As human development has been chiefly
in the lowlands, highland regions - notably
the Carpathians - have been important both as
untouched pockets for native species and
as refuges for species that could not
survive close to humans. These include the chamois Rupicapra rupicapra, whose
survival has been assisted by its
remarkable ability to inhabit even the
most precipitous places. Particular interest attaches
to the brown bear Ursus Arctos, formerly ranged across most of Carpathians but only in national parks, who are reckoned to be in danger of extinction.
Red deer, found across
Carpathian Mountains, can be 1.2 m/4 ft or more at
the shoulder, plain dark brown with
yellowish rump, and may have many
points to the antlers.
There also lives others animals such as
wolves, lynx.