Comenius

“HOW SCHOOLCHILDREN CAN CONTRIBUTE TO

KEEPING OUR PLANET GREEN AND CLEAN”

Endangered Species of Samos

The orientation and the relief that is created by the mountains of Samos (Kerkis with an altitude of 1444 meters and Ampelos with an altitude of 1160 meters) create a multitude of microclimates on the island. An immediate result of this is that Samos has a very rich environment with great assortment in plants and animals that cannot be encountered in any other Aegean island.

As far as flora is concerned, some unique plants exist in Samos. The

most important species are : Viola Heldreichiana and Paeonia.

Viola Heldreichiana

Mountain Karvounis, is characterized by a high concentration of rare, endemic flora. This is due to three main reasons:

1 Location of Samos (very close to Asia Minor)2 The altitude of the area3 The relative isolation of the area and limited human activities

The Area is protected and is in Natura 2000 and most plants

found near the top are included in the Red List of threatened

plants of the IUCN-World Conservation Union. They are also

protected by Greek legislation (Presidential Decree 67/81).

One of these plants is the tiny Viola Heldreichiana with a height of no more than 3 to 4 cm.In the list it is marked as rare especially in our country as it has been found only in Samos a nd probably in Crete. It blooms in April. The viola was found in the area of AiLia in 1992 by Sven Snogerup

The peony is named after Paeon (also spelled Paean), a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower.

Samos also has rare and endangered species of animals

The chameleon of Samos is one of the most important

Chameleons are one of the most easily identified members of the lizard family, and this is not just due to their ability to change colour. They are able to move their eyes independently of each other, which allow them to focus on 2 different fields of view. When a prey item is located, the chameleon is able to switch to binocular vision in order to target the insect better. Chameleons use their tongue as the predominant method for catching prey. It is protruded in a ballistic fashion so quickly that human’s eyes cannot focus on it. The common chameleon moves in a slow and deliberate manner, which is a ruse to convince potential predators that it is just a leaf blowing in the wind.

This is a very important species of Samos and is highly protected

Canis aureusThe Golden Jackal

Jackals are true members of the dog family and can actually interbreed with both domestic dogs and wolves.The Ancient Egyptian god of embalming, Anubis, was portrayed as a jackal-headed man, or as a jackal wearing ribbons and holding a flagellum.In Hinduism, the golden jackal is portrayed as the familiar of several deities, the most common of which being Chamunda, the emaciated, devouring goddess of the cremation grounds. Another deity associated with jackals is Kali, who inhabits a cremation ground and is surrounded by millions of jackals.The vocabulary of the golden jackal is similar to that of dogs, with seven different sounds previously recorded.

Samos is the only island in the Mediterranean where the rarest carnivore in Greece, the European "gold" jackal exists.

It is an integral part of the unique biodiversity of Samos, and adorned with his presence on the island for thousands of years. Supple, with long legs, an elegant nose and a short tail, jackal is a close relative of the grey wolf. Nevertheless, except that it poses no risk to humans, no bigger than a medium sized dog.

The colour can be red, brown or silver with gold. It is potentially omnivorous and eat rodents, insects, dead flesh and fruit. The jackal is cultivated mainly in areas like olive groves, vineyards and plains moist soils, i.e. parts suitable for hiding and foraging.

Caretta Caretta

Three out of seven known sea turtle species can be found regularly in Mediterranean Sea – loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Sea turtles spend majority of their lives in the sea, but females come to land in order to nest. They crawl out of the sea during the night and lay their eggs on the sandy beaches. After approximately one month of incubation the hatchlings dig their way out of the nest and crawl back to the sea. The coasts of Greece are one of the most important nesting areas for the endangered Caretta caretta (listed on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species) in the world.

Monachus Monachus

There used to be many seals (Monachus monachus) as well on the rocky beaches of Samos, today there are still some, at “Seitani” area and for that reason this

area has been characterized as protected area of ecological value. As

many fishermen testify there are seals in other parts of the island as well.

The Kaplani

There are no recent reports of encounters with the animal in Greece, though at the end of the 18th century an Anatolian leopard from Asia Minor was forced, either by a flooding of the Maeander River or by wildfire, to swim over to the nearby Samos Island, where it became the apex predator and the scourge of domestic animals.The Kaplani (Greek: Καπλάνι from Turkish: Kaplan meaning Tiger) was hunted by farmers and shepherds and was forced to take refuge in a cave. The entrance was documented as being blocked with large stones so that the animal would die out of hunger and thirst. After some time, a villager named Gerasimos Gliarmis opened a hole and climbed down the cave unarmed, in order to find the leopard's corpse. But the animal had managed to survive eating the remains of its old prey and drinking the water which had gathered in the cave's hollow. The leopard tried to fight his way out, but the villager's brother, Nikolaos Gliarmis, also climbed down the cave for help and managed to kill it. Gerasimos Gliarmis was injured by the wildcat in his chest and died a short time later from infection.The dead leopard was embalmed and is today displayed at the Natural History Museum of the Aegean on Samos Island

Students of 4th , 5th and 6th grade