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Animal Life in Iceland

Animal Life in Iceland

Animal life:

Most of the animals in Iceland are farm animals who were brought here to land by ancient settlers. Wild mammals in Iceland include the Arctic Fox, mink, mice, rats, rabbits and reindeer. Polar bears occasionally visit the island, traveling on icebergs from Greenland. Icelandic waters are rich with marine life, including seals, whales, dolphins and over three hundred species of fish.

Not really, the island is thankfully free of large predators. The only native mammal in Iceland is the Arctic fox, which due to its isolation in Iceland for 10.000 years is now its own species called Alopex lagopus fuliginosus.

Reptiles and spiders:

There are no amphibians or reptiles on Iceland. There are very few spider species in Iceland, none of which are dangerous to humans.

Farm animals:

Icelanders are very proud and known for our horses. The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse developed in Iceland. Although the horses are small, at times pony-sized, most registries for the Icelandic refer to it as a horse. Icelandic horses are long-lived and hardy

The main farm animals include pigs, sheep, cows and chicken

animal life

Bird life:

Many travelers come to Iceland seeking to explore its thriving birdlife. As you can see from the various puffin statues on display in Iceland’s gift shops, many visitors are excited about seeing the adorable Atlantic Puffins that nest on cliffs around the country. However, there are many other interesting species of birds you can find in Iceland.

About 85 species of birds nest or are regularly spotted in Iceland, although about 330 species have been recorded visiting here since human settlement. While this number of different types of birds is low compared to other European countries, the number of each species more than compensates for this.

Even though the puffin is by far in first place when it comes to tourist attraction, we have some honorable mentions that include the national bird of Iceland the gyrfalcon, snowy owl and the largest of them all White-Tailed Eagles.

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