Fauna of Turkey

Overview

Turkey has a large range of habitat types and a great faunal diversity. Nearly 1,500 vertebrate species were recorded, of which over 100 species, mostly fish, are endemic. The country is on two major bird migration routes. This increases the number of birds in the country in spring and autumn. The invertebrate fauna is also very diverse, with about 19,000 species being recorded including 4,000 which are endemic.

Invertebrates

Molluscs

Main article: List of non-marine molluscs of Turkey

Insects

There are over 380 species of ants in Turkey, 38 of which are endemic.

Butterflies

Main article: List of butterflies of Turkey

Moths

Main article: List of moths of Turkey

Arachnids

Vertebrates

Amphibians

Twenty-three species are endemic to Turkey.

Reptiles

Main article: List of reptiles of Turkey

Twenty-three species are endemic to Turkey.

Birds

Main article: List of birds of Turkey

Mammals

Main article: List of mammals of Turkey

Eight species are endemic to Turkey. Many species have declined in numbers, for example chamois, gazelle and mouflon, with shortage of staff to protect them claimed to be a factor. DNA of 15 endangered large mammals will be stored.

Fish

One hundred sixty-one species of freshwater fish are endemic to Turkey.

Conservation

Conservation action plans for 100 species are due to be completed by the end of 2019.

Endangered species

• Mediterranean monk seal (critically endangered) – less than 500 individuals all around the world
• Northern bald ibis (critically endangered) – main groups live in Morocco and Turkey
• Asia Minor spiny mouse (critically endangered)
• Rana holtzi, toros frog (critically endangered) – endemic to Turkey
• Pseudophoxinus maeandricus, Sandıklı spring minnow, (critically endangered) – known from a single stream
• Anatolian leopard (endangered)
• White-headed duck (endangered)
• Red-breasted goose (endangered)
• Loggerhead sea turtle (endangered)
• Great bustard (vulnerable)
• Dalmatian pelican (vulnerable)
• Lesser kestrel (vulnerable)
• Egyptian vulture (vulnerable)
• Wild goat (vulnerable)
• Greater spotted eagle (vulnerable)
• Steppe eagle (endangered)
• Eastern imperial eagle (vulnerable)
• Saker falcon (vulnerable)

Extinct and locally extinct fauna

The following species and populations have become extinct in Turkey in historical times.

• African darter, due to the drying up of Lake Amik
• Asiatic lion
• Caspian tiger, the last known individual was shot in 1974 in Hakkari Province
• Hydruntine, extinct species of wild ass, last seen in the 1st millennium BC
• Alburnus akili, extinct species of fish formerly native to Lake Beyşehir, last seen in 1998, likely became extinct due to the introduction of invasive fish species
• Pseudophoxinus handlirschi, extinct fish found in Lake Eğirdir, last seen in the 1980s, likely due to the introduction of invasive zander

The Küre and Kaçkar Mountains national parks have been suggested for rewilding.

References

References

1. (7 May 2012). "Biodiversity in Turkey". [[IUCN]].
2. (November 2013). "First annotated checklist of the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Zootaxa.
3. "Türkiye".
4. "Animals and Plants Unique to Turkey".
5. "Shortage of staff to protect wildlife in Turkey: Official".
6. (28 August 2018). "Endangered wild animals to be protected at gene bank in Turkey".
7. "Thousands of wild animals back to life".
8. Freyhof, J.. (2014). "''Pseudophoxinus maeandricus''".
9. Stein, A.B.. (2020). "''Panthera pardus''".
10. Üstay, A. H.. (1990). "Hunting in Turkey". BBA.
11. Can, Ö. E.. (2004). "Status, Conservation and Management of Large Carnivores in Turkey". Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.
12. (July 2024). "The first complete genome of the extinct European wild ass ( Equus hemionus hydruntinus )". Molecular Ecology.
13. Erdönmez, Cihan. (2020). "Yeniden Yabanlaştırma: Ekosistem Yönetiminde Bir Yaklaşım".