Below you can find a complete list of Kaliningrad animals. We currently track 170 animals in Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) and are adding more every day!
The Kaliningrad Oblast is a unique component of the Russian Federation. It is the only part of it that is not contiguous with any other part and is thus often referred to as the Kaliningrad enclave. From a historical perspective, it is not really Russian at all but rather Germanic.
At the close of World War II, the German province of East Prussia was divided up between Poland and the USSR, with this northeastern section given to Russia primarily to enable it to have a year-round ice-free port in the Baltic Sea. It is home to a large number of Russian military bases and is thus not the best place to be wandering around the countryside with a camera in hand.
The Official National Animal Of The Kaliningrad Oblast
There is no official national or state animal of the Kaliningrad Oblast. With regard to its ancestral German heritage, the Black Eagle of Prussia would be its national symbol. Times change, however, and it is now the Russian Bear that stands as an avatar for the area.
Where To Find The Top Wild Animals In The Kaliningrad Oblast
Quite by chance, the acquisition of Kaliningrad in 1945 also gave Russia access to its unique and long-established Tiergarten or zoo. This zoo is actually the oldest one in existence in all of Russia and offers a wide selection of indigenous wildlife exhibits. Beyond that, Kaliningrad is famous for a series of long sand spits that shelter coastal lagoons from fierce Baltic storms. These are great havens for wildlife, particularly migratory and coastal bird species.
Further inland, the area is covered in dense primeval forests that were once set aside as hunting preserves for Prussian, and later German, royalty, and aristocracy.
The Most Dangerous Animals In The Kaliningrad Oblast Today
The most dangerous animal in the area is probably the big Gray Wolf, although it tends to stay deep within the large forest tracts far away from any human contact. The same can be said of the European Brown Bear, which also calls this region home and often regarded as dangerous.
Endangered Animals In The Kaliningrad Oblast
The most well-known of the endangered species of this area is also one of Europe’s greatest success stories. The nearly extinct European Bison, which is a unique species in comparison to its near cousin, the American Bison or Buffalo. These have been gradually reintroduced in many of the countries fringing the Baltic Sea, such as Poland, Lithuania, and of course the Kaliningrad Oblast, which is sandwiched between the other two.
Several bird species are also considered to be endangered, including the Spotted Eagle, the Peregrine Falcon, and the European Eagle Owl. Also worth mentioning in its journey back from being almost extinct is the big European Beaver, which lives in the marshlands of the area.
Kaliningrad Animals
Stunningly beautiful wings
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
Extinct ancestor of all domesticated cattle!
Has a curved, upturned beak!
Can reach speeds of 30 km/h!
Found everywhere around the world!
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!
They typically prey on insects!
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.
May have been domesticated up to 10,000 years ago.
The larvae of a moth or butterfly!
There are nearly 3,000 different species!
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!
The most common raptor in the UK!
Found throughout the European continent!
House spiders have the ability to eat most insects in a home.
Also known as the Great Northern Diver
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
There are around 40 different species!
First domesticated in South-East Asia!
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
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.
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 fastest creatures on the planet!
Ferrets can be trained to do tricks like dogs!
Found across mainland Europe and Asia!
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"
There are around 7,000 different species!
Fruit flies are among the most common research animals in the world
Found inhabiting dense woodland and caves!
Most closely related to the Sheep!
Migrates between Europe and Asia!
There are 29 different species!
There are 11,000 known species!
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!
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!
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!
There are around 5,000 different species!
Ear tufts make it look bigger!
Often hangs upside down while feeding!
They are found across Europe, Asia and Africa!
They have a symbiotic relationship with ants.
Some species have a poisonous bite!
Primarily hunts and feeds on Earthworms!
Has characteristics of two or more breeds!
Feeds on aquatic insects and water-spiders!
There are 250,000 different species!
Found on every continent on Earth!
The offspring of a horse and donkey parents!
Roamed Asia and Europe for around 100,000 years!
Nematodes range in size from 1/10 of an inch to 28 feet long
Able to regrow lost or damaged limbs!
Named more than 1,000 years ago!
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
There are 13 different species worldwide
The owl can rotate its head some 270 degrees
Females lay between 8 and 12 eggs per clutch!
Thought to have been domesticated in 9,000 BC!
Found in mountainous regions and rocky areas
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!
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.
Will mate with the entire flock!
There are more than 700 different species!
Males turn green in spring!
There are around 2,000 known species!
Unlike most reptiles, Scutosaurus' legs were positioned underneath its body to support its great weigh
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!
There are 2,000 different species worldwide!
Siberian Huskies stay adequately warm in sub-zero temperatures.
Found widely throughout British gardens!
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!
Small rodents found in woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 3,000 different species!
Average adults weigh about 200 grams!
Populations have been affected by pollution!
The most widespread owl in Europe!
Their mounds can be up to 9 meters tall!
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.
Found in warmer jungles and forests!
Some species of aquatic turtles can get up to 70 percent of their oxygen through their butt.
The Ural owl can rotate its head up to 270 degrees
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 smallest carnivorous mammal in the world!
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.
Releases a strong smelling musk in defence!
This animal can roll up into a ball
There are 200 different species!
It interbreeds with the pine bunting
Kaliningrad Animals List
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is the most famous animal of the Kaliningrad Oblast?
The one most commonly known to the world is the majestic White Stork.
Are there any famous but extinct species of animals in the Kaliningrad Oblast?
Kaliningrad’s most famous extinct creatures come from a variety of sources but are mostly insects. In this particular case, they are prehistoric insects that became entrapped in tree sap. Today, we know them as Amber, which is found in the area and often washed up on the shoreline after storms. Amber is mostly used in the manufacture of jewelry, but the most highly prized specimens are those which are not just common amber but have ancient life trapped within.