Below you can find a complete list of Polish animals. We currently track 250 animals in Poland and are adding more every day!
Poland is a large European country of immense ecological diversity. Stretching between the sandy coastlines of the Baltic Sea in the north and the pristine Carpathian Mountains and the Sudetes in the south, Poland shares a land border with Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and even a small exclave of Russia.
The eastern part of the country is comprised of dense forests, some of which have been left undisturbed for hundreds of years. The Polish heartland, meanwhile, is comprised of central lowlands that were left behind by the retreating glaciers of the last ice age. Poland is home to approximately 400 vertebrates, half of which are birds.
The Official National (State) Animal of Poland
The most enduring national symbol of Poland is the white-tailed eagle, which adorns the coat of arms. The legendary founder of Poland, Lech, was supposed to have seen the eagle’s nest bathed in golden sunlight and made it the official symbol of the country.
Where to Find the Top Wild Animals in Poland
Throughout its history, Poland has established 23 diverse national parks and biosphere reserves which contain the greatest concentration of undiluted natural beauty and wildlife in the country.
- Bialowieza National Park, located in the eastern state of Podlaskie, encompasses 40 square miles of ancient and undisturbed forests. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s one of the last of its kind remaining in Europe. Visitors can expect to find the fox, deer, and even the rare European bison.
- Kampinos National Park is located directly northwest of Warsaw at a large river junction between the Vistula, Bug, Wkra, Bzura, and Narew rivers. Amid the sand dunes, swamps, and pine trees, visitors can find moose, cranes, beavers, marsh frogs, and butterflies.
- The Tatra National Park, located in the southern mountains of Tatra County, contains the country’s highest peak, Rysy, which reaches more than 8,000 feet. Some of the unique wildlife here includes the Tatra chamois, marmot, wolves, otters, eagles, falcons, bears, and perhaps even the unique and elusive lynx.
- The Slowinski National Park is situated against the Baltic coast in the province of Pomerania. Amid the shifting sand dunes, lakes, and walking trails, visitors can find a rich cacophony of birds, including eagles, owls, swans, and storks.
- Bory Tucholskie National Park, also located in Pomerania, contains a diverse mix of peatlands, pine forests, meadows, and glacially formed lakes. This park is a haven for birds such as cranes, eagle owls, and grouses. Visitors can also expect to find deer, wild boar, fox, and a diverse array of bats.
- The Bieszczady National Park is located in the southeastern Podkarpackie province near the border with Ukraine. These remote woodlands and meadows contain all manner of interesting wildlife, including wolves, wildcats, boars, bears, beavers, otters, deer, bison, birds of prey, and snakes.
The Most Dangerous Animals in Poland Today
Poland is almost completely free of dangerous and life-threatening wildlife. There are just a few species of poisonous animals and large carnivores that people should look out for.
- Common European Viper – This is the only poisonous snake in all of Poland. While its venom isn’t particularly dangerous or life-threatening for most healthy adults, people should still be wary of it, because the venom can be exceptionally painful and annoying. Identified by its dark brown colors and zigzag patterns on the back, this large viper is found all over the Polish countryside.
- European Brown Bears – While large, powerful, and certainly capable of killing a person, the brown bear isn’t particularly aggressive around humans unless it feels directly threatened. Attacks are relatively rare even with on-foot encounters. But it’s best to avoid these animals just in case.
- Black Widow Spider – The poisonous bite of the black widow should be avoided. It can potentially cause many systemic effects such as widespread pain, muscle spasms, abdominal cramps, and an abnormal heart rhythm. These symptoms may persist for only a few days or several weeks, but fatalities are exceptionally rare.
Endangered Animals in Poland
While Poland does extend protection to its wildlife, several species are still at risk of becoming extinct.
- European Bison – A long endangered species, the last wild European bison were exterminated from Poland in the early 20th century. It was reintroduced into Poland a few decades later, and now a small but stable population of a few thousand is thriving.
- Tatra Chamois – The chamois is a unique type of goat-antelope that lives all over the mountains of Europe. This particular subspecies is only found in the Tatra Mountain range between the borders of Poland and Slovakia. Hunting is by far the greatest threat to its existence. By 2000, with less than 200 remaining, this animal was at risk of becoming extinct. But thanks to conservation efforts, numbers have recovered somewhat to more than a thousand.
