Fauna

The Cretan white-toothed shrew (scient. Crocidura zimmermanni) is the only endemic mammal in Greece, found only in Crete, but it is displaced by the introduced lesser white-teethed shrew (scient. Crocidura suaveolens). Moreover, the smallest mammal of the world, the Etruscan shrew, is the third species of shrew met in Crete.

The ocellated skink (scient. Chalcides ocellatus) (or the eyed skink or gongilo), is an impressive species of skink, which is native to to Italy, Greece and North Africa. In Crete holds the mistaken impression that they are deadly poisonous and people are afraid of them.

The Bonelli's eagle (scient. Hieraaetus fasciatus) is a medium-sized bird of prey, with a wingspan of 145-165cm and a body length of 55-60cm. In Crete, it is met quite often, although its population has declined during the last years.

The Cretan spiny mouse (scient. Acomys minous) a threatened species of mouse endemic to Crete and Africa. It is named so, after the coarse, stiff hairs on its back and tail.

The European Green Toad (scient. Pseudepidalea viridis or Bufo shaartusiensis or Bufo sitibundus or Bufo viridis or Rana picta) is a widespread species of European toad, which is also found in Crete. The difference between toads and frogs is that toads have dry, warty skin, while frogs have smooth, wet skin.

The Greek tortoise (scient. Testudo graeca) or spur-thighed tortoise is a species of land turtle, which has been introduced to the island of Crete by humans and has survived with remarkable ease. It is found near the wetlands of the island and in shady humid forests.

The edible dormouse (Glis glis argenteus), squirrel tailed dormouse, myoxus or fat dormouse of Crete is a subspecies of the common dormouse species, met throughout Europe and western Asia. Crete is the southernmost point where we meet this species, with the largest population being limited in Samaria National Park and some individuals being reported in Psiloritis Mount.

The Moorish Wall Gecko (scient. Tarentola mauritanica) is a small species of lizard that reaches a total length of 16cm and can be found on the island of Crete.