Fauna of Armenia

The territory of Armenia is distinguished by the diversity of the animal world. There are about 12 thousand animals in Armenia, 11 thousand of which are insects and invertebrates, 75 species of mammals, 43 species of reptiles, 308 species of birds. There are also many endemic animal species in Armenia: bezoar goat, mouflon, pheasant, Armenian viper, leopard and so on. All of these species have a big role in protecting the ecology of Armenia and the world. It is no secret that many of these animals are endangered and listed in Armenian and international Red Book.  We all are responsible for the conservation of these species and must be aware and conscious when interacting with nature. We have identified the most vulnerable animal species that are of great importance to the biosphere. Below we will present the fauna of Armenia, brief description, conservation and steps that can be taken in this direction.

Red deer

Red deer are common in most of Europe and Russia, in the Armenian highland, the Caucasus Mountains, Iran, Azerbaijan, partially in Central Asia and Asia Minor. Rarely can be found in Atlas Mountains. This is the only deer species found in Africa.

The feeding of red deer is very diverse. Mostly they feed on grass, beans and grains. In spring, to restore strength after winter starvation, they mostly eat vegetation rich in protein. In winter a deer digs up a layer of snow and feeds on fallen autumn leaves.  In winter deer also feed on roots, shoots, moss and lichen, thorns and seeds of conifers, such as juniper and yew. They also eat nuts, acorns, chestnuts. If necessary, they can also feed on mushrooms. To make up for the lack of minerals, deer look for mineral-rich water sources, lick residual rocks, dig and bite the ground.

The area occupied by deer mainly depends on the abundance of food. The more food, the less space they take. Deer live in herds of 3-6 individuals. In herd lives a mature female with fawns of the previous few years. Males live solitary. Mature males mark the territory of herd with urine, and another male deer recognizes the smell and doesn’t violate the border. In case of violation he will be immediately expelled by a mature male guarding the territory. Mating season begins in the fall. During this time, males and females gather in one place. A competition begins between males, to earn the right to reproduce. They try to knock each other down with their horns. Weak deer quickly leave the “battlefield”. Usually these competitions end without any serious consequences. However, sometimes battles end with death. It happens when the horns of two deer are so entangled, that they can’t get rid of them and both die of hunger.

Red deer has always been a native of Dilijan Reserve (now a national park). In the early 90s, deer could still be seen in the forests of Dilijan, but thanks to efforts of poachers, they disappeared from the wild. Deer have been found in the forests of Northern, Eastern and Southern Armenia. Since then, red deer have visited us regularly from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran, but never settled here.  In 2005, on the southern slope of Meghri mountain range, above the Nrnadzor village, at least 5-10 years old deer horns were discovered.

In 2018 in Dilijan, the Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia, together with WWF and CNF, finally achieved their long-awaited dream and opened the Red deer breeding center. The first group of deer arrives from Iran – 2 females and 1 male. A few months later the first fawn is born, a male. The next year, the second group is brought from Iran – 2 males and 3 females. In 2019 one more fawn is born. Today deer live in a freehold with an area of 1 hectare. The next generation will be released into a more free area of 10 hectares, where they can live independently, without human intervention, to get used to wildlife and not depend on human care. At the moment, 10 deer live in the breeding center – 6 females and 4 males. The territory is protected by electric fences so that predators can’t get inside. Also, the territory is monitored by cameras so that no one can harm deer. And when released, they will wear special collars, so that it’s possible to locate them and perform regular monitoring. We hope that the final goal of this program will come true.

Armenian mouflon

Armenian mouflon is an endemic species of the wild sheep. You can meet them in the north of Iran – to lake Urmia, in Nakhichevan, south of Armenia – in mountain ranges of Urts (Ararat province), Vayots Dzor (Aghavnadzor, Khndzorut, Martiros, Bardzruni), Bargushat and Zangezur (south of the Dastakert village in Syunik province), also in the Khosrov Reserve. Armenian mouflon is included in IUCN Red List, in the category “Vulnerable A2cde”.

According to IUCN Red List, Armenian mouflons are endangered species – EN D. Until the mid 20^th century populations in Iran and Nakhichevan were interconnected due to migration. But later, after strengthening of the defense infrastructure at the border, migration became impossible.

