The mammals of the Tassaro valley

Marc

The fauna of the Tassaro river valley area is very varied: the multiplicity of habitats present in the area, in fact, create favorable conditions for the survival of a great variety of animal forms. The territory of Val Tassaro includes numerous species of mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians.

Large mammals

The fauna is affected by the centuries-old persecution activity carried out by man, and large mammals such as bears (no longer present in the area), deer and wolves pay the price. The smaller species survive, which have been able to make the most of the harshness of the places; the only medium-sized mammals that currently populate the entire valley are the wild boar, the fallow deer, the roe deer and some deer.

In the last few years, the Apennine wolf has returned to repopulate the territory together with the porcupine.

Ungulates

Roe deer and fallow deer are frequent in the woods, living in small herds, within clearings or on the edge of cultivated fields close to inhabited centres.

Carnivores

Carnivores are represented by foxes, badgers, martens, weasels and martens; the fox prefers more rugged locations, in which it takes refuge by preparing long dens that lead to various exits; and fiercely hunted due to the damage it causes to game. The marten, on the other hand, is rather rare, while the stone marten now enters rural buildings in search of farmyard animals. Equally common is the weasel, a small carnivore, active both day and night. The badger was once much more common: it has nocturnal habits and shuns intensely cultivated locations. These carnivores usually feed on rodents, represented by squirrels, dormice, voles and oak mice.

Rodents

The squirrel is particularly frequent in the woods of the entire valley, where it usually creates characteristic spheroidal nests made up of dry branches stuck near the forks of the branches. Lagomorphs are represented only by the hare, whose genetic strain is significantly affected by repopulations carried out for hunting purposes. The dormouse and dormouse, which have crepuscular and nocturnal habits, prefer broad-leaved woods, creating suspended spheroidal nests that can easily be confused with those of magpies and crows.

Insectivorous mammals

Insectivorous mammals include the mole and the hedgehog, both frequent victims of car traffic and deep mechanical plowing. Bats are becoming increasingly rare: among the most common species are the greater horseshoe bat, the greater bat and the dwarf bat. Some of these species winter inside natural ravines, while others gather in colonies inside abandoned buildings. They usually fly throughout the night, flickering a short distance from the ground or, depending on the species, at higher altitudes.