Fauna of Turkey

Caracal, one of Turkey's wild cats
Common bottlenose dolphin

The fauna of Turkey is abundant and varied. The wildlife of Turkey includes a great diversity of plants and animals, each suited to its own particular habitat, as it is a large country with many geographic and climatic regions. About 1,500 species of vertebrates have been recorded in the country and around 19,000 species of invertebrates. The country is a biological crossroads with links to Europe, Asia, and the Near East. Many birds use the country as a staging post during migration.

Human-made nests for northern bald ibises in Birecik
Loggerhead sea turtle nesting places by the Mediterranean Sea

Overview

Turkey has a large range of habitat types and a great faunal diversity. Nearly 1,500 vertebrate species were recorded, of which over 100 species, mostly fish, are endemic. The country is on two major bird migration routes. This increases the number of birds in the country in spring and autumn. The invertebrate fauna is also very diverse, with about 19,000 species being recorded including 4,000 which are endemic.

Invertebrates

Molluscs

Insects

There are over 380 species of ants in Turkey, 38 of which are endemic.

Butterflies

Moths

Arachnids

Vertebrates

Amphibians

Twenty-three species are endemic to Turkey.

Reptiles

Twenty-three species are endemic to Turkey.

Birds

Mammals

Eight species are endemic to Turkey. Many species have declined in numbers, for example chamois, gazelle and mouflon, with shortage of staff to protect them claimed to be a factor. DNA of 15 endangered large mammals will be stored.

Fish

A 2026 national checklist recognized 390 freshwater fish species in Türkiye, comprising 367 native species and 23 established non-native species. Of the native fauna, 202 species, or about 55%, were classified as endemic to the country. Endemic richness is not distributed evenly among drainage basins; the Antalya drainage contained the highest number of endemic species in the checklist, with 28, while overall species richness ranged from 11 species in the Van Basin to 65 in the Sakarya drainage.

Conservation

Conservation action plans for 100 species are due to be completed by the end of 2019.[needs update]

Endangered species

Extinct and locally extinct fauna

The following species and populations have become extinct in Turkey in historical times.

The Küre and Kaçkar Mountains national parks have been suggested for rewilding.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Biodiversity in Turkey". IUCN. 7 May 2012. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  2. ↑ Kiran, Kadri; Karaman, Celal (November 2013). "First annotated checklist of the ant fauna of Turkey (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Zootaxa. 3548. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3548.1.1. Retrieved 15 June 2019 – via ResearchGate.
  3. ↑ "Türkiye". AntWiki. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Animals and Plants Unique to Turkey". Living National Treasures. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  5. ↑ "Shortage of staff to protect wildlife in Turkey: Official". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  6. ↑ "Endangered wild animals to be protected at gene bank in Turkey". Daily Sabah. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  7. ↑ "Endemic Species of Turkey". 5 October 2026. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  8. ↑ "Thousands of wild animals back to life". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  9. ↑ Freyhof, J. (2014). "Pseudophoxinus maeandricus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014 e.T61349A19010083. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T61349A19010083.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  10. ↑ Stein, A.B.; Athreya, V.; Gerngross, P.; Balme, G.; Henschel, P.; Karanth, U.; Miquelle, D.; Rostro-Garcia, S.; Kamler, J.F.; Laguardia, A.; Khorozyan, I.; Ghoddousi, A. (2020). "Panthera pardus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T15954A163991139. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T15954A163991139.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  11. ↑ Üstay, A. H. (1990). Hunting in Turkey. Istanbul: BBA.
  12. ↑ Can, Ö. E. (2004). Status, Conservation and Management of Large Carnivores in Turkey (PDF). Strasbourg: Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.
  13. ↑ Özkan, Mustafa; Gürün, Kanat; Yüncü, Eren; Vural, Kıvılcım Başak; Atağ, Gözde; Akbaba, Ali; Fidan, Fatma Rabia; Sağlıcan, Ekin; Altınışık, Ezgi N.; Koptekin, Dilek; Pawłowska, Kamilla; Hodder, Ian; Adcock, Sarah E.; Arbuckle, Benjamin S.; Steadman, Sharon R. (July 2024). "The first complete genome of the extinct European wild ass ( Equus hemionus hydruntinus )". Molecular Ecology. 33 (14). Bibcode:2024MolEc..33E7440O. doi:10.1111/mec.17440. hdl:11511/110286. ISSN 0962-1083. PMID 38946459.
  14. ↑ Erdönmez, Cihan (2020). "Yeniden Yabanlaştırma: Ekosistem Yönetiminde Bir Yaklaşım" (in Turkish).