FLORA E FAUNA Flowers and animals in Italy

The skunk – La puzzola

It spreads a very smelly gas in order to defend itself and to match the territory It feeds on rodents, reptiles, birds and insects One or three times a year 5 to 8 puppies come to the life.

The roe deer – Il capriolo

It is not so common It is the smallest kind of deer It has a very short tail and puppies have spots on their back It is very shy and a bit of a loner It feeds on shrubs and leaves

The wild pig – Il cinghiale

It has brown or grey dense bristles, slender limbs, long snout. The male has tusks formed by projecting canines It can live on itself or in groups It is aggressive just if it is scared It is fast and agile

The wild pig – Il cinghiale It usually goes out during the night or in the early morning It feeds on bulbs, tubers, hard-shelled fruits, but also insect larvae It lives in woods

Alpine ibex - LO STAMBECCO

It is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps It is an endangered species It is a very good climber Its habitat is the rocky region along the snowline above alpine forests It feeds on: grasses, and the remainder being a mixture of moss, flowers, leaves, and twigs

Alpine ibex - LO STAMBECCO Alpine ibexes will hide in the rocks of the steep cliffs when pursued by predators You can find it in the natural park: Parco Paradiso in the North of Italy

Crested Porcupine – L’Istrice

It has a very big head It has very short legs, but very long and sharp nails On its back there are a lot of big spikes (each one is high 30 centimetres!!) Its head and its belly don’t have a protection It is very shy and it is always scared, this is why it usually goes out during the night! Crested Porcupine – L’Istrice

The grass snake – la biscia

It can be long up to 1 m The grass snake is typically dark green or brown in colour with a characteristic yellow collar behind the head The colour may also range from grey to black, with darker colours being more prevalent in colder regions

The grass snake – la biscia This snake in non-venemous It feeds on common frogs or common toad, but sometimes it eats also small mammals and fishes It doesn’t like feeding on dead animals, but it likes hunting its prey In order to defend itself from predators, it sometimes pretends to be dead!!

The Vipera - La Vipera

It is a venomous snake, that lives in the countryside of the south of Italy (especially in Sicily and Calabria) In ornder to defend their territory they bite the enemy and the venom comes out from its theeth

Il fico d’India

It is a plant that comes from Mexico and common in all the Mediterranean Bacin Its best habit is in the South of Italy and in Sardegna The plant looks like a cactus, but it has fruits on it. The fruits are rich of water and seeds, but their peel has a lot of spikes

Il fico d’India

Il cactus

La palma

Its steam can be high up to 50 metres Its leaves are very big and palmate It can grow just in hot countries

Il cipresso It is ever green. It neves loses its leaves. It lives in hot climates It is very common to plant it in graveyards

Il cipresso

I fiori di Sanremo