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Written by Jimmy
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Saturday, 17 January 2009 19:33 |
The islands of the Northern Sporades, because of their geographical isolation, have a rather poor amount of species of mammals. The dasothamnopontikos (Apodemus sylvaticus), the mikroepimys (Ralius rattus), the petrokounavo (Martes foina) and various types of bats. For the Mediterranean environment, characteristic mammals living in the Northern Sporades and several wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), but they were brought there by the people.
From about 1989, hedgehogs started living in the island after someone brought some animals at the island . In the meantime, those hedgehogs (Erinaceus concolor), multiplied rapidly and currently found in almost every corner of the island (particularly at dawn or dusk).
As in other cases where the person acts in a natural ecosystem which is shaped by millennia, it is still impossible to glimpse how the rest of the fauna of the island will be affected by the presence of newly arrived species. The eggs of birds that threads their eggs in the soil, or reptile eggs which are buried just beneath the surface, do not pull through the hedgehog, who sees them as a nice snack. The hedgehog can be comfortably placed in colder conditions, and manages to feed easily catching snakes and lizards.
For too long the wild goats in Gioura considered the specificity of the fauna of the Northern Sporades. However, as revealed by more precise studies, it is likely that they are just common goats which turned back into being wild. Even so it is worth to protect, but their number has grown too, to the point where it has a negative impact on the flora of the island. Genuine wild goats in Greece are still in Crete and the Antimilo in Cyclades.
Until about 1990, on the island Piperi a breed of steers which were adapted to the Mediterranean climate were still surviving , living in wild nature, which also indicated that they have been there since ancient times. However, the hunting and the water shortage in summer, led the animals into extinction.
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