Fauna: Mountain Wildlife

Alpine Wildlife Communities

The French Alps support remarkable wildlife diversity despite centuries of human impact. Large mammals, once eliminated, have returned through reintroduction programs and natural recolonization. The ibex, extinct in France by 1962, now numbers over 10,000 individuals thanks to successful reintroductions from Italian populations. Chamois thrive throughout the range, their numbers carefully managed to balance conservation with forestry concerns.

Predators have made dramatic comebacks. Wolves, absent since the 1930s, returned naturally from Italy in 1992 and now number 500-600 individuals across the French Alps. Their presence generates ongoing conflicts with pastoral activities but also indicates ecosystem health. Lynx, reintroduced to the Vosges and Jura, slowly colonize the northern Alps. Brown bears remain absent from the French Alps, though individuals occasionally wander in from Slovenia.

Alpine bird communities include spectacular species adapted to mountain environments. Golden eagles soar above treeline, their territories spanning entire valleys. Bearded vultures, extinct in the Alps since 1913, circle again thanks to an international reintroduction program—over 60 pairs now breed in the range. Rock ptarmigan and black grouse represent ice age relicts, their populations vulnerable to climate warming. The wallcreeper, with its crimson wings, epitomizes adaptation to vertical rock faces.

Smaller fauna displays equal fascination. The Apollo butterfly flourishes in alpine meadows, its populations genetically isolated in sky islands. Endemic beetles, spiders, and springtails inhabit specific elevations and substrates. Cave systems support unique fauna, including blind salamanders and endemic arthropods that evolved in eternal darkness.

Pyrenean Wildlife

The Pyrenees maintain wildlife communities distinct from the Alps, with stronger Iberian influences and several endemic species. The Pyrenean brown bear represents Europe's purest genetic lineage, though only 50-60 individuals survive in France, supplemented by controversial reintroductions of Slovenian bears. The Pyrenean chamois, a distinct subspecies called isard, shows adaptations to the range's steeper, rockier terrain.

The Pyrenean desman, an aquatic mammal found nowhere else on Earth, epitomizes the range's uniqueness. This "water mole" inhabits fast-flowing mountain streams, using its flexible trunk-like snout to hunt aquatic invertebrates. Its populations decline due to water pollution and dam construction, making it a conservation priority.

Avian diversity includes several Pyrenean specialties. The lammergeier or bearded vulture maintains healthier populations than in the Alps, with 40-50 breeding pairs. Pyrenean populations of capercaillie represent a distinct subspecies, darker and smaller than Alpine birds. The Pyrenean rock thrush and citril finch reach their global strongholds here.

The range's isolation preserved remarkable invertebrate diversity. Over 300 endemic arthropod species inhabit the Pyrenees, many confined to single valleys or peaks. The Pyrenean brook salamander and Pyrenean frog represent amphibian endemics, while numerous reptile species reach their altitudinal limits. Cave fauna rivals the Alps in diversity, with each major system supporting unique species evolved in isolation.