- Apollo – Featuring a wingspan of about 2 to 4 inches, this is one of the largest butterflies in all of Europe. While common elsewhere, it nearly disappeared from Poland by the 1990s. A local subspecies is protected by the government, but it’s still considered to be endangered and at risk of becoming locally extinct.
The Flag of Poland
The Polish flag has two horizontal stripes of equal width, with the top in white and the bottom in red. These colors represent purity and love and are reminiscent of Catholic ideals.
Polish Animals
Stunningly beautiful wings
Differnt Lizard” or Allosaurus weighed around two tonnes that is almost equal to a car.
First evolved 100 million years ago!
They are so named because they "march" in armies of worms from one crop to another in search of food
One of the most popular food fishes in the world
Extinct ancestor of all domesticated cattle!
Has a curved, upturned beak!
Can reach speeds of 30 km/h!
Found everywhere around the world!
Older offspring help care for new hatchlings.
Detects prey using echolocation!
Builds a dam from sticks and leaves!
Bed bugs feed for 4-12 minutes.
Rock paintings of bees date back 15,000 years
There are more than 350,000 different species
Not all birds are able to fly!
The biscuit beetle form a symbiotic relationship with yeast
They typically prey on insects!
The feathers on the feet of tiny Booted Bantam chickens can reach up to six inches in length!
Females glue egg cases to furniture
Can live its entire life indoors
The most common species of bee!
There are thought to be up 17,500 species!
The camel crickets that are found in the USA are light brown in color. They also have dark streaks all over their body.
Carpenter ants can lift up to seven times their own weight with their teeth!
May have been domesticated up to 10,000 years ago.
The larvae of a moth or butterfly!
There are nearly 3,000 different species!
Cave bears may have been worshiped by primitive humans.
There are about 3,000 documented species!
Natively found in the European mountains!
First domesticated more than 10,000 years ago!
Dated to be around 300 million years old!
Pupae are able to undergo diapause to survive poor fruit yield years and winter.
The most common raptor in the UK!
European adders are the only snake that lives above the Arctic Circle.
Found throughout the European continent!
The common furniture beetle feeds exclusively on wood
House spiders have the ability to eat most insects in a home.
Also known as the Great Northern Diver
A group of ravens is called an unkindness or a conspiracy.
Most active in wet weather!
They can fly 35 mph and dive 150 feet below water.
There are nearly 1.5 billion worldwide!
There are 93 different crab groups
Crab Spiders can mimic ants or bird droppings
Many are critically endangered species!
Male crickets can produce sounds by rubbing their wings together
A group of these birds is called a Murder.
Can survive drought by burying itself in mud.
There are around 40 different species!
The Devil’s coach horse beetle can emit a noxious substance to deter predators
First domesticated in South-East Asia!
Dog ticks feed on dogs and other mammals
First domesticated 5,000 years ago!
Found in Europe, Africa and Asia!
It's larvae are carnivorous!
Rows of tiny plates line their teeth!
The dung beetle can push objects many times its own weight
Dunkleosteus had a bite force strong enough to cut through pirey.
Has exceptional eyesight!
They are hermaphrodites, which means they have male and female organs
There are nearly 2,000 different species!
Are known to guard the muddy banks!
Eels can be a mere few inches long to 13 feet!
Eiders are sexually dimorphic, with males being larger and more colorful.
A very bold and ferocious predator!
The shy eurasian bullfinch prefers to forage very close to cover.
The Eurasian Eagle-owl is the second largest owl in the world with a wingspan up to six feet!
The Eurasian jay has the ability to mimic other sounds
Female can lay up to 600 eggs in her 14-day lifespan
They are frequent visitors to backyard feeders, especially those containing niger seeds.
Male robins are so aggressive and territorial that they will attack their own reflections.
The fastest creatures on the planet!
The fallow deer has more variation in its coat colors than most other deer.
False spiders actually prey on black widow spiders and other hazardous spiders
Ferrets can be trained to do tricks like dogs!
Found across mainland Europe and Asia!
Its name comes from the fact that people once believed it was born in fire
The firefly produces some of the most efficient light in the world
Adult fleas can jump up to 7 inches in the air
There are more than 240,000 different species!
Can glide up to 90 meters!
Only 12 species are considered "true foxes"
Frizzle chickens are known for their frizzled feathers, which result from a genetic mutation.