Mouflons live in dry mountain steppes, with junipers, almond trees and other dry-loving vegetation (Urts mountain range), in sub-alpine and alpine meadows (Vayots Dzor, Syunik). They prefer open biotopes combined with gorges, rocks and other similar sites, at an altitude of 1000-3000 m above sea level. The Armenian population does not roam, lives a settled life. However, during the mating season males from Nakhichevan are noticed in the territory of Armenia.

Mouflons have slim figure, not too much mass. The body length of males is 130-135 cm, females – 105-120 cm, withers height is 85-90 and 70-80 cm, weight – 50-60 and 35-45 kg. Males have large horns, females are mostly without horns. For the first time females usually give birth to one offspring, then to twins. Mating season is from November to early December. Mothers give birth in May-June. Mouflons also mate with domestic sheep, giving a healthy offspring.

The causes of extinction are: the elimination of biotopes, mining, poaching.

Pelican

Pelicans are found in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Russia, the Balkan countries, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Syria and Iraq, Iran, Mongolia and China. In Armenia they can be found during the migration, near lakes of Sevan, Arpi, near ponds of Armash fish nursery. Pelicans visit fish nurseries for feeding. They live near basins, in the areas with rare vegetation. They are the largest of its kind; the body length reaches 130-180 cm, weight – 7-14 kg. They have a large body, large wings, short and thick legs, a short rounded tail, long neck. The length of their beak reaches 47 cm. On the bottom of the beak there is a throat pouch, for catching prey.

Feathers get wet quickly, so you can often watch how they squeeze the moisture from the feathers with their beaks. Plumage is bright white, but more often grey. Young pelicans have dirty-brown or grey color. During nesting, the voice of pelicans is like a strong scream. But at other times they do not reproduce too many sounds.

Pelicans are a rare species. They are listed in the Red Books of the former USSR. The species is listed in IUCN Red List. According to IUCN Red List, pelicans are categorized as Endangered. The main threats are fish breeders who persecute these birds, poachers, as well as uncontrolled fishing on Lake Sevan. Pelicans are endangered around the world, so their protection is very important.

Vordan Karmir in nature

Vordan Karmir, or Armenian cochineal, in addition to being a unique representative of the animal world, also has an important meaning in Armenian culture. It was from Vordan Karmir that the famous red ink was obtained, for writing parchments and royal letters.

Vordan Karmir is a rare endemic species with limited and decreasing habitat and numbers. According to IUCN Red List Vordan Karmir is rated as Critically Endangered – CR B1b(i,ii,iii)+2ab(i,ii,iii). It also was listed in the Red Book of the Armenian SSR.

They live underground and come out to the surface of the land for breeding. Larvae also come out from under the ground and rise on the stems of plants, cling to it and feed all summer. They cling to the plant until May, then return underground and form cocoons. Males emerge from one part of the cocoons, and females from the other. Sexual dimorphism is highly expressed. Mature female is a small insect without wings, oval-shaped, soft-bodied, and slow, with a color of a dark cherry. Body length is 2-12 mm, weight – 1-100 mg. The body is fragmented, but there is no clear separation into the head, chest and abdomen.

Legs are short, poorly developed. The male is much smaller than the female (body length – 2-4.5 mm, weight – 0.6-3.4 mg); the body is clearly divided into the head, chest and abdomen. On chest there is one pair of transparent wings with a dark red border on the edges. It has complex faceted large eyes, long legs adapted for relatively quick movement. The body is dark red. At the rear end of the body, two bunches of silver wax threads come out from the back, which are 2-3.5 times longer than the body. They feed only on reed roots.

The number of these insects in the area is large, but the problem is the reduction of their habitats. It is due to climate change, uncontrolled livestock grazing and so on.

In order to preserve the population of the Armenian cochineal, in 1987 the “Vordan Karmir” reserve was created, in the Armavir province, in the Ararat valley – between the villages of Argavand, Arazap and Alashkert. An artificial method of breeding of these insects was developed here.

