WILDLIFE Greece has a variety of wildlife, including wild bears and wolves in the mountains of northern Greece, the kri-kri on Crete, wild deer on Rhodes and the endangered Mediterranean Monk Seal in the seas around Alónissos. |
Kefalonia
remains home to a smaller variety of wildlife, much of
which is rarely
seen. This is particularly so of the Mediterranean Monk
Seal.
Over-fishing has resulted in a diminishing food supply and
tourist
expansion on the sandy beaches where they raise their pups
has led to
an alarming decline in population. |
By nature they return to the same place to rear their pups, today they often have to retreat to isolated sea caves. Of all wildlife in Europe, the Mediterranean Monk Seal is the most likely to become extinct and is now so endangered that there may well be none left in the Ionian seas, despite glossy claims designed to appeal to tourists. There appears to be no active efforts to preserve Kefalonia's Mediterranean Monk Seals and no up-to-date information. |
Loggerhead
turtles
and Green turtles are also under threat from tourism.
Loggerheads depend upon the sandy southern beaches of
Zakynthos and
Kefalonia to lay their eggs. The slow moving turtles are
susceptible
while
swimming to
injury from motorboats, eggs can be destroyed if,
e.g. beach umbrellas are driven deep in to the sand and
newly hatched
turtles can be disorientated by brights lights from e.g.
tavernas. Rather
than risk disturbing a nesting turtle on the beach, go
to Argostoli if
you want to see them. In the morning the little fishing
boats sell
their catch on the quayside and the turtles turn up for
a free
breakfast of fresh fish scraps. |
Tortoises & terrapins are quite common in the wild in rural Greece. Although to be found on Kefalonia they are quite timid and are rarely seen. It’s illegal to try to smuggle them back to the UK and it’s also best not to handle them as they can all carry salmonella and loggerhead turtles crack crab shells with their jaws. |
Geckos
& lizards are quite common and similar in appearance.
The
lizards
tend to be olive green and come out during the day whereas
geckos are
cream-coloured, rather more bulbous and are creatures of
the night.
Both are totally harmless and Greeks think it lucky to
have one in the
house as they catch and eat flies. While you’re out and about you may catch sight of a large Green Lizard and, around the wet lowlands, you may come across the four-foot long – but totally harmless – Glass Lizard, which resembles a brown snake. |
Quite
likely
you’ll see many butterflies, such as Swallow Tails,
Clouded
Yellows and Painted Ladies – all of which were once
quite common in the
U.K. – also hummingbird moths
and dragonflies, both quite harmless. Up on Mount Aenos, near the tiny monastery above the village of Arginia, you might see the small herd of hardy wild ponies, claimed by some to be descendants of the original wild horses of Thrace. |
You might also see a variety of amazing bird life: Griffon vultures, Eleonora’s Falcon, buzzards, goshawks, the black woodpecker and the white-backed woodpecker, the huge eagle-owl... all may still be seen on and around Kefalonia. And don't forget the dolphins... |