11. FAUNA

4.4 ——

FAUNA

Cantone

Ticino Location Lugano, Melide, Paradiso Surface 215 ha

A few kilometers from the center of Lugano, it is possible to observe wild boars, roe deer, deer, badgers, squirrels, owls, foxes, hares and other wild animals. Of great interest is the presence of the resident golden eagle in the area of Camoghè and Tamaro, which regularly nests. The ptarmigan, the francolin and the black grouse are also worth mentioning. Small mammals such as voles, shrews, field mice, and squirrels are also present.

Bats represent an important faunal group, since one third of all native wild mammal species belong to this group. Five species of bats are known to occur in the region: Leisler's Noctule, Eurasian Oyster, Dwarf Bat, Common Serotine, and Greater Vespertian.

Among the reptiles there are saurians such as the lizard, the orbettino and the lizards and snakes such as the natrix, the smooth coluber, the Aesculapian coluber, the whip snake and the common viper.

The presence of invertebrates is instead little studied. It is possible to report the presence of two species of scorpions: the Italian scorpion and the German scorpion.

Among the rodents there are marmots only at high altitude in the period from spring to autumn. Among the family of rodents there are squirrels, which spend most of their time in the trees looking for food. Predators include badgers, whose burrows are sometimes used by foxes, beech martens and martens. During your walks you can also see some specimens of weasels and bats.

During the summer season it is possible to meet, going up or down from Monte Generoso, the "horses of Bisbino", so called after that in the harsh winter of 2008-2009 two groups of Haflinger horses, the group of the Mula and the group of the Blonde, survived in freedom challenging all kinds of difficulties [10].