Polish fauna

Poland

Hungary

Italy

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Croatia-Osijek

Turkey

Croatia-Zagreb
Name & Conservation status
English name: hazel dormouse
Latin name: Muscardinus avellanarius
In the language of the given country: orzesznica
Conservation status: EN - Endangered 
Taxonomy
Regnum: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Classis: Mammalia
Ordo: Rodentia
Familia: Gliridae
Genus: Muscardinus
Description The hazel dormouse is native to northern Europe and Asia Minor. It is the only dormouse native to the British Isles, and is therefore often referred to simply as the "dormouse" in British sources, although the edible dormouse, Glis glis, has been accidentally introduced and now has an established population.

In winter (early October), the hazel dormouse will hibernate in nests either in the crooks of trees, nesting boxes or logs piles. Dormice are almost completely arboreal in habit, and rarely if ever become terrestrial. When it wakes up in spring (late April or early May), it builds woven nests of shredded honeysuckle bark, fresh leaves and grasses in the undergrowth. If the weather is cold and wet, and food scarce, it saves energy by going into torpor; it curls up into a ball and goes to sleep. The hazel dormouse, therefore, spends a large proportion of its life sleeping − either hibernating in winter or in torpor in summer.

Examination of hazelnuts may show a neat, round hole in the shell. This indicates it has been opened by a small rodent, e.g., the dormouse, wood mouse, or bank vole. Other animals, such as squirrels or jays, will either split the shell completely in half or make a jagged hole in it.

Further examination reveals the inner rim of the hole has toothmarks, which are at an angle to the hole for the dormouse. The toothmarks are parallel with rough marks on the nut surface for a wood mouse; the bank vole leaves parallel grooves with no rough marks.

Diet
The hazel dormouse requires a variety of arboreal foods to survive. It eats berries and nuts and other fruit with Hazelnuts being the main food for fattening up before hibernation. The dormouse also eats Hornbeam and blackthorn fruit where hazel is scarce. Other food sources are the buds of young leaves, and flowers which provide nectar and pollen. The dormouse also eats insects found on food-source trees, particularl aphids and caterpillars.

 
Name & Conservation status
English name: red fox
Latin name: Vulpes vulpes
In the language of the given country: lis rudy
Conservation status: LC - Least Concern
Taxonomy
Regnum: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Classis: Mammalia
Ordo: Carnivora
Familia: Canidae
Genus: Vulpes
Description Red foxes either establish stable home ranges within particular areas or are itinerant with no fixed abode. They use their urine to mark their territories. A male fox raises one hind leg and his urine is sprayed forward in front of him, whereas a female fox squats down so that the urine is sprayed in the ground between the hind legs. Urine is also used to mark empty cache sites, used to store found food, as reminders not to waste time investigating them. Red foxes live in family groups sharing a joint territory. In favourable habitats and/or areas with low hunting pressure, subordinate foxes may be present in a range. Subordinate foxes may number 1-2, sometimes up to 8 in one territory. These subordinates could be formerly dominant animals, but are mostly young from the previous year, who act as helpers in rearing the breeding vixen's kits. Alternatively, their presence has been explained as being in response to temporary surpluses of food unrelated to assisting reproductive success. Non-breeding vixens will guard, play, groom, provision and retrieve kits, an example of kin selection. Red foxes may leave their families once they reach adulthood if the chances of winning a territory of their own are high. If not, they will stay with their parents, at the cost of postponing their own reproduction.

 
Name & Conservation status
English name: wild boar
Latin name: Sus scrofa
In the language of the given country: dzik
Conservation status: LC - Least Concern

Taxonomy
Regnum: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Classis: Mammalia
Ordo: Artiodactyla
Familia: Suidae
Genus: Sus
Description The Wild Boar is a medium-sized mammal with a large head and front end, that leads into a smaller hind. They have a thick and course double coat of fur, that consists of a harder, bristly top layer, with a softer undercoat beneath it. The hair that runs along the ridge of the Wild Boar's back is also longer than the rest. The Wild Boar varies from brown, to black, to red or dark grey in colour, something which generally depends on the individual's location. For example Wild Boar individuals found in Western Europe tend to be brown, where those inhabiting the forests of Eastern Europe can be completely black in colour. The Wild Boar has incredibly poor eyesight due to it's very small-sized eyes, but they also have a long, straight snout which enables them to have an incredibly acute sense of smell.

 

Name & Conservation status
English name: deer
Latin name: Cervus elaphus
In the language of the given country: jeleñ szlachetny
Conservation status: LC - Least Concern
Taxonomy
Regnum: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Classis: Mammalia
Ordo: Artiodactyla
Familia: Cervidae
Genus: Cervus
Description Deer are widely distributed, with indigenous representatives in all continents except Antarctica and Australia, though Africa has only one native species, the Red Deer, confined to the Atlas Mountains in the northwest of the continent. However, Fallow Deer have been introduced to South Africa.

Deer live in a variety of biomes ranging from tundra to the tropical rainforest. While often associated with forests, many deer are ecotone species that live in transitional areas between forests and thickets (for cover) and prairie and savanna (open space). The majority of large deer species inhabit temperate mixed deciduous forest, mountain mixed coniferous forest, tropical seasonal/dry forest, and savanna habitats around the world. Clearing open areas within forests to some extent may actually benefit deer populations by exposing the understory and allowing the types of grasses, weeds, and herbs to grow that deer like to eat. Additionally, access to adjacent croplands may also benefit deer. However, adequate forest or brush cover must still be provided for populations to grow and thrive.

Name & Conservation status
English name: red squirrel
Latin name: Sciurus vulgaris
In the language of the given country: wiewiórka pospolita
Conservation status: LC - Least Concern
Taxonomy
Regnum: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Classis: Mammalia
Ordo: Rodentia
Familia: Sciuridae
Genus: Sciurus
Description Squirrels cannot digest cellulose, so must rely on foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, and fats. In temperate regions, early spring is the hardest time of year for squirrels, because buried nuts begin to sprout and are no longer available for the squirrel to eat, and new food sources have not become available yet. During these times, squirrels rely heavily on the buds of trees. Squirrels' diets consist primarily of a wide variety of plants, including nuts, seeds, conifer cones, fruits, fungi and green vegetation. However, some squirrels also consume meat, especially when faced with hunger. Squirrels have been known to eat insects, eggs, small birds, young snakes and smaller rodents. Indeed, some tropical species have shifted almost entirely to a diet of insects.

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