13 Wild Animals in Ukraine [Wildlife in Ukraine]

Learn All About Ukrainian Animals

Ready to learn all about Ukrainian 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 Ukraine has on the land, in the sky, and underwater.

I’ve split the guide into 4 categories:

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

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

Native Animals from Ukraine

Ukraine is a European country located in the eastern part of the continent, north of the Black Sea. It is one of the largest and poorest countries in Europe, seriously suffers from widespread corruption, and used to be part of the Soviet Union, from which it claimed its independence in 1991. It is bordered by Russia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Belarus, Moldova, and Romania, and its capital and largest city is Kyiv, which counts more than 2,962,000 inhabitants (but more than 3,475,000 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 Ukraine.

Here’s the Ukraine animals list.

1. European shag

• Name: European shag
• Scientific name: Gulosus aristotelis
• Conservation status: Least concern

The European shag, also known as the common shag or simply the shag, is a large species of cormorant native to western and southern Europe, as well as southwestern Asia and northern Africa.

This bird lives on the coastline of Ukraine, and it feeds on fish, which is why it suffers a lot from the competition with fisheries. Its scientific name commemorates the Greek philosopher Aristotle.

2. Eurasian elk

• Name: Eurasian elk
• Scientific name: Alces alces
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Eurasian elk, also known as the moose in North America, is the largest species of deer in the world. It can be found in the northernmost parts of the globe, from Alaska and Canada to northern Europe, as far south as the mountainous and forested areas of northern Ukraine and neighboring countries.

Throughout its range, it is a common trophy hunting target but has such large numbers that it is not threatened whatsoever.

3. Speckled ground squirrel

VJAnderson / CC BY-SA

• Name: Speckled ground squirrel
• Scientific name: Spermophilus suslicus
• Conservation status: Near threatened

The speckled ground squirrel, also known as the spotted souslik, is a small species of rodent found in the eastern steppes of Ukraine, but also in the rest of eastern Europe. It is active by day and hibernates from October to April.

When it comes to feeding, the speckled ground squirrel usually eats cereals and grasses, and occasionally arthropods and small vertebrates. Interestingly enough, it is known to eat other young squirrels in captivity, but not in the wild.

4. White stork

• Name: White stork
• Scientific name: Ciconia ciconia
• Conservation status: Least concern

The white stork is a large species of bird of the stork family. It is characterized by its distinctive black and white plumage as well as its bright red legs. It is a migratory bird, breeding in much of Europe, northwestern Africa, Western Asia, and the Middle East, and spending the winter in sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Indian subcontinent.

In Ukraine, you will find white storks in the northwestern and southwestern parts of the country.

5. European bison

• Name: European bison
• Scientific name: Bison bonasus
• Conservation status: Near threatened

The European bison, also known as the European buffalo, the wisent, or the zubr, is one of two species of bison, much less famous than its North American counterpart. However, it similarly suffered from overhunting, and almost became extinct at the turn of the 20th century.

Currently, there are ongoing conservation efforts, aiming at preserving the European bison, and reintroducing it into its former range, including Ukraine.

6. Little egret

• Name: Little egret
• Scientific name: Egretta garzetta
• Conservation status: Least concern

The little egret is a small species of heron native to much of Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, southern Asia, and Oceania. It is a migratory bird, breeding in Europe and living in southern areas of the globe.

This bird is pretty sociable, and lives in small flocks, although some individuals remain solitary, which largely depends on the availability of prey. It can mainly be found around the Sea of Azov in Ukraine.

7. Red fox

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

The red fox is one of the most widespread species of carnivores in the world, being found across much of the Northern Hemisphere. It is also highly successful as a species, thanks to its very high adaptability in terms of dietary habits and habitat.

Just like in the rest of Europe, the red fox is very common and widespread in Ukraine. It primarily feeds on small rodents but also hunts for game birds, invertebrates, and reptiles.

8. Gray wolf

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

The gray wolf is a large species of canine found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It has had one of the longest histories of interaction with humans, sometimes despised and sometimes feared.

