Animals native to Albania.
There are numerous different types of animals in Albania that can be found in many places around the world as well as some to be found nowhere else in the world. Albania is a very mountainous country with it's west border almost entirely a coastline. The highlands are placed elevated on the Balkan region and have a continental Mediterranean climate. Among the animals in the mountain habitats are the even-toed ungulates, which include:
chamois,
wild boar, elk, and roe deer. The carnivores of the mountain habitats are the cross fox,
beech marten, badger,
ermine, Asiatic jackal, Arctic wolf,
European polecat,
wild cat,
brown bear,
Eurasian lynx, European pine martin, and
least weasel.
The coastal lowlands have Mediterranean weather, however, in the interior, the weather changes many times. The temperatures of the interior are affected by differences in elevation more than anything else. The rainfall is heavier in the highlands than in lowlands and 95% of the rainfall takes place during the winter. The changes in weather in the highlands and lowlands are far more dramatic than the changes that occur in the coastal region. The differences in the terrain may cause local changes in temperature, but the overall temperature is consistent in the coastal region. This consistency of temperature is helpful to the animals who have adapted to the region's habitat. The coastal climate of Albania is quite mild and attracts many migratory birds including: ducks, storks, pelicans, and geese. Along the coastal habitats are
Mediterranean monk seals, Atlantic dolphins,
gray dolphins,
sardines, and
mullet. In the interior basins and river valleys, the temperatures are very high, but usually cool down at night. In the rivers, lakes, and streams of the mountains are common otters and trout.
Being that there are many mountains, there are also bound to be many caves or caverns. Of the cavernous habitats inland are the bats which include the:
lesser noctule, noctule, Nathusius' pipistrelle,
common pipistrelle, gray big-eared bat, Blasius's horseshoe bat,
lesser horseshoe bat,
serotine, lesser mouse-eared bat, Brandt's bat, long-fingered bat, greater mouse-eared bat,
whiskered bat. The interior valley habitats are home to many of the smaller prey animals. In the forest and plain habitats are the hares, pikas, rabbits, and rodents which include the: brown hare,
European rabbit, yellow-necked field mouse, broad-toothed field mouse, long-tailed field mouse, Felten's vole,
common vole,
European pine vole, and common dormouse. Also, there is the Albanian horse, which is a small horse either in the mountains or plains, and is in the Balkan horse group.