Flora and Fauna

Amphibians and reptiles. There numerous amphibians and reptiles in the Dunabe Delta of which we specify a few.

Birds. The bird population of the Delta totals more than 300 species, 70 of which extra-European. Five main types are registered: Mediterranean (heron, glossy ibis, small cormorants, bald eagle, stilt, avocete, tadoma, pelican), European (singing birds: reed nightingale, bunting, boicus, sea swallow, seagull, sea eagle, white-tail eagle), Siberian (trumpeter swan, plover, common loon, small snipe, crane), Mongolian (bald eagle, Danube falcon), Chinese (egret, mute swan, big cormorant, mandarin duck).

Fishes. Some 150 species are known, including 30 in the Delta proper.
In the Danube arms, common presence are the sterlet, great bleak, beluga, Black Sea sturgeon, sevruga, mackarel, carp, sheat fish, zander, pike, barbel, rapacious carp; the still water is fit place to live in for crucian, perch, bream, the water with low salinity is populated by various species from perch and pike to grey mullet and flounder, depending on the salinity degree, the sea sector shelters mostly Acipenserides (beluga, common strugeon) and Clupeidae (Danube mackerel).

Flora. Recent researches have identified 955 species of spontaneous cormophites, representing euro-asiatic elements (28%), eastern elements (24%), European elements (14%), and mixed and adventitious elements. Ecologically, only a quarter of the species (26%) are related to aquatic medium (hydrophilic, hygrophilic and hygromesophilic), the rest are mesophilic, xerophilic, euriphilic, halophilic, psamophilic. Reed, club rush, willows, floating plants (water lies, water nuts), are predominant. A series of rare species may be found in the delta such as Ephedra distachya, Carex colchica, Nypmhaea candida, and Colvovulus persicus.

Insects. The most common insect in the Danube Delta  is the mosquito, of course.

Mammals. Their number and variety are ennsured by the higher places, generally circumvented by water. One can find there the otter, mink, muskrat (precious furs), rabbit, wild boar, fox, wolf, polecat, wildcat.