18 Wild Animals in Bosnia [Wildlife in Bosnia]

Learn All About Bosnian Animals

Ready to learn all about Bosnian animals?

I’ve always been fascinated by animals, and by how they can be so different from one country to another. In this guide, we’ll focus on the many animals Bosnia Herzegovina has on the land, in the sky, and underwater.

I’ve split the guide into 4 categories:

• Native animals from Bosnia
• Endangered animals of Bosnia
• What is the national animal of Bosnia?
• How many animals are native to Bosnia?

Let’s dive in right away with our first category!

Native Animals from Bosnia

Bosnia and Herzegovina, informally known as Bosnia, is a European country located between the southern and southeastern parts of the continent. It is a developing country that is almost landlocked but not quite thanks to a very narrow coast, and it is bordered by Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia. Its capital city is Sarajevo, which counts more than 275,000 inhabitants (but more than 555,000 if you include the metropolitan area).

An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its wildlife. In light of that, I have listed the best of it, and I hope you will love learning what animals live in Bosnia.

Here’s the Bosnia animals list.

1. Nose-horned viper

Alexandre Roux / CC BY-NC-SA

• Name: Nose-horned viper
• Scientific name: Vipera ammodytes
• Conservation status: Least concern

The nose-horned viper, also known as long-nosed viper or sand viper, is a species of viper native to southern Europe. It is the most dangerous viper in all of Europe, and can also be found in the Middle East. It is large, has long fangs, and a very dangerous and toxic venom.

Despite being named sand viper, it does not live in sandy areas. Instead, it likes dry and rocky hills with a little vegetation.

2. Eurasian brown bear

• Name: Eurasian brown bear
• Scientific name: Ursus arctos arctos
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Eurasian brown bear is one of the most common subspecies of brown bears. It can be found in almost all Eurasia. As its name suggests, it has a thick brown fur that ranges from red-brown and yellowish-brown to dark brown.

This bear was present in Britain but was exterminated due to over-hunting. It was also used in fighting arenas in Ancient Rome, which goes to show how long it has been around in Europe.

3. Gray wolf

• Name: Gray wolf
• Scientific name: Canis lupus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The wolf, or gray wolf, is a large species of canid and one of the most iconic wild animals on the planet. It can be found throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere and lives in packs. Currently, this species is assessed to be of least concern, and there are around 300,000 wild individuals.

Over the course of history, wolves have had a long history of interactions with humans, sometimes hated and hunted, some others respected.

4. Adriatic salmon

• Name: Adriatic salmon
• Scientific name: Salmo obtusirostris
• Conservation status: Endangered

The Adriatic salmon, also known as the Adriatic trout or the soft mouth trout, is a species of salmonid fish endemic to the Western Balkans, in Southeast Europe. It is a freshwater fish and one of the most important game fishes in Bosnia.

This fish has an elongated snout and a small mouth. Depending on the subspecies, its body color can vary from green to reddish-green. It is currently considered endangered due to overfishing and excessive damming.

5. Eurasian lynx

• Name: Eurasian lynx
• Scientific name: Lynx lynx
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized species of wild cat native to all of Europe, Central Asia, Siberia, and the Himalayas. It is found in temperate and boreal forests at high elevations, up to 5,500 m / 18,000 ft.

The lynx is widely distributed, but still seriously threatened by poaching, depletion of prey and habitat loss. It is very elusive and preys on small mammals most of the time.

6. Red squirrel

• Name: Red squirrel
• Scientific name: Sciurus vulgaris
• Conservation status: Least concern

The red squirrel is one of the most common species of tree squirrel. It is native to most of Eurasia and is arboreal. It inhabits temperate woodlands and coniferous forests and makes itself a nest with moss, leaves, and grass.

This squirrel is herbivorous and feeds on nuts and seeds. Sometimes, it can also steal bird eggs or nestlings. It is usually preyed on by martens, wildcats, buzzards, hawks, and owls.

7. Central European boar

• Name: Central European boar
• Scientific name: Sus scrofa scrofa
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Central European boar is the most common species of wild boar that lives in Europe. Except for Scandinavia and European Russia, it is found throughout the entirety of the continent, anywhere from deserts to taigas.

Historically, this wild boar has been an important part of Germanic cultures and has been engraved on helmets and shields for centuries. The main reason for its success as a species is its high versatility when it comes to feeding: its diet is similar to that of humans!

8. Least weasel

• Name: Least weasel
• Scientific name: Mustela nivalis
• Conservation status: Least concern

The least weasel, also called the little weasel or the common weasel, is a species of weasel native to North America, North Africa and Eurasia. It can be found throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere, and even in New Zealand, Malta and other islands, where it was introduced.

Its diet is largely made of small rodents, but it will attack anything it can, including birds, fish, frogs and rabbits. It breeds during the spring and summer, laying down around 6 kits.

9. European hare

• Name: European hare
• Scientific name: Lepus europaeus
• Conservation status: Least concern

Hares are quite abundant in Europe, and the European hare is the largest of them. It is perfectly adapted to temperate countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its predators are large birds of prey, felids, and canids. Its only way of escaping them is running out and fatiguing them.

More than 5 million European hares are hunted every year, and it is one of the most common hunting targets in all of Europe.

10. Long-fingered bat

• Name: Long-fingered bat
• Scientific name: Myotis capaccinii
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The long-fingered bat is a species of vesper bats. It inhabits coastal areas around the Mediterranean Sea and is a carnivorous animal. It hunts for its prey around the water, so its diet is mostly made of fish, small invertebrates, and aquatic insects.

Its feet are unusually large, which is why it got its name. This bat’s global population is sadly on the decline, as it is threatened by pesticides and roost disappearance.

