Due to its location in the Mediterranean Basin, Greece has a wide variety of fauna and flora, in the sea as well as on land. I’d never put the two together. But, of course, there’s far more to the country than beaches – including, in the lesser-visited northern mountains, an estimated 200 bears. Greece and bears. There are over 150 Brown Bears in Greece. There are 116 species of mammals in Greece and 57 of them belong to endangered species, such as the Brown Bears of Epirus. What are the threats to bears in Europe? While there are sharks in Greece, most species are harmless. Sightings are extremely rare and, in general, shark attacks in the Mediterranean are also rarely reported. Status of wolves and bears in Greece The Greek bear population covers approximately 13.500 km 2 and it is estimated at minimum 190-260 individuals. Peter Duncan explores Zagori in Greece, the home of bears, bridges and the deepest gorge in the world, where waves of invasion have not destroyed cultural identity or traditions. Not a single island is among them. Description of Brown bear tracking in Northern Greece The fact that there are wild bears in Greece is one of Europe’s best kept secrets. In the air, you will hear or see birds of prey, herons, flamingos, cormorants and many more. However, according to the latest research data, the total brown bear population in the wild in Greece is at least 500. They are in two separate areas, one in Rodopi Mountain Range and the other on the Pindos Mountain Range. Greece is an astoundingly beautiful country, but there are occasionally some dangers that can lurk in dark corners, on the beach, or near the home and are not in the glossy brochures. Greece has many different spiders, but none are venomous or poisonous. If you ever go to Nymfaio, a lovely traditional settlement in Northern Greece with very nice hotels, food, horse riding and a ski centre nearby, you can visit a shelter with bears living in their natural habitat. Up to a thousand years ago brown bears found ideal living conditions in Europe: great stretches of the continent were wooded and these woods provided the furry, brown giants with sufficient food and protection. Bears in Greece live permanently in two “cells,” which don’t communicate with each other: Pindus and Rhodope. In the course of centuries other land uses progressively cut into woodland leaving little in the way of habitat for bears. The minimum bear population in the Greek project area is estimated at 30-40 individuals, which represents nearly 15,3% of the total bear population in Greece. Thanks for the A2A As others have said there are bears in Greece and they are protected. Spiders in Greece are typically small and not dangerous. That was not always the case. There were giants on earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bear children to them, the same became mighty men … Here is a small selection of the animals you may encounter in this beautiful country. Yes, check out www.arktouros.gr, it is an organisation that protects bears in Greece. Bears have an unpredictable temperament but do not attack humans as a food source. Starting from northern Greece, just outside the prefecture of Kavala almost above Thassos Island, there is the Nestos Delta which is home to many wild species including Otters, bears, deers, and wolves. Given the vast number of people spending time in the warm and often shallow waters along the shores of Greece, encounters with sharks are few. This list shows the IUCN Red List status of the 87 mammal species occurring in Greece.One of them is endangered, ten are vulnerable, and three are near threatened.The following tags are used to highlight each species' status as assessed on the respective IUCN Red List published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature: This is not a wildlife population without problems. The Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) is one of the most common subspecies of the brown bear, and is found in much of Eurasia.It is also known as the European brown bear, common brown bear, common bear, and colloquially by many other names.