There are around 7,000 different species!
Fruit flies are among the most common research animals in the world
They make many sounds when trying to attract a mate.
The most common type of urban roach
Found inhabiting dense woodland and caves!
Males form large mating swarms at dusk
Most closely related to the Sheep!
The goldcrest never starts moving and needs to consume for most of the day to survive. Therefore, in the colder months, it's best that eat 90% a day.
Their calls sound like high-pitched screams, but they are quiet most of the time.
Migrates between Europe and Asia!
There are 29 different species!
There are 11,000 known species!
One of the most invasive species in the world
Able to run as quickly backwards as forwards!
Can reach speeds of over 50 mph!
Many hawk moth caterpillars eat toxins from plants, but don’t sequester them the way milkweed butterflies do. Most toxins are excreted.
Thought to be one of the oldest mammals on Earth!
Inhabits wetlands around the world!
Natively found in the Scottish Highlands!
There are only 8 recognized species!
Honey buzzards are medium-sized raptors that earned their names by raiding the nests of bees and wasps.
Stunning bird with a stinky way to deter predators!
Has evolved over 50 million years!
Horseflies have been seen performing Immelmann turns, much like fighter jets.
Thought to have orignated 200,000 years ago!
Some huntsman spiders have an interesting way of moving around. Some cartwheel while others do handsprings or backflips.
There are an estimated 30 million species!
The jackdaw tends to mate for life with a single partner
Some can jump 50 times the length of their bodies
The species name, spectabilis, is Latin for “showy” or “remarkable,” referencing the attractiveness of the adult male’s plumage.
Inhabits wetlands and woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 5,000 species worldwide!
Does not hibernate during the bitter Arctic winter!
While linnets are monogamous during mating season, they do not mate for life. While breeding pairs are together, the males are highly territorial and will defend the nesting site and the surrounding area.
There are around 5,000 different species!
Have sharp spines below their eyes
Each locust can eat its weight in plants each day.
Ear tufts make it look bigger!
Often hangs upside down while feeding!
They are found across Europe, Asia and Africa!
A marmot spends 80% of its life below ground
They have a symbiotic relationship with ants.
They line their nests with their feathers
Some species have a poisonous bite!
Primarily hunts and feeds on Earthworms!
Adult Mole crickets may fly as far as 5 miles during mating season and are active most of the year.
Has characteristics of two or more breeds!
Feeds on aquatic insects and water-spiders!
Only the female mosquito actually sucks blood
There are 250,000 different species!
Found on every continent on Earth!
The offspring of a horse and donkey parents!
The muskrat can stay underwater up to 17 minutes at a time
Roamed Asia and Europe for around 100,000 years!
Nematodes range in size from 1/10 of an inch to 28 feet long
The Netherland dwarf rabbit is the smallest domestic rabbit breed in the world.
Able to regrow lost or damaged limbs!
Named more than 1,000 years ago!
There are more than 5,000 species.
Northern pintails migrate at night with speeds reaching 48 miles per hour!
Bore holes in tree nuts and lay their eggs inside
Depending on the habitat and climate, these beetles can live between 2 to 10 years, often staying in their larval stage for several years, making them extremely dangerous to wooden structures.
Females are about four times the size of males
The tradition of hiding your face with a napkin or towel while eating this bird was begun by a priest who was a friend of the great French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
The Oscar fish has teeth in its throat!
They reuse nesting sites for 70 years!
There are 13 different species worldwide
The owl can rotate its head some 270 degrees
Teachers in schools often use the evolution of the peppered moth as a good example of Darwin’s theory of natural selection.
Females lay between 8 and 12 eggs per clutch!
Thought to have been domesticated in 9,000 BC!
They can find their way back to their nests from up to 1300 miles away.
Found in mountainous regions and rocky areas
A pine marten can jump from tree to tree similar to a squirrel.
The smallest of the North American salmon
Despite having shaggy hair that covers its eyes, this dog is known for its watchful gaze when guarding a herd.
This gigantic breed is known for its guardian skills, but they are non-aggressive and always manage to stay calm towards people and animals.
There are 500 different species!
The rarest amphibian in the UK!
There are 30 different species worldwide!
Inhabits deciduous forests!
Caterpillars squirt formic acid!
