Animals of Slovenia

In 2003, a total number of 21.500 animal species were recorded for the terrestial part of Slovenia. However every year new species for the country are discovered, so the number is still increasing. Due to the large number of caves also new species for science are discovered.

The high number of species in Slovenia is due to several reasons. Among others important are endemism, different biogeographical zones and two different water basins.

Endemism: The highest numbers of endemic species live in the caves in the karst area and in the Alps. This group of animal have a small range for their distribution.

Biogeographical zones: In Slovenia, five bio-geographical zones are recognised: Alpine region, pre-alpine area, mediterranean area, dinaric area, pre-dinaric areas and the sub pannonian area. Although many species commonly occur in Slovenia, other species have the edge of their distribution here.

Water basin: The rivers in Slovenia end or in the Danube/Black Sea or in the Adriatic Sea. Due to the different ending the rivers have a typical "Danube" fauna and "Adriatic" aquatic fauna. The rivers with a typical "Danube" fauna are the Sava, Drava, Mura, Krka and other contacting streams. The rivers with a typical "Adriatic" fauna is the Soca, the Reka and other contacting waters.