Die Fauna von Kreta

Wir bedauern, dass wir noch nicht diese Seite ins Deutsche übersetzt haben. Im Folgenden zeigen wir die englische Fassung.

Humans have been present on Crete for thousands of years. Yet despite the long history of human habitation, the Cretan environment remains very diverse. The rich fauna of Crete, like its flora, is a result of the island’s isolation from surrounding land masses and the variety of different ecosystems.

Crete lies on the main migration route from Africa to Europe and therefore the island is exceptionally rich in birds of prey.

Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier. Photo by 'Fokus Mankind' (http://en.wikipedia.org)

Among these is the Bearded Vulture, or Lammergeier. (Gypaetus barbatus) It is the only bird in the world that eats bones. From a high altitude it drops the bones thus crushing them before descending to eat them.

The vulture has a wingspan of nearly 3 meters. It used to live in mountainous regions of Europe, Asia and parts of Africa. Today however it only survives in a few areas one of which is Crete where approx. 30 birds are left.

Other birds of prey which can be found on Crete are the Eleonora’s Falcon, Griffon Vultures, and various eagles like the Short-toed Snake-eagle and the Cretan golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetus) a subspecies of eagles unique to Crete.

Other birds to be seen are herons, various warblers, swallows and finches.

Greece only have 2 endemic mammal species and both are found only on Crete. It is the Cretan Shrew (Crocidura zimmermanni) and the Cretan Spiny Mouse (Acomys minous).

In the waters around Crete one finds dolphins and other sea mammals like sperm and fin whales. Leatherbag turtles, loggerhead green turtles are also present albeit rare and endangered.

The Cretan Goat - Kri-Kri.

Kri-kri: The Cretan Goat

The Cretan Goat or the Kri-kri (Capra aegagrus creticus) is a feral domestic goat derived from the first stocks of domesticated goats in the Eastern Mediterranean area around 8000-7500 BC. On Crete the males are sometimes called 'agrimi' (αγρίμι, 'the wild one'), while the name 'Sanada' is used for the female.

Today the Kri-kri is found only on the island of Crete and three small islands just offshore (Dia, Thodorou and Agii Pandes). It has a light brownish coat with a darker band around its neck. It is a very shy animal and rest during the day. They avoid humans and you'll probably not be able to see them in the wild.

The Kri-kri is not indigenous to Crete, but have been imported during the time of the Minoan civilization. It was once common throughout the Aegean but their last stronghold today is the peaks of the Lefka Ori or the White Mountains of Western Crete.

By 1960 less than 200 animals were left. It had been hunted for food by mountain guerillas during the German occupation in World War II. The threatened status of the Kri-kri was one of the reasons for the Samaria Gorge becoming a national park in the early 1960s. Today, there are still only about 2,000 animals on the island and they are considered vulnerable. Poachers hunt them for their meat, grazing grounds have become scarce and they have been affected by disease. Hybridization is also a threat, as their gene pool is mingled with ordinary goats.

Archaeological excavations have found several wall paintings of the Kri-kri and some believe that the animal was worshiped during antiquity. Today the Kri-kri is a symbol of Crete and much used in tourist brochures and official literature.

The Loggerhead Turtle

Greece is home to the largest nesting population of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean. And the second largest breeding area in the Mediterranean of this now endangered species is the beaches between Rethymnon and Skaléta just west of Villa Talea.

The turtle lives most of its life at sea but it must return to a beach – always the same beach – to lay its eggs. Unfortunately, tourism and the development of the beaches has lead to the destruction of many of the turtles' breeding habitats as the nesting occurs from early June to the end of August thus coinciding with the main tourist season.

On nocturnal visits to the beach the female turtle buries 80-100 eggs in the sand. Here they must remain undisturbed for about two months before the small turtles hatch out and head for the sea.

Many eggs are destroyed by beach umbrellas or people trampling over them. Once hatched the baby turtles sometimes mistake the artificial lights from inland with the brightness of the sea horizon and turn in the wrong direction as they start their first journey. They then die from dehydration and exhaustion.

You can make donations, sign up for volunteer work or have more information about the turtles from the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, PO Box 30, 74100 Rethimnon, 28310 72288 or at their website: www.archelon.gr. (Or you can simply be as careful as possible when at the beach.)

'Fourokattos': The mysterious wildcat of the Psiloritis Mountains

In 1905 a British lady purchased two animal skins at the market in Chaniá. This proved to be the first physical evidence that there was something real behind the many myths and legends about the 'Fourokattos' (the furious cat) that had been handed down for generations among the Cretans. However, back in 1905 no scientist believed in the existence of such a creature.

Nearly a century later, in 1996, an Italian university team studied the carnivores on Crete. One morning when the team was inspecting their traps in the Psiloritis Mountains they were astonished to find that they had captured a cat of 5, 5 kg (12 lbs). When they brought the cat to the University at Rethymnon for further studies it created a sensation.

The Cretan wildcat (Felis silvestris cretensis) has a tawny pelt and a formidable tiger like snarl. Whether it is related to the European wildcat or the African wildcat is disputed. There are two prevailing hypotheses about the wildcats' presence on Crete. Either it came to Crete prior to the separation of the island from the neighbouring mainland, or the animal was brought to Crete for domestication by some of the first settlers, but ran wild.

The Italian scientists are the only ones to ever having captured a live animal and many believed the animal to be extinct until recently (2006) when some sightings were reported. According to some of our neighbours near Villa Talea, the cat has been seen in the area near the holiday house many years ago.