Common name: Turtle

Scientific name: Caretta caretta

Class: Reptilia

Order: Testudines

Family: Cheloniidae

Nutrition:   Fish, algae, sponges, crustaceans, molluscs, jellyfishes.

Features: At birth it is about 5 cm long. The length of an adult specimen is 80 cm – 140 cm, with a mass varying between 100 kg and 160 kg. It has a red-brown carapace, darker in young specimens, and a yellowish, heart-shaped plate, two prefrontal plates and a very robust horny beak. The carapace is equipped with five pairs of costal shields. Characteristic is its habit of lying motionless on the surface of the sea, immersed in a deep sleep.

Curiosity: A sea turtle can live up to 50 years.

Common name: Peregrine falcon

Scientific name: Falco peregrinus

Class: Aves

Order: Falconiformes

Family: Falconidae

Nutrition:   Small birds, small mammals such as bats, insects, rodents, reptiles.

Features: It nests on cavities in high rock faces and sometimes uses nests abandoned by other birds of prey, more rarely nests in trees or buildings. Male and female specimens have similar plumage. The name peregrine comes from the plumage on its head, which resembles a dark headdress very similar to the hoods worn by pilgrims in the Middle Ages. It can reach up to 320 km/h when swooping.

Curiosity: Peregrine falcon pairs is to stay together for the entire life cycle.

Common name: Wolf

Scientific name: Canis lupus

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Canidae

Nutrition:   Deer, elk, roe deer.

Features: The winter coat is long and thick and the colouring tends to greyish, the summer coat is short, sparse and reddish-brown. Lives in herds, groups organised by a strict hierarchy. The pack’s hunting techniques range from surprise attacks to long-term hunts. Possesses three communication systems: vocal, postural, olfactory.

Curiosity: It can cover several km a day, managing to cover distances of up to 10 km.

Common name: Barn owl

Scientific name: Tyto alba

Class: Aves

Order: Strigiformes

Family: Tytonidae

Nutrition:  Rodents, small mammals, amphibians and insects.

Features: It is a nocturnal, sedentary bird of prey, around 30 cm in size. It has a considerable wingspan – even up to 1 m wide – which it exploits in long night flights in open country, during hunting trips. They can be found inside caves or caverns or in rocky hollows. These animals choose a single partner for life and tend to be habitual and sedentary. They have a distinctive heart-shaped facial disc on a large rounded head 

Curiosity: It has an excellent hearing, which it retains even as it ages.

Common name: Common pheasant

Scientific name: Phasianus colchicus

Class: Aves

Order: Galliformes

Family: Phasianidae

Nutrition:  cereali, semi, germogli , frutti di bosco, insetti.

Features: The male specimen is larger than the female and has multi-coloured plumage; in the female, it is brown greyish. The tail is present in both genders but is much more pronounced in the male. 

Curiosity: The species is native to Asia but had been introduced to Europe since ancient times.