Animals in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan's landscape is one of the most hostile in the world. One might even think that very few creatures can survive the barren nature of this European country. But this is far from truth.

Although Azerbaijan's environment is truly different from tropical and sub-tropical countries, it is not barren; far from it, in fact. The country's landscape is dominated by vast grasslands which are considered home by many animals. Horses, in particular, love to dwell in these places. The Karabakh horse, the national animal of Azerbaijan, is a resident of the grasslands, but it is also at home in the mountains. In fact, it can travel swiftly both on the plains and on steep mountains.

Azerbaijan possesses the largest number of mammals in all of Europe. There are over one hundred recorded species in the country, three of which are endemic. Among the most popular and most sought after is the Caucasus goat. It is an inhabitant of the steep and cold mountains of the Caucasus, preferring to live in high altitudes where there is very thin air, but also very few predators ' if at all. The goat's thick fur is well adapted to the extremely low temperature of the snowy mountains.

The Caucasus mouflons are actually a wild variety of sheep. Compared to the domesticated species, the mouflons are much bigger and more muscular. In fact, it is difficult to identify it as a member of the sheep family without a thorough anatomical examination of the species.

The mouflons inhabit the plains where they can graze on the grass the whole year round. Unlike the goats, the mouflons can run very fast thanks to their long and muscular legs. With them, they can outrun even the strongest predator.

The third endemic species are the Jeyran gazelles. Like the gazelles in Africa, the Jeyran is the fastest sprinter in the Azerbaijan plains. Despite their lightning speed, the animals are very rare and can be found only in the Shirvan State Reserve.