1. Endangered Animal Species
in Portugal
COMENIUS PROJECT - NO HUMAN NO CRY: No More Destruction of the
Environment

2. Endangered Species
Common name: Cachalot
Scientific name: Physeter macrocephalus
Distribution/Location: Sperm Whales can be found in temperate and tropical oceans
and seas all over the world avoiding, therefore, cold waters. Coastal areas with
significant Sperm Whale populations include the Azores (Portuguese archipelago) and
the Caribbean island of Dominica.
Size: Mature males can reach between 18 to 20 meters and adult females about 12
meters.
Weight: The average weight of a male is about 45/50 tons and the female 20 tons.
Diet: The species feeds on squid, octopus and several types of fish.
Main characteristics: The Sperm Whale is the largest toothed whale. It is easily
recognized by its large rectangular head which corresponds to 1/3 of its length. It has a
wrinkled skin with a uniform dark grey colour.
Threats: The Sperm Whale is an endangered species due to the heavy hunting for their
spermaceti, blubber, and ambergris used in the manufacture of soap, candles, in
perfume and cosmetic industry and machine oil. Another threatening factor is the drift
nets, in which whales are stranded.
Since 1986, there has been a moratorium on hunting them.

3. Endangered Species
Common name: Iberian Wolf
Scientific name: Canis lupus signatu
Distribution/Location: The Iberian Wolf inhabits exclusively the Iberian Peninsula,
namely the forest and plains of northern Portugal and northwestern Spain.
Size: The Iberian Wolf is of medium size. It measures between 140 e 155 cm length.
Weight: Males can weigh between 30 and 40 Kg and females between 25 e 35 Kg.
Diet: The Iberian Wolf feeds on almost every animal of its habitat, adapting itself
perfectly to the environment it lives in.
Main characteristics: It has a thick coat, which helps the species to adapt to cold
environments, although it can fit in any type of climate. Its scientific name comes from
the white marks on the upper lips, the dark marks on the tail and a pair of dark marks
in its front legs. It usually hunts in groups.
Threats: The Iberian Wolf is in extinction due to its direct chase and to the
disappearance of its wild preys. They attack domestic animals when they cannot feed
on wild preys.

4. Endangered Species
Common name: European Otter
Scientific name: Lutra lutra.
Distribution/Location: This species can be found in several European regions,
inhabiting the Portuguese western coast.
Size: The mature European Otter is about 90 / 120 cm long. The female is shorter than
the male.
Weigh: This semi-aquatic mammal can weigh between 5 to 15 Kg.
Diet: The species feeds on mainly fish and crustaceans (when they are in the aquatic
environment) and birds and small rodents.
Main characteristics: The species is easily known for its long tail and short limbs. Its
fur is brownish becoming progressively lighter in the ventral zone.
Threats: The main threats to this species are the destruction of the aquatic habitats
and poaching. Accidental deaths such as drowning in fishing nets are also common.

5. Endangered Species
Common name: Atlantic cod
Scientific name: Gadus morhua (Linnaeus, 1758)
Distribution/Location: The Atlantic Cod inhabits waters up to 200 m deep, forming
large aggregations which spread out at sunrise and at sunset to look for food.
Size: It can grow to 2 meters in length.
Weigh: The Atlantic Cod can weigh 96 Kg.
Main characteristics: This species can be recognized by its brown to green colour with
spots on the dorsal side. During the reproductive season, males court females by
displaying their fins, accompanied by snoring sounds.
Threats: The cod fishery is one of the oldest and most important of the Atlantic.
However, due to overfishing this species is considered vulnerable. For this reason it is
subject to strict regulations aiming at securing its future.

6. Endangered Species
Common name: Golden Eagle
Scientific name: Aquila chrysaetos (Linnaeus, 1758)
Distribution/Location: In Portugal the Golden Eagle nests in the National Park of
Peneda-Gerês and along the international river banks of Tagus and Douro and its
streams.
Diet: It feeds on tarantulas, bats, birds, rabbits, moles, reptiles, hares and other
animals.
Size: It is between 66 to 100 cm long and their wings can reach 150 to 250 cm length.
Like all birds of prey, females are slightly bigger than females.
Weigh: Its weighs between 2,5 to 12 Kg.
Main Characteristics: This species is known by its dark brown, with lighter golden-
brown plumage on its head and neck. Its agility and speed allows it to capture large
and heavy preys.
Threats: Available habitat and food are the main limiting factors nowadays. Collisions
with power lines have become an increasingly significant cause of mortality.

