Krka National Park is located in the Šibenik-Knin County and is one of the most famous natural tourist attractions in the area, as well as one of the most famous national parks in Croatia. Krka National Park covers 109 km2 of which the vast majority are forest area but also the rivers Krka and Čikola through which stretch beautiful waterfalls that make this national park unique. Krka waterfalls has one of the best preserved ecosystems and is one of the most unchanged areas of high natural value. In addition to the natural purpose that makes the park attractive, Krka National Park also has a cultural, scientific, educational and recreational purpose, which make the park unique for every visitor. The Krka River is approximately 72.5 kilometers long and the 22nd river in Croatia. It consists of seven travertine waterfalls that contribute to this wonderful natural and karst phenomenon.
In addition to its natural beauty and flora, Krka National Park has an extremely rich fauna, which makes the entire wildlife of the national park itself very diverse and rich. The wildlife of Krka includes many rare, endangered and endemic species, which makes Krka waterfalls one of the most important and valuable natural units not only in Croatia but also in Europe.
In this article we will introduce the famous otter, the human fish, the polar beetle, the underground fauna and other invertebrates and vertebrates that live in the Krka National Park.
Otter
The otter is the largest european kunas that can grow up to 11 pounds, and is specific for its elongated slender body with short legs. The otter is a protected species in Croatia and adapted to life in the water, making it an ideal habitat for the Krka National Park. An otter is an animal that is active at dusk and at night, and rarely meets in the park itself because it is timid, and if you run into it, it is strictly forbidden to disturb it.
Olm
Olm is the largest underground aquatic animal of the Dinaric Karst and is the only vertebrate adapted to underground life. It is an endemic dinaric karst and was discovered in the Krka National Park in 1989.
Balkan whip snake
A strictly protected species of snake that has no poisonous teeth but catches and kills its prey by suffocating. In the Krka National Park, it lives on dry rocks and rocky habitats where vegetation is low and they are active during the day. This snake feeds on small mammals, young birds, insects, lizards and other snakes, and is endangered by humans because it is killed for lack of knowledge because of fear.
Underground fauna
The Krka National Park’s underground fauna today contains 175 animal species, many of which are endemic. Some of the endemic species are the trillobiont liar, troglophilic equinox, and the stigobiont snail. Of the other animal species, we can point out nine taxa of bats, eight of which are endangered and the largest equine species in Croatia, which is the endemic troglophilic Dalmatian cavalry.
Invertebrates
Invertebrates can highlight certain species of beetles, butterflies and vertebrates. Forty taxa have been recorded from butterflies, the most prominent of which are the tail’s tail and striped sail, and the most common yellow-haired fairy cavalry and archer are the vertebrates on the ponded parts of the river. The Krka National Park is home to 403 freshwater invertebrates, the most famous of which are protozoans and insects.
Vertebrates
Of the vertebrates in the Krka National Park, 29 species of fish are inhabited, the most common of which is Illyrian chub, brood and trout. The lake part contains 9 taxa of amphibians, while on the rocky part with vegetation there are 22 taxa of reptiles. When it comes to birds, the list goes up to 218 taxa, 111 of which are endangered in Croatia.
Krka National Park is one of the most beautiful national parks in Croatia that you should not miss if you are in this area of the country. If you are in Split and you are not sure what excursion you would like or if you are looking for things to do in Split, our Krka tour from Split is the perfect trip for you!
If you want to book your place on our trip click on the link bellow!
