The Alpine long-eared bat is found in the Pyrenees, the Alps from France to Slovenia, the Dinaric Alps, Greece including Crete, and from the Caucasus to southern Iran and southeastern Syria. It is a small long-eared species (45-48 mm) that has been recognized recently (2003) and it is still little known. They have big, developed ears and they live at 1,800 metres and above and can stand cold temperatures all year round.

Like all bat species the threats to its population are habitat destruction and the indiscriminate use of agricultural and forestry pesticides.

Bechstein’s bat is one of the forest species par excellence that lives and takes refuge in deciduous forests. Its distribution coincides strongly with that of beech forests in temperate areas of central and eastern Europe. It is found at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 m.

It is a small to medium-sized bat (weighing about 9 g) with a wingspan of between 25 and 30 cm. The dorsal fur is brownish, clearly differentiated from the whitish colour of the ventral part.

The most distinctive feature is its large ears, which protrude further the snout when at rest. It feeds on various types of insects that it usually catches directly from above the leaves, from the ground or tree barks.

This species is considered endangered in Catalonia. Its main problem is the lack of mature oak and beech forests in which to shelter for breeding and feeding.

The brown frog is an amphibian from the Ranidae family found in most of Europe, from the Pyrenees to the Ural Mountains and western Siberia. Catalonia marks the southernmost reaches of its distribution area.

It is a colour-changing frog with shades that go from olive green to brownish-red. Its tympanic spot is dark and it has two glandular longitudinal folds on its back. The length of the adult body is 6 to 9 cm.

The introduction and proliferation of fish in the high mountain lakes, originally free of alien fauna, continues to be the main threat to the populations that live in the Pyrenees and the Alps.

The common midwife toad is an amphibian that can be found from the northwest of Europe to the Iberian Peninsula except Andalusia. It is a small toad (which does not usually exceed 5 cm), stubby and with pop eyes, vertical pupils and golden iris. Its colour varies from grey to brownish with small green, reddish or black spots. It has a granular skin with small warts usually distributed in two lateral lines. It feeds on arthropods in general (flies, beetles, spiders…), although in its larval stage it can also feed on vegetable matter, carrion and aquatic invertebrates.

In the Pyrenees the presence of a second species, Alytes almogavarii, has been described in a recent study. The study uses genetic techniques to shed light onto the drivers of geographical differentiation in Iberian high mountain populations of midwife toad in the Pyrenees, Picos de Europa and Guadarrama Mountains.

The introduction and proliferation of fish in the high mountain lakes, originally free of alien fauna, continues to be the main threat to the populations that live in the Pyrenees.

It is found in a strip of Europe that encompasses the entire Iberian Peninsula and reaches the Netherlands and the Middle East, at altitudes from sea level to 1,000 m.

It is a large, robust-looking bat (about 40 cm long). The dorsal fur is brown and may have red tones while the belly is whitish. They often have a black spot on the tip of the tragus, characteristic of the species, which differentiates it from the middle rater. It feeds mainly on large insects such as beetles.

Its main threat is the destruction of shelters.

The greater noctule bat is the largest bat in Europe, with a wingspan of up to 46 cm. Although its distribution is largely unknown, its most stable populations are in Seville, Greece and the south of France, but also in Russia.

It is a very robust animal with a wide snout and short, rounded ears. The fur is brown with reddish tones. It is a forest bat that feeds on insects of various types but can also hunt small birds (passerines). The greater noctule bat is a migratory species that travels more than 1,000 km.

Its main problem is the lack of mature forest masses that offer sufficient shelter.

The lesser horseshoe bat is distributed from western Europe to central Asia, and from central Europe to the north of Africa. It is the smallest of the horseshoe bats (35-45 mm), the hair on its back is between brown and grey and the front is grey or whitish-grey. The ears and the patagium are light grey. It mainly feeds on flies.

Like all bat species, the threats to its population are habitat destruction and the indiscriminate use of agricultural and forestry pesticides.

The lesser horseshoe bat is distributed from western Europe to central Asia, and from central Europe to the north of Africa. It is the smallest of the horseshoe bats (35-45 mm), the hair on its back is between brown and grey and the front is grey or whitish-grey. The ears and the patagium are light grey. It mainly feeds on flies.

Like all bat species, the threats to its population are habitat destruction and the indiscriminate use of agricultural and forestry pesticides.

The Pyrenean brook salamander is an amphibian endemic to the Pyrenees that belongs to the Salamandridae family. It is found throughout the Pyrenees and in some parts of the Pre-Pyrenees, between 500 and 2,500 m.
Adults measure from 10 to 15 cm in length and the colour of its back is a very dark brown and even, sometimes with some yellow spots or a longitudinal yellow line. The abdomen is yellow. The larva are lighter in colour with dark spots and a crest on the tail.

It feeds on small aquatic invertebrates though it can also feed on small aquatic vertebrates like amphibian larva.

The introduction and proliferation of fish in the high mountain lakes, originally free of alien fauna, continues to be the main threat to the populations that live in the Pyrenees.

The Pyrenean desman is a mammal from the mole family that can only be found in the northern Iberian Peninsula and the south of France.

The main characteristic of this small (11-14 cm without the tail) insectivorous mammal is the snout, which can be elongated like a trumpet. It has no fur and the nostrils are found at the tip. The cylindrical scaly tail is as long as the body or even longer than the body and the head together. Its fur is dark grey on the back and a bit lighter, with white and silver on the abdomen. The chest is slightly yellow and its fingers are webbed, which helps them swim. The membrane is more developed in the back paws.

It feeds on all kinds of aquatic invertebrates and occasionally on crustaceans and small fishes.

The Pyrenean desman is considered an endangered species because of the regression of its populations. It is a species confined to a very vulnerable habitat in a very limited area. Among the main threats are water pollution, fragmentation of their habitat due to the construction of hydroelectric plants, water extraction and the construction of dams.

The Western barbastelle bat is found throughout Europe. It is also present in the Atlas Mountains and in Morocco. The breeding colonies are concentrated in well-preserved forests in L’Alt Pirineu and Els Ports. It is a forest bat that breeds in the fissures of old and dead trees or under their bark. It should be noted that it emits very characteristic sounds, in which it alternates two types of sound: one modulated and the other of high intensity. It is a medium-sized bat and weighs about 9 g.

The dorsal fur is dense and dark grey with light tips. It has an unmistakable face, the ears come together without protruding from the head and are confused with the nose, as the nostrils face upwards. Their survival depends on the presence of old and dead trees and, therefore, on the type of forest management.