Flora and fauna

Botanists have found 2700 different plants and endemic herbs. Botanists know that the endemic herb Degenia velebitica grows only on Velebit. Main forest species are oak medunac, hornbeam, ash-tree, beech-tree, fir-tree and juniper-tree. Some representative plants: Degenia velebitica, Sibiraea croatica, edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum), Saxifraga malyi, Bluebells (Campanulla fenestrellata), (Campanulla waldesteiniana), (Dianthus bebius) etc.

Velebit's fauna is heterogeneous. Depending on its geographic position the Velebit Mountain combines both mediterranean as well as middleeuropean and Alpine fauna: turtle (Testudo hermanni), snakes (Elaphe longissima), (Elaphe quatuor-lineata), (Elaphe situla leopardina), lizard (Lacerta vivipara) and endemic lizard (Lacerta horvathi).

There are about hundred indigenous birds. The number itself varies each season due to migration especially around the sea. Among other species you may even find some predatory birds, that are very rare today, such as : eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), (Cyrcaetus gallicus), vulture (Gyps fulvus) and owl (Bubo bubo). Among mammals there are bear (Ursus arctos), wolf (Canis lupus), marten (Martes martes), (Martes foina) and wild cat (Felis silvestris). Lynx (Linx linx) was brought in from Slovenia, and in 1974 first ten and then five chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) were brought in.