Caucasian leopard

Leopard has never had a large population in Armenia. However, in recent years it has been considered extinct in our area. The leopard was first spotted in 2018. It was captured by camera traps, placed in the Khosrov Reserve with the help of WWF. At the moment, there is one settled leopard in Khosrov Reserve. In general there are 7-9 leopards living in the Areviq national park, in specially protected areas “Gnishik” and “Dzhoghadzor”, in Shikahogh Reserve.

Although the number of leopards in these areas is not stable, since they occupy large territories and regularly cross state borders, the fact that they have appeared in our country in recent years suggests that favorable conditions have been created for them in Armenia.

This is primarily due to the growing population of Bezoar goats, as they are a favorite prey for leopards. With the financial support of WWF, a special anti-hunting group was created in the Shikahogh Reserve, to rule out any encroachment on leopards. Fortunately, leopard itself is a cautions animal and avoids meeting people. Therefore the probability of meeting a leopard in the wild is close to zero even if there will be a lot of them.

The Government of the Republic of Armenia declared 2019 the year of leopard. A number of events, meetings and information campaigns were held in order to inform people and arouse in them a sense of self-awareness and responsibility towards nature and in particular, leopards. It is also very important to fight against poaching.

The penalty for leopard hunting has been raised from 3 million to 100 million drams, which is good news. The main goal at the moment is the maintenance and breeding of the permanent male resident of the Khosrov Reserve. According to experts, a leopard can leave the territory in search of a female and never return. That’s why it would be great if we could find a girlfriend for him and bring her to the Khosrov Reserve. We hope that one day this will happen.

You can read our separate article on leopard here.

Cinereous vulture

Vultures are predatory birds from the Accipitridae family. They feed mainly on carrion, but some species also hunt small vertebrates. Vultures are divided into 2 groups: American and real. There are 16 known species of real vultures, 4 of which are found in Armenia. They are: griffon vulture, bearded vulture, cinereous vulture and Egyptian vulture. We want to talk more about the Cinereous vulture.

All vultures are united by a long thin neck, slightly rounded head and a strong beak. With the help of a long neck and a small head, they easily go inside the carrion and reach the internal organs and remains of meat on the vertebrae. Their strong beak helps them crush the bones. Body length is 75-100 cm, wing length – 72-85 cm, wingspan – 250-295 cm. Mature birds have dark-brown plumage, vulture chicks are more black, with blue featherless neck.

Cinereous vulture, unlike the other three, nests on trees, in particular on juniper trees. Female vulture lays one egg, rarely two. Fires in juniper forests have a negative effect on the maintenance and growth of their population.

Although their number is currently stable and not decreasing – 8-9 pairs, it is still very low. There used to be a lot more vultures. The main reason for this is the lack of food, the lack of ungulate herbivores. Cinereous vultures are more demanding on food. They feed on the meat of the carrion, when others are satisfied with internal organs and bones.

Ornithologist Karen Aghababyan says that this problem can be solved by creating the so-called “restaurants for vultures”. Not far from the tourist observation point there would be a special platform, where the remains of meat for vultures would be collected. Vultures gather on this platform for a feast. And the income from tourists would cover expenses for food and other things. This is a very popular tourist attraction in Europe and America.

One of the main problems that impede the realization of this idea is that the vultures very quickly learn to “beg” for food. And if they get used to the restaurant, they will find it difficult to obtain food on their own. So if the restaurant is created, the food supply should be regular, without interruptions. Vultures play an important role in nature, in ecology. They eat carrion and cleanse nature of rotting residues which secrete toxic substances and are incubators of many infections. The digestive system of vultures is one of the strongest in the world. Thanks to this they are not poisoned by rotten meat. Some species of vultures only feed on bones of animals, for example bearded vultures. Their strong gastric juice is able to completely digest bones. With their strong beak, they tear off the bone from the skeleton, lift it and throw it down. The bone breaks into small pieces, and vulture swallows them one by one.

Bezoar goat

Bezoar goat is a subspecies of a wild goat. Prefers to live on rocky areas with shrubs and bushes. Sloping rocky terrain is a required condition: here they rest and hide from dangers. Bezoar goat was included in the Red Book of former USSR. It is also listed in the IUCN Red list (ver. 3.1) in the category “Vulnerable A2cd”. According to IUCN Red list the species is assessed as “vulnerable”.

