into larger groups.

European Beaver

Can usually be found around wooded flats near rivers and lakes where they build their homes in the banks with two to five under water openings. This incredible swimmer can move under the waters surface for up to a half a mile or more without breaking the surface. His main diet consists of the leaves, bark and twigs of most deciduous trees. European beavers live in colonies of twelve or more and are very social animals. They are known to mate for life. Their scaly tail is shaped much like a spatula and is completely hairless.

Wild boars

Can be found throughout most of the forests of Poland. They are covered in a coat of coarse, bristle-like hairs ranging from dark grey to brown. They can reach up to 200 kg (440 lb).
Wild boars live in herds ('sounders') of around 20 individuals. They have wide variety of foodstuff, including: birds, reptiles, insects, eggs, leaves, roots and tubers, wood, fruit, seeds, mushrooms and dung! They are generally active at dusk, dawn, and at night. During the day they hide out in dense woodland or other thick cover to rest.

Gray Wolf

Is a highly social animal. Wolves live in packs, which usually have 5-12 members. Nowadays there are about 500 wolves living in 124 packs in Poland. Packs have complex social structures; the leader can be either male or female. Its role is to track, hunt prey and establish the pack’s territory. When a female chooses a mate, they usually have a life-long bond and spend a lot of time together. Wolves display deep affection for their families. When they hunt alone, they choose smaller mammals like rabbits, if they hunt in packs they attack deer, moose or beaver. The adult wolf has 100-140 cm long and 30-55 kg.

Bat

There are 24 species of bats in Poland, all of them under strict protection. The smallest one is the size of Pygmy Shrew (it weights about 3 grams, which is less than the smallest Polish bird - the Goldcrest), and the biggest is the size of a sparrow. However, few people know about their presence, as during the day buts hide themselves in caves, holes, hollows, dark nooks of attics and cellars, as well as in abandoned underground tunnels and fortifications. They need different hiding places located within small distance to find themselves safe. In winter they hibernate for many weeks.

Lynx

Is one of the cats, which still lives in the forests of Poland. Sadly, their number is decreasing, because their habitat is shrinking but also due to poaching. Nowadays there are less than 200 individuals in the country. Lynx is among the most endangered species in the world and is protected by law.
Lynxes have short tails and usually a tuft of black hair on the tip of the ears. The color of their body varies from light brown to grey and is occasionally marked with dark brown spots, especially on the limbs. They weight is approximately 15-30 kg. Lynxes live in the high altitude forests with dense cover of shrubs, reeds, and grass. Though the cat hunts only on the ground, it can climb trees and swim.
Lynxes are usually solitary, they travel and hunt together in small groups. They eat birds, small mammals, fish, sometimes also sheep and goats. You probably won't spot it as the animal is extremely shy, secretive and avoids people.

The Brown Bear

In the past occurred on the majority of Polish territory. Development of agriculture, connected with reduction of large forested areas, caused that nowadays these animals live mainly in Carpathian Mountains. Since 1952 they remain under legal protection. The natural environment of brown bear is old growth beech forest.
Brown bears have furry coats in shades of blonde, brown, black, or a combination of those colors. They weigh between 100–700 kg (220-1,500 pounds). In the summer, they put on up to 180 kg (400 pounds) of fat, on which they rely to make it through winter, when they become very lethargic. In winter months bears hide in caves or crevices and hibernate, but it is easy to wake them up. Brown bears feed mainly on vegetable matter: berries, roots, and sprouts, fungi, however sometimes they eat meat as well: fish, insects, and small mammals. Larger mammals, such as deer, are eaten only occasionally. When brown bears attack these animals, they tend to choose the young ones since they are much easier to catch.
The brown bear is primarily nocturnal. They are mostly solitary, although they may gather in large numbers and form social hierarchies based on age and size.

The White-Tailed Eagle

Can be found in several places in Poland including the Ujscie Warty National Park. One of the largest surviving populations lives in this country. White-tailed Eagle is a large bird, 69–91 cm long with a 182–238 cm wingspan. Females, weighing 4–6,9 kg are significantly larger than males, which weigh 3–5,4 kg. The adult is mainly brown, might be a little blackish. It has thick "meat-cleaver" beak and distinctive white tail. The eagle is an active predator, taking fish, birds, carrion and, occasionally, small mammals. It regularly pirates food from other birds and otters as well.
It pairs for life. Some individuals have been found to live over 25 years.
You might see it while circling high on the sky or its nest, being a huge edifice of sticks in a tree or on high rocks.

Dears

Are quite popular in Poland, they live in forests. Good place to see them is Bialowieski National Park. Dears can weight up to 350 kg and be 2,5 m long. They generally have long, powerful legs suited for rugged woodland terrain. Their fur is mainly brown; in winter it is grey-brown, in summer rusty-brown. Most fawns are born with their fur covered with white spots, though they lose them once they get older. The most characteristic feature is that all male deer have antlers.
Deers are selective feeders. They are usually browsers, and primarily feed on leaves shoots, young leaves, fresh grasses, herbs, weeds, soft twigs, fruit, fungi and lichens. Deers are excellent jumpers and swimmers.

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