Did you know?

• The world's only freshwater underground sponge (Eunapius subterraneus) lives only in Croatia, in the karst area of the Ogulin-Plaški plateau and the Lika region.
• The subterranean leach (Erpobdella mestrovi) lives at the bottom of Luka's pit, which is 1392 m deep, making it Croatia's deepest pit.
• The marine sea grass (Posidonia oceanica) can live for more than a thousand years, and is one of the Mediterranean's longest living species.
• The date mussel (Lithophaga lithophaga) needs about 80 years to reach a length of 12 cm.
• The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) can dive to depths of 500 m and can stay underwater for up to 8 minutes.
• The pelican (Pelecanus crispus) has a wingspan of up to 320 cm, while the great bustard (Otis tarda) can weigh up to 16 kg. Both of these bird species are extinct in Croatia!
• It is assessed that some 200 wolves (Canis lupis) live in Croatia today.
• The brown bear (Ursus arctos) satisfies up to 95% of its dietary requirements from plants.
• The lynx (Lynx lynx) can catch prey 3 to 4 times its size.
• The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) can live for 80 years or more.
• The brown marine alga (Fucus virsoides) lives only in the Adriatic Sea.
• Red coral (Corallium rubrum) grows only 4 to 8 mm per year.
• The sea cucumber (Holothuria tubulosa) rises up from the sea bottom when releasing its gametes, so that about two-thirds of its body length stands upright.
• The European glass lizard (Pseudopodus apodus) is a legless lizard which looks more like a snake because of its long body.
• The nose horned viper (Vipera ammodytes) is the most venomous snake in Croatia. In the local language it is called the ‘jumper' because it typically bites people in the head region, but not because it jumps, but rather because it prefers to sun itself on low lying tree branches and in bushes in late summer and early autumn.

• The olm (Proteus anguinus) is the only subterranean aquatic vertebrate in Croatia.
• The Balkan terrapin (Mauremys rivulate) can only be found in Croatia in a small number of ponds and watercourses in southern Dalmatia.
• The female long snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) lays her eggs in the male's pouch where he fertilizes them and carries them for 3 weeks, when the young are born.
• The greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) was named after the folds on its nose that serve to direct high frequency sound signals it uses for orientation and to find prey.
• The round leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) is a carnivorous plant that feeds on insects. It can catch up to 2000 insects during a summer.
• The soft-mouth trout (Salmothymus obtusirostris) lives in only a few rivers in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and nowhere else in the world.
• While the European mole (Talpa europaea) feeds on earthworms, which are made up of 85% water, they do not drink water at all.
• The skin of the green toad (Pseudepidalea viridis) is scattered with many warts which are skin glands that release a foul smelling and tasting secretion that helps it fend off its enemies.
• There are more than 150 species of orchid (Orchidaceae) growing in Croatia, and all are strictly protected by law.
• The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a species of falcon that is able to see in the ultraviolet spectrum of light, which allows it to follow urine trails from voles.
• The European tree frog (Hyla arborea) is a frog species that is a very skilled climber and spends most of its time on trees.
• The deep sea carnivorous sponge (Asbestopluma hypogeal) that feeds on small crustaceans, was found in a sea pit 24 m deep in the Telašćica Nature Park, making this the second find in the world.
• The noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis) is the largest shellfish in the Adriatic Sea, growing to more than 1 m in length.
• There are more than 50 taxa of onions (genus Allium) growing in Croatia, two of which are endemic species that were only recently described to science for the first time.
• The caterpillars of the large blue butterfly (Maculinea arion) are fed by red ants in ant hills with their eggs and larvae until they reach the pupae phase, while the ants feed on the sweet secretion the caterpillar releases from its glands.
• The snake's head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) can live for 30 or more years.