15 wild animals found in Turkey

Caracal

The endangered caracal is a medium-sized wild cat that can be found in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. It was recently spotted in the Anatolian province of Elazığ.

Gray wolf

Turkey’s national animal is the second-most important carnivore in the country, after the Eurasian brown bear. However, due to excessive hunting, the gray wolf’s population has dwindled over the years. In the wild, the animal can live up to eight years while in captivity, they can live up to 15 years.

Dolphins

Multiple species of dolphins can be seen in the seas surrounding Turkey, and there are even opportunities to swim with them in some touristic places. Due to the pandemic, the dolphins even reconquered the waters of Turkey’s most populated city, Istanbul.

Read more about it here.

Fallow deer

Known in Turkish as Alageyik, this deer is seeing a rebound in numbers in Turkey thanks to conservation efforts.

Over the last five decades, the number of the native deer in southern Turkey’s Antalya province rose from seven to about 500.

Read more about it here.

Eurasian lynx

The lynx can be found in the Kaçkar Mountains, the northeastern province of Artvin, the eastern province of Kars and the Çığlıkara Nature Reserve located in the Taurus Mountains.

Black vulture

The black vulture is one of the biggest scavenger birds in Turkey. The animals can be currently found in two sanctuaries, the Soğuksu National Park in Kızılcahamam and Mount Türkmen in Eskişehir.

Read about them and the “Vulture Restaurant” here.

Northern bald Ibis

Known as kelaynak in Turkish, this ibis is migratory and critically endangered globally. The numbers in Turkey have almost multiplied by six in the past 16 years, thanks to recent conservation efforts.

Read more about them here.

Chevrotain

Also known as a mouse deer, the chevrotain is the smallest hoofed mammal in the world. Hunting chevrotains is illegal in Turkey.

Mediterranean monk seal

This critically endangered sea creature can be found along the coasts of the Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean seas.

Read more about them here.

Mountain gazelle

The mountain gazelle is a threatened species native to the Middle East. This species of gazelle is recognizable by its slender-built, long necks and legs. Its natural habitat is mountainous and hilly terrain with light forests, fields or desert plateaus.

Read more about it here.

Anatolian leopard

The endangered Anatolian leopard, a leopard subspecies native to southeastern Turkey, was believed to have gone extinct until 2008, when one was sighted in the eastern province of Bitlis. Since then, several other leopards have been spotted in Turkey.

Mouflon

The mouflon is a species of wild sheep found in Anatolia. Breeding solely in Turkey, the sheep are called gazelles, or "ceren," by locals due to their large, beautiful eyes.

Read more about it here.

Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)

These endangered sea turtles nest each year along Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast.

Read more about them here and here.

Eurasian brown bear

The world’s one and only migratory brown bear species can be found in scarcely populated areas throughout northern and eastern Turkey. They are particularly prevalent in the eastern province of Kars, in Sarıkamış district. The bears also have a sanctuary in Uludağ National Park, where many rescued and rehabilitated brown bears live. Fifteen of Turkey's 33 national parks are home to free-roaming bears.

Read more about it here.

Striped hyenas

This near-threatened species can be found in the far eastern provinces of Turkey.