In Ukraine and in Europe, the gray wolf has always been part of local folklore and tales. Although fairly widespread and common in the continent, it is globally on the decline. Notably, there have been several non-rabid wolf attacks on humans in the winter in Ukraine, which is very unusual.

9. Steppe polecat

• Name: Steppe polecat
• Scientific name: Mustela eversmanii
• Conservation status: Least concern

The steppe polecat, also known as the masked polecat or the white polecat, is a species of mustelid native to central and eastern Europe, and as far as Central Asia and a large part of China. Thanks to its wide distribution, large numbers, occurrence in protected areas, and tolerance to habitat alteration, it is listed as least concern.

When it comes to feeding, the steppe polecat hunts for ground squirrels, as well as marmots and pikas.

10. Black grouse

• Name: Black grouse
• Scientific name: Lyrurus tetrix
• Conservation status: Least concern

The black grouse, also known as the blackcock, the Eurasian black grouse, the blackgame, or the northern black grouse, is a large species of game bird native to central, northern, and eastern Europe, as well as Central Asia. It inhabits the steppes and moorlands of Ukraine and usually stays near wooded habitats.

This bird has a very large global population of 15 to 40 million individuals, and although they are on the decline, they are not considered threatened at all.

11. Roe deer

• Name: Roe deer
• Scientific name: Capreolus capreolus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The roe deer, also known as the European roe, the western roe deer, or simply the roe, is a species of deer native to almost the entirety of Europe. It has a gray-brown and reddish coat and is adapted to temperate/cold environments.

Interestingly enough, there are roe deers in the Red Forest, near Chernobyl in Ukraine. Besides, some specimens in the country are either Siberian roe deers or hybrids with this species.

12. Eurasian brown bear

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

The Eurasian brown bear, also known as the European brown bear, the common brown bear, or the common bear, is one of the most widespread and common subspecies of the brown bear, as it can be found pretty much throughout all of Eurasia.

In Ukraine, there are about 200 Eurasian brown bears, and there are globally tens of thousands of specimens. These 200 bears are part of 2 distinct subpopulations: the Carpathian and the Balkan bears, with a total of respectively 5,000 and 3,000 individuals.

13. Russian desman

• Name: Russian desman
• Scientific name: Desmana moschata
• Conservation status: Endangered

The Russian desman is a small species of semi-aquatic mammal native to southwestern and southern Russia and found in other countries such as Ukraine and Kazakhstan. It is known for building burrows into the banks of slow-moving streams and ponds, where it feeds on amphibians, crayfish, and insects which are abundant.

This mammal usually lives in groups of 2 to 5 individuals, with a complex social and communication system.

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So there you have them, these were my 13 animals in the Ukraine wildlife. I hope you enjoyed this list and that you learned something new today.

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

Endangered Animals of Ukraine

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 Ukraine.

Here are the animals in danger of extinction in Ukraine.

Extinct in the wild

• Eudontomyzon sp. nov. ‘migratory’
• Danube delta gudgeon

Critically endangered

• Saiga
• Common hamster
• European mink
• Sociable lapwing
• Beluga
• and 7 more…

Endangered

• Pallas’s fish-eagle
• Saker falcon
• Russian desman
• Steppe eagle
• European souslik
• and 8 more…

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

What is the National Animal of Ukraine?

The national animal of Ukraine is the common nightingale.

Compared to other countries which chose imposing animals such as bears, elephants, lions, or eagles, Ukraine is much more inoffensive and picked the common nightingale, also known as the nightingale, to best represent it.

This bird is a messenger of spring and makes cheerful, happy, and sweet sounds.

How Many Animals Native to Ukraine?

What is the diversity of native animals in Ukraine?

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

Total number of animal species in Ukraine: 741 (1,947 in total in North Asia)

More About Animals in the World!

Loved these Ukraine wildlife facts? Want to see what animals live in other countries?

Then check out these posts:

• Wild Animals in Latvia
• Wild Animals in Lithuania
• Wild Animals in Russia
• Wild Animals in Siberia

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

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