Fauna of Montenegro
Montenegro is the smallest Balkan nation in population and second smallest in land mass. The land mass is 13,812 square kilometres with 360 square kilometres of water. Montenegro's geography ranges from mountainous forested regions in the north where larger mammals are most common. Mediterranean coastline makes up the south end of the country, forested area makes up 40.4% of the nation's landmass. The most densely populated area of the country is the south coast and the most sparsely populated is the north east section of the country. The fauna of Montenegro is predominantly shared with surrounding Balkan nations. Specific data on fauna in the region is difficult to locate due to the large concentration in mountainous and unpopulated areas. The nature of Montenegro also has an influence on the lack of data with nation becoming independent as recently as 2006. after a decision to leave the federation with Serbia that retained the title of Yugoslavia. As a new nation there was a lack of governing infrastructure, and this, along with a GDP per capita of $7,320 makes it one of Europe's poorer nations. There are resource limitations to devote to conservation and an existing census of land animals. Mammals Within Montenegro, the largest concentration of large animals can be found within the north of the country. These higher numbers can be attributed to the areas being mountainous and containing a virgin forest. Brown bears can be found within this area of Montenegro, living within Biogradska Gora national park. There are estimated to be less than 130 individuals living in the wild. These bears are known to reach a weight of up to 200 kg and generally remain docile except for mating season. Other carnivores such as wolves and Balkan lynxes live in the virgin forest as well, remaining distant from urban areas, this excludes occasional issues occurring from wolves hunting livestock. The Balkan Lynx along with other European species of lynx, remains critically endangered and there have been efforts from environmental organisations to increase protection and prevent extinction of the species. The Balkan lynx has an estimated population of between 40 and 70 individuals in the wild. It can be found in neighbouring countries such as Kosovo, North Macedonia and Albania. Its existence is under severe threat and only outside agencies such as the United Nations have been able to allocate some resources to saving the animal from likely extinction. Among these larger carnivores is the golden jackal, wild dogs that retain a more slender build and lighter coat than wolves. The population of golden jackals have been reported as stable and increasing in Eastern Europe as there were previous fears about the species reaching extinction. Montenegro has two predominant species of deer, these are the red deer and the roe deer. Alongside these fauna in the mountains is the Balkan Chamois, a small mountain goat native to the Balkan mountain regions, which can be found in most mountainous areas of Montenegro. In more southern regions of the country smaller