Inhabits woodland and forest areas worldwide!
There are more than 300 different species!
Known to wash their food before eating it!
The only hibernating canine!
Omnivores that eat anything!
Rat snakes are constrictors from the Colubridae family of snakes.
A male red deer shows his age in his antlers, which become longer and more branched every year.
They build their nests off the ground in tree holes, cavities, stone walls, and roofs
Inhabits freshwater habitats around the world!
There are more than 45 species in Australia alone!
The capybara, the world’s largest rodent, likes to be in and around bodies of water. Because of this, the Catholic Church in South America decided that it was a fish, and people were allowed to eat it during Lent and First Fridays.
The roe is one of the most popular game animals in Europe
Will mate with the entire flock!
Its scientific name, lagopus, is Ancient Greek for “hare” and “foot,” referring to its feathered feet and toes.
Ferrets were used during the Revolutionary War to keep down the rat population.
There are more than 700 different species!
The sand crab burrows beneath the sand with its tail
Males turn green in spring!
There are around 2,000 known species!
The sea eagle tends to mate for life with a single partner
Males give birth to up to 1,000 offspring!
Around 35 million in the English countryside!
The short-eared owl is one of the most widespread owl species in the world, covering five continents.
The spinal column of the shrew Scutisorex somereni is so strong and reinforced that it can support the weight of an adult human.
There are 2,000 different species worldwide!
Some skinks lay eggs in some habitats while giving birth to skinklets in other habitats.
Found widely throughout British gardens!
They glide around on one foot, which is aided by the slime they produce
Has up to 45 eggs per egg case
There are nearly 1,000 different species!
There are around 4,000 known species worldwide
One of the largest owl species in the world!
A male song thrush can have over 100 phrases in his repertoire of songs and can imitate pet birds, telephones and other man-made objects.
They spend most of their time underground!
There are 140 different species!
They prey on spiders to feed their larvae or they parasitize other spider wasps.
Small rodents found in woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 3,000 different species!
Average adults weigh about 200 grams!
They can’t sing like other birds.
Populations have been affected by pollution!
The most widespread owl in Europe!
Their mounds can be up to 9 meters tall!
Some theropods had feathers and may have been ancestors of modern birds.
The skate with the biggest spines!
The American robin is called the robin because its red breast reminded European settlers of the robin back in the old country.
They inject hosts with a chemical that stops them from feeling the pain of the bite
The adult tiger beetle is one of the fastest land insects in the world
The bright colors of this moth are a signal to predators that it has a terrible taste.
Can live until they are more than 150 years old!
Found in warmer jungles and forests!
Some species of aquatic turtles can get up to 70 percent of their oxygen through their butt.
Vipers are one of the most widespread groups of snakes and inhabit most
There are 30 different species worldwide!
There are around 75,000 recognised species!
Has been domesticated for thousands of years!
The largest Vole species in the UK!
The Wax Moth larvae are more dangerous than the adult.
The smallest carnivorous mammal in the world!
There are two different types of white ferrets!
It is one of the biggest birds of prey.
Males have a top tusk to sharpen the bottom one!
Thought to date back more than 300,000 years!
Carnivorous arachnid that hunts its prey.
This animal can roll up into a ball
Unlike most spiders, woodlouse spiders don’t build a web.
There are 200 different species!
The woolly rhinoceros roamed the earth between three and a half million and 14,000 years ago.
They feign death by making their bodies limp and closing their eyes.
They follow after seals and whales to eat their scraps.
These aphids are primarily wingless; however, once the infestation on their host gets too crowded, they develop wings, allowing them to fly to a new host plant.
It interbreeds with the pine bunting
Polish Animals List
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Do they have moose in Poland?
Large numbers of moose can be found in the northeastern forests of Poland. They sometimes wander around the rest of the country as well.
Are there lynx in Poland?
Poland currently has two major populations of lynxes. The first is in the northeast near the Bialowieza Forest and the second is in the south near the mountains. They are rarely seen in other parts of the country.
What animals live in Warsaw?
The city itself is home to many smaller animals like red squirrels and songbirds. However, there are several natural reserves in the immediate vicinity of the city that also have fox, otter, beaver, and deer.
Does Poland have bears?
Poland still has a very healthy population of brown bears in the remote forests and mountains. It’s estimated to be about a hundred or so.