Since independence, the number of bezoar goats in Armenia greatly reduced, barely reaching 1000 animals, and according to some experts – 800-900 animals. Right now there is a sharp increase in the number of bezoar goats. On the territory of Armenia there are supposedly 2000-3000 bezoar goats. It is very important, because it’s one of the main reasons why the leopard returned to Armenia. It can also have a positive effect on increasing the number of vultures. Bezoar goat is preserved in the Khosrov Reserve and the Zangezur biosphere complex. Regular monitoring is held thanks to the photo traps installed in the mentioned areas.

You can read our separate article on bezoar goat here.

Lynx

Lynx is a predatory animal from the feline family, the closest one to the family of cats. Lynxes are fairly common. They can be found in Europe, in North, Central, and partially in Western Asia, in North America. Lynxes of Armenia live in Ararat, Tavush, Lori, Kotayk, Syunik, Gegharkunik provinces. Their habitat is forests and mountains, rocky parts of woodlands. Lynxes climb trees very well. They have a strong hearing, and a weak olfaction. They have very long hair on their webbed paws, which helps them to move in fragile snow.

Lynxes usually give birth to two or three kittens. At a young age they look like cats, but from the age of three weeks they begin to hunt mosquitoes, dragonflies and small birds. Then they leave and begin to lead a wandering life. Lynxes live up to 25 years. They see perfectly in the dark. While hunting, they can sneak up unnoticed and ambush the victim for hours, waiting for a convenient time to attack. Lynxes are active at twilight and evening hours. Lynx fur is very expensive, so they are in the spotlight of poachers.

Darevsky’s viper

This is a poisonous snake of the viper family. They are found in southwestern part of Javakhk mountain range up to the border with Georgia (l. Achkasar), at an altitude of 2350-3000 m above sea level, in the regions of Shirak and Ashotsk. Darevsky’s viper is an endangered animal, which is included in the IUCN Red list. In habitats, the number of vipers is stable. But the habitats themselves decrease, mainly due to uncontrolled overgrazing and expansion of arable land. Also a serious problem is the ignorant behavior of people with snakes. Vipers, Darevsky’s viper in particular, play an important role in ecology and cannot be harmed.

They mainly feed on locusts, crickets, and small rodents. It means that they regulate the number of some pests. The destruction of these snakes can indirectly affect agriculture. It is known that a competent vineyard owner will never harm a snake, because if there is a snake in the vineyard, then rodents and other pests will not spoil the harvest. Darevsky’s viper is under the protection of the “Lake Arpi” national park.

Brown bear

There is one type of bear in Armenia – a brown bear. Bear is the biggest animal that can be found in wild in Armenia. The height of their back can reach 150 cm, and the weight of mature males can reach 600 kg. Along with this, bears run very fast – up to 30 km/h.

The mating season lasts from mid April to June. Pregnancy lasts 7 months. Two cubs are born in winter in the den, less often 1 or 3-4 cubs. Bear is the king of the forest and is at the top of the food chain. In the IUCN Red list, bears are rated as “Vulnerable”. Although there has been no special monitoring of the number of bears, it is believed that their number is stable. The habitat of bears around the world is very large.

Different subtypes of brown bear can be found in almost all Eurasia, especially in central and eastern parts of Europe, throughout Russia, the Caucasus, the Armenian highland and the Arabian Peninsula. In Armenia, the biotopes of bears are threatened due to agriculture and poaching. Due to the lack of food, bears sometimes come into villages, intimidate and cause harm. But we need to understand that usually it’s a person’s fault, because it is important to know the basic rules of behavior with a bear.

Despite the fact that in Armenia there are a number of environmental problems, we can say that recently in our country there has been a positive trend in improving the condition of the fauna in Armenia. In 2019, photo traps were installed in Dilijan national park, which had not been monitored before. The Caucasian leopard returns, the number of bezoar goats has been increased. The preservation of these animals is a responsibility of each of us, and therefore it is very important to educate environmental self-awareness among future generations.

Special thanks to WWF Armenia for photos and videos.

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