In Austria there are more than 80 species of fishes. In the Danube river there
live 60 different species. Whereas the Alpine regions are the habitat of
trouts, sea saiblings, umbers and tenchs, in the Danube river perchs, catfishes
and eels are found. A large part of the carps lives in the ponds in the
Waldviertel region. The ponds are inhabited by salamanders and aquatic frogs.
They belong to the class of the amphibians which is legally protected in
Austria.
When walking through the forest after a rainfall, it could be possible to see
the yellow-black fire salamander. The European tree-frog lives in the trees of
the Alpine foothills.
In the meadows of the Danube (national park March-Donauauen) one can observe
the European mud turtle threatened by extinction. On warm rocks and walls
lizards can be found.
Bats and insectivores like hedgehogs, moles and shrewmouses are legally
protected. The forest is the habitat of dormouses, edibles and squirrels and
the sunny soils of the Pannonische region are inhabited by hamsters and susliks.
Also many predators like foxes, badgers and martens live here. The animals that
are hunted the most are hares and rabbits. The wild big which once was found
only in the Leitha mountains, lives now also in the forests Ernstbrunner and
Ellender and in parts of the Wienerwald forest.
Mufflons and fallow deers still exist in closed territories (Lainzer zoo,
Sparbach). Herds of deers inhabit meadows and forests and in mountain forests
red deers are found.
The characteristic artiodactyla of the Alps, the chamois has had a higher rate of reproduction in the last few years.
