OUR NEIGHBOURS

The Białowieża Forest District is the home of a large number of species, from invertebrates including protozoa, flatworms, roundworms, molluscs, earthworms, spiders, mites, centipedes, insects and many others, to vertebrates such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds. So far, over 12 thousand of species have been recognized in the Forest, although it is estimated that the fauna has been identified only in half. This means that the real number of species inhabiting the Bialowieża Forest ecosystem may amount to approximately 25 thousand. As of December 31, 2000, in the Białowieża Forest there lived 11559 animal species, of which the most interesting were insects - 9284 species, fish - 32 species, and amphibians - 13 species, reptiles - 7 species, birds - 250 species, and as many as 58 mammalian species.
The insect species, although so numerous, are still hardly characterized. Almost every year the researchers discover animal species new both to Poland and the world science. For many of such animals, The Białowieża Forest is a sole or one of the few known habitats in the world.
The smallest group found in the Forest are the reptiles in the number of mere 7 species. The commonest of them are the sand lizard and the grass snake. Slightly less popular are the blindworm, the viper and viviparous lizard. The marsh tortoise and the smooth snake are very rare. The amphibians are still relatively common - simply to mention such examples as the fire-bellied toad, the tree frog, the grey toad, the green toad, the grass frog, the swamp frog , the water frog and the newt.
Fish species are also far from being common. The local rivers flow rather slowly, which naturally restricts the possibilities of development and conditions of life of many fish species.
Mammalian species of the day amount to the number of 58 and comprise the insectivores - the mole, the hedgehog, the shrew, the bat; the carnivores: the wolf, the lynx, the fox, the badger, the otter, and other weasel-like species. Later, there are also the even-toed: the bison, the elk, the deer, the wild boar, and the rodents - the Dipodidae, the mouse-like, the vole-like, and the dormouse-like animals and last, but not least, the Lagomorpha: the European hare and the snow hare.
In terms of number, birds prevail in the Białowieża Primeval Forest. So far, there have been recognized as many as 250 bird species, about 2/3 of which (177) are breeding species. The most numerous are carnivores (15 species), owls (8 species), woodpeckers (8 species), and warblers (23)

Yet another group of creatures that inhabit the Białowieża Forest embraces small and big forest beings that are mistakenly dubbed as "fairy-tale". Over 24-year-lasting systematic research has proved that The Forest is the home of such interesting species as Elves, Fairies, Goblins, Dryads, Water Nymphs, Siberian Trolls, Uldraszkas, Black Kobolds, and Forest Dwarfs. Unfortunately, as for the population and habitat, there is still much disagreement among the researchers, which mainly due to the fact the above-mentioned creatures exhibit a huge amount of inborn aversion to human beings and an amazing ability to move incredibly swiftly and to disappear in a flash. The Dwarfs, who are quite common in the region, are known to live in about 34 settlements dispersed over the Białowieża Forest, several residents in each settlement. Elderly Dwarfs prefer secluded life, however, one of them has a special liking for our boarding house at Topiło, where he occasionally stays for some time.

sources - bpn.com.pl