When you come to Poland for the first time, one of the first things you notice is how green this country is. Even in the biggest cities, such as Warsaw or Cracow, there are plenty of green areas where you can forget about everything and just immerse yourself in the nature.
List of the Top 10 wild animals in Poland
Two of the most popular green areas in Poland are Mazury and Tatra Mountains (where Zakopane is located) regions. Poland has a wild side, and it is well known across the world. I want to share with you a list of the Top 10 wild animals you will find in Poland! :) Which one is your favourite? Which other animal would you include on this list?
1) White Stork
The white stork (Bocian in Polish) is one of the most emblematic animals in Poland, there is even a Polish superstition about it . This bird can reach more than 2 meters tall. More than 25% of the global population can be found in Poland!
2) Wild Boar
The wild boar (in Polish: Dzik) can be found basically everywhere in Poland. The weight of this animal can reach 100kg. Sometimes these animals tend to walk along the roads in Poland, so watch out with them… because they might attack you if they feel threatened :P
3) European Bison
This might be the favourite animal for a lot of Polish people, and some of them consider it as an animal that reflects the Polish pride around the world. There is even a vodka and a beer brand with this animal in their logos. The biggest sanctuary of this animal is in Poland and more than 25% of the worldwide total population lives here! The average weight of the European Bisons (in Polish: żubr) is 900kg.
This might be interesting for you: Why you must visit Poland?
4) White Tailed Eagle
This animal might be the most important one in Poland. Why? The white tailed eagle (in Polish: Orzeł Bielik) is the symbol of Poland. This eagle is represented e.g. flag designs, sports clubs logos, etc. The size of this eagle is almost 1 meter height.
5) European Wolf
The European wolf (in Polish: wilk europejski) is a precious animal which can be found mainly in the western part of Poland. This animal is protected by law in Poland, and it is believed that approximately one thousand wolves live in this country.
6) European Elk
The European Elk (in Polish: łoś) is a huge animal that lives in the Polish forests. The size of this animal can reach 2.1 meters, and they can live up to 25 years. Beautiful, isn’t it?
7) Roe Deer
This little friend can be found in all the forests in Poland. If you are lucky enough you will have the chance to see them without any problem e.g. while driving along the road in the countryside. The roe deer (in Polish: sarna) is relatively small with a body length between 95 and 135 cm.
8) Wild Hedgehog
This is my favourite animal in Poland. When I came to this country, I saw for the first time these little guys in the garden! They are really small, they like to eat worms and they are beautiful! You should not keep them at home, however, there is another kind of hedgehog – the African pygmy hedgehog – that you can have at your place. You cannot really play with them a lot but they are great!
9) Corncrake
This is the smallest animal on this list, the average weight of the corncrake (in Polish: derkacz zwyczajny) is just 165 grams! Their favourite place to live are the Polish hayfields.
10) Polish Fox
To conclude this list I would like to include the Polish Red Fox (in Polish: lis rudy). This cute animal can be found even in the biggest cities in Poland. They are really fast and they like to be really curious. By the way they look stunning when it is snowing!
Which one was your favourite? Which other animal would you include on this list?
3 Comments
Hi! First I would like to thank you for your great website:)
Just would like to point out one thing from the list above. You say that our łoś is a european elk. I think it should be listed as a moose. I know there is a little confusion with the name “elk” in British English but I think everybody around the world knows how moose looks like and łoś is a moose:) Elk, or wapiti (North America) is one of the largest species within the deer family, and is a close relative to our beloved European red deer (but distant enough to be a different species). However if a person, for example, from USA, reads your list and sees a moose listed as an elk, will be a little bit confused. I hope it does makes sense? THANK YOU!
I like the Roe Deer and Polish Fox. Not into very large animals.
The Polish fox is really cute! A few times I saw outside my window 2 or 3 foxes.