11. Common dolphin

• Name: Common dolphin
• Scientific name: Delphinus delphis
• Conservation status: Least concern

There are around 6 million common dolphins in the world. Because of this, they are listed as least concerned, and they live in temperate coastal areas. The common dolphin used to be separated into the short-beaked common dolphin and the long-beaked common dolphin, before being regrouped as a single species.

These dolphins are rare in captivity but can be found in marine theme parks like SeaWorld. When captive, they are much more stressed and aggressive.

12. European wildcat

• Name: European wildcat
• Scientific name: Felis silvestris
• Conservation status: Least concern

The European wildcat is a small species of wildcats native to most of continental Europe. It lives in forests and usually has gray fur. Most of the time, it is active by night, but can also be seen during the day when not disturbed by human activity.

This wildcat is legally protected, but it has become rare. Its biggest threat is persecution from humans, but this species could also disappear due to interbreeding with feral cats.

13. Red fox

• Name: Red fox
• Scientific name: Vulpes vulpes
• Conservation status: Least concern

The red fox is the largest species of foxes and one of the most widespread carnivores on the planet. It can be found throughout the entirety of the Northern Hemisphere, and it was also introduced to Australia, where it is considered an invasive species.

The body of the red fox is elongated, and it has short limbs. It also has a very large tail that represents more than half its body length, and it can jump over 2 meters high (6 ft 7 in). It’s a very agile animal.

14. Mediterranean monk seal

• Name: Mediterranean monk seal
• Scientific name: Monachus monachus
• Conservation status: Endangered

There are currently less than 700 Mediterranean monk seals in the wild, and they only live in isolated areas of the Aegean Sea. This animal is sadly severely threatened by fishing nets and hunting, and it could very well disappear in the next decades.

Male monk seals are very territorial, and they mate with several females. They do not have an official breeding season, because there are births all around the year, but there is still a birth peak in September, October, and November.

15. European hamster

• Name: European hamster
• Scientific name: Cricetus cricetus
• Conservation status: Critically endangered

The common hamster, also known as the European hamster, is sadly not common at all. It is not clear why its drastic population decline happened, but habitat loss and agricultural practices and expansion are probably to blame.

This hamster is nocturnal or crepuscular and digs itself a complex burrow system. When it comes to feeding, it transports food in its cheek pouches, most of the time seeds, vegetables, grasses, and insects.

16. Lesser white-toothed shrew

• Name: Lesser white-toothed shrew
• Scientific name: Crocidura suaveolens
• Conservation status: Least concern

The lesser white-toothed shrew is a tiny species of shrew, widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa. It inhabits scrub and feeds on worms, gastropods, small rodents, arachnids, and insects.

One interesting fact about this shrew is that a female and her young form a caravan when foraging for a safe place or food: the young grips its mom’s tail to stay together. It is closely related to the Asian lesser white-toothed shrew, but they are now distinct species.

17. Eurasian otter

• Name: Eurasian otter
• Scientific name: Lutra lutra
• Conservation status: Near threatened

Eurasian otters are semi-aquatic mammals native to all of Eurasia. They can be found from western Europe and northern Africa to the eastern coast of Asia and Southeast Asia. Their other common names are the common otter, the Old World otter, and the river otter.

It is very territorial, carnivorous, and can be very fierce. Despite its medium size, this otter can be very muscular and fast. Its global population declined in the second half of the 20th century because of pollution.

18. Red deer

• Name: Red deer
• Scientific name: Cervus elaphus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The red deer is a species of deer native to most of Europe, but also in parts of western Asia. Thanks to conservation efforts and reintroduction, its global population is stable, though it used to be potentially endangered.

Only male red deers, called stags, have antlers, which is what this species is renowned for. Their antlers can grow up to 115 cm / 45 in and weigh 5 kg / 11 lb!

So there you have them, these were my 18 wild animals in Bosnia. I hope you enjoyed this list and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about animals in the country, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:

Endangered Animals of Bosnia

This is definitely the saddest part of the list, but it is very important to raise awareness. Because of this, let’s go through the list of endangered animals in Bosnia.

Here are the animals in danger of extinction in Bosnia.

Extinct in the wild

• None

Critically endangered

• Angelshark
• Common hamster
• Slender-billed curlew
• Tope
• European eel
• and 9 more…

Endangered

• Mediterranean monk seal
• Saker falcon
• Angular roughshark
• Minnow nase
• Bramble shark
• and 15 more…

To see the full list of endangered species in Bosnia, head over to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

What is the National Animal of Bosnia?

The national animal of Bosnia is the tornjak.

The tornjak is a livestock guardian dog native to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The local sheep is known as the “tor”, hence its name. It is a molossus mountain dog, and it has historically always been of importance in Bosnia.

This dog is both large and powerful and is very calm and peaceful. When it comes to defending themselves or humans, they can be very tenacious though: a couple of them will not hesitate to chase away a bear. Because of all this, it was declared the national animal of Bosnia, and will probably remain a strong symbol in the country in the years to come.

How Many Animals Native to Bosnia?

What is the diversity of native animals in Bosnia?

Let’s look at the total number of species of Chordata (mammals, birds, fishes and reptiles).

Total number of animal species in Bosnia: 737 (3,142 in total in Europe)

More About Animals in the World!

Loved these Bosnia animal facts? Want to see what animals live in other countries?

Then check out these posts:

• Wild Animals in Albania
• Wild Animals in Bulgaria
• Wild Animals in Azerbaijan

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

Share the knowledge! Click on the buttons below to share information about these famous animals in Bosnia with your friends, and help them learn more about the world 🙂