National Animals of Europe
European national animals lean heavily on heraldry rather than wildlife. Lions, eagles and storks dominate, often carried into modern national symbolism from medieval coats of arms rather than from the continent's current ecology. The species involved, however, are very real: the brown bear still ranges across the continent, and the bison was reintroduced to the wild in Belarus and Lithuania.
Albania
Aquila chrysaetos
Albanians call their own country Shqiperia - the 'Land of the Eagles'.
Austria
Ictinaetus malaiensis
The Austrian eagle holds a hammer and sickle referencing workers and farmers.
Belarus
Bison bonasus
The world's largest population of European bison lives in Belarus's Bialowieza forest.
Belgium
Panthera leo
The Leo Belgicus depicts the Low Countries as a lion-shaped map.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Rupicapra rupicapra
This nimble goat-antelope thrives on the near-vertical cliffs of the Dinaric Alps.
Bulgaria
Panthera leo
The lion has appeared on Bulgarian coats of arms since the 13th century.
Croatia
Martes martes
Croatia's currency, the kuna, was named after the marten whose fur was medieval Slavic money.
Czech Republic
a legendary figure, not a species
The Bohemian lion has two tails - a symbol dating back to the 13th century.
Denmark
Cygnus olor
The mute swan replaced the skylark as Denmark's national bird in 1984.
Estonia
Hirundo rustica
The swallow's return each spring is treated as the start of Estonia's growing season.
Finland
Ursus arctos
The brown bear appears in Finnish folklore under 200+ different names.
France
Gallus gallus domesticus
The rooster comes from a Latin pun: 'gallus' means both Gaul and rooster.
Germany
Aquila chrysaetos
The Bundesadler has appeared on German coats of arms since the Holy Roman Empire.
Greece
Delphinus delphis
Dolphins were sacred to Apollo and appear on ancient Greek coins.
Hungary
a legendary figure, not a species
The mythical turul falcon is said to have led the Magyars into Europe.
Iceland
Falco rusticolus
The world's largest falcon, once a prized gift from Icelandic kings.
Ireland
Lepus timidus
The Irish hare has lived on the island since before the last ice age.
Italy
Canis lupus italicus
Legend says a she-wolf raised Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
Latvia
Motacilla alba
The perky little white wagtail was voted Latvia's national bird in 1960.
Lithuania
Ciconia ciconia
Lithuania has one of the highest densities of nesting white storks in Europe.
Luxembourg
Panthera leo
The red rampant lion has been Luxembourg's royal symbol since the 13th century.
Malta
Canis lupus familiaris
This ancient dog breed has been used for rabbit hunting on Malta for over 2,000 years.
Moldova
Bos primigenius
The extinct wild ox on Moldova's coat of arms is a medieval symbol of the Principality.
Montenegro
Aquila chrysaetos
Montenegro's coat of arms features a double-headed eagle with wings spread.
Netherlands
Panthera leo
The Dutch Lion has appeared on royal arms since the 12th century.
North Macedonia
Lynx lynx balcanicus
Only about 40 Balkan lynx survive, mostly along the Macedonian-Albanian border.
Norway
Equus caballus
One of the oldest and purest horse breeds, depicted in cave paintings 4,000 years old.
Poland
Haliaeetus albicilla
Legend says Poland's founder chose his capital after seeing a white eagle's nest.
Portugal
Canis lupus hispanicus
The Iberian wolf survives in Portugal's remote northern mountains.
Romania
Lynx lynx
The Carpathian mountains hold Europe's largest lynx population.
Russia
Ursus arctos arctos
The bear has symbolized Russia in political cartoons since the 16th century.
Serbia
Canis lupus
Wolves feature heavily in Serbian folk songs and epic poetry.
Slovakia
Ursus arctos
Slovakia has one of Europe's densest brown bear populations for its size.
Slovenia
Equus caballus
The world-famous white Lipizzan breed originated in the village of Lipica.
Spain
Bos taurus
The Osborne bull silhouette became an unofficial national symbol.
Sweden
Alces alces
Sweden has around 400,000 elk - sometimes called the 'king of the forest'.
Switzerland
Bos taurus
Swiss cows are led to alpine pastures each summer with flower-decked processions.
Ukraine
Ciconia ciconia
Ukrainian folklore says a stork nesting on your house brings good fortune.
United Kingdom
Panthera leo
The lion has been a British royal symbol since the 12th century.
National animals of other continents
Can you place them on the globe?
Explore how many you can identify from the animal alone.