7. Endangered Species
.
Common name: Azores wood pigeon
Scientific name: Columba palumbus azorica
Distribution/Location: It can be found in all kinds of woods, agricultural land, parks
and gardens. It is an endemic subspecies of the Common Wood Pigeon located in the Atlantic
Azores islands of Portugal.
Diet: The wood pigeon belongs to the granívora breed, feeding on various seeds and
grains, like cereals, acorns, pine nuts and buds of plants and bushes.
Size: 42 to 42 cm.
Weight: 450 to 520 g.
Main Characteristics: The Azores wood pigeon is pretty much alike to the mainland
wood pigeon. Its feathers are dark grey on top and pink on the bottom. It has got a
short thin orange to yellow bill.
Threats: The major causes for its population decline are habitat loss from forest
clearance, hunting and nest predation by other species. However, this species also has
a low rate of reproduction.

8. Endangered Species
Common name: Sado Bottlenose dolphin
Scientific name: Tursiops truncatus
Size: Males are larger than females. Mature Bottlenose Dolphins can be 3,90 cm long.
Weight: Males are also heavier than females. They are about 275 kg.
Distribution/Location: This species can be found in warm and temperate seas
worldwide. It also lives close to the shores and in Portugal it inhabits the waters of the
river Sado.
Diet: It feeds on small fish, catfish, mullet, eels, cephalopods and sometimes small
prawns.
Main Characteristics: Inshore and offshore Bottlenose Dolphins live in groups of 10-25
individuals. They can dive to 300 m deep and stay for about 15 minutes under water to
look for food. They have got a grey colour and a nose that looks like a bottle. Their
interaction with humans is subject of investigation.
Threats: This species is near extinction because of the polluted waters of the Sado
Estuary, caused by the sewage dumping.

9. Endangered Species
Common name: Insectivorous bat
Scientific name: Nyctalus noctula
Distribution/Location: The bat fits in almost any environment, except for the poles.
Size: It has several shapes and sizes which vary from 5 cm to 2 m.
Main Characteristics: It is the only mammal that can fly. The Insectivorous Bat
represents a quarter of the mammals of the world (about 1116 species).
Bats see well, but they also use echolocation, which is a system that helps them fly
and find their prey in the dark. They emit high-frequency sounds and analyse the
echoes reflected by the obstacles around them. They are so sensitive they can detect
and capture small insects while flying.
Threats: In Portugal there are at least 20 protected species of bats, which are often
trodden by wind towers. However, efforts have been made to protect this species,
indispensable for the balance of some ecosystems.

10. Endangered Species
Common name: Iberian Lynx
Scientific name: Lynx pardinus
Distribution/Location: The Iberian lynx selects habitats with Mediterranean
characteristics, such as woods and dense bushes. It inhabits mainly the southern
Iberian Peninsula.
Weight: The average weight of a male adult is about 12 kg while females reach about
9 Kg.
Diet: Its diet is based on the wild rabbit, which represents between 75-95% of the
biomass of its food spectrum. In times and regions of lower abundance, it feeds on
other preys such as rodents, deer, ducks and hares.
Main Characteristics: The Iberian lynx has got a reddish-brown coat covered with
black spots, tiny dots or stripes. It resembles other species of lynx, with a short tail, tufted
ears and a ruff of fur beneath the chin. It can live for 16 years. Females have their
breeding season mainly between January and February. The typical gestation period is
about two months. Cubs normally stay with their mother up to 8 months.
.
Threats: The Iberian Lynx is one of the most endangered feline. Its critical status is
mainly due to habitat loss, poisoning, road casualties, and poaching.

11. Endangered Species
Scientific name: Ciconia nigra
Common name: Black Stork
Distribution/Location: It inhabits lakes, rivers or wetlands surrounded by dense
forests. In Portugal the Black Stork can only be found in the innermost, inhospitable
and isolated regions. The international banks of the rivers Douro, Tagus and Guadiana
offer special conditions for nesting sites, mainly due to low human disturbance.
Size: This stork measures about 1m high, with 1.8 m length of one wing to another.
Weight: It weighs almost 3kg.
Diet: These birds feed mainly on fish.
Main Characteristics: The Black Stork is all black except for the white chest and the red
beak and legs. The mating season occurs in mid-March, soon after the migration. The
female can produce three to five eggs. The incubation period lasts from thirty-eight to
forty days and it is done by both parents. In the middle of the second month after the
hatching, the parents abandon the chicks. The Black Stork reaches adulthood at the
age of three.