Cyclostomata

The cyclostomata superclass of vertebrates is represented in Romania by four species of lampreys that live in fast, mountains streams. They are found particularly in Transylvania, in rivers such as Criș, Mureș, Someș and Vișeu.^[1][2][3]

Fish

Amphibians

The amphibian population of Romania includes more than a dozen species of frogs and toads, several species of newts and the fire salamander, out of which nine species are not found anywhere else outside of Romania.^[1][14]

The most common amphibians are the common toad, the yellow-belled toad, the European green toad, the agile frog and the smooth newt.^[14]

Reptiles

There are a total of ten species of snakes living in Romania, of which three, the common European viper, the meadow viper and the horned viper, are venomous.^[15] The horned viper in particular is considered to be extremely dangerous and possibly the most venomous snake in Europe.^[16]

The javeline sand boa, the rarest species of snake in Europe and the only species of boa on the continent, was believed extinct in Romania, with the last live specimen being reported in 1937. An entire stable population of the species was discovered by experts in 2014 along the banks of the Danube, with the exact location being kept a secret to avoid trophy hunting.^[17][18]

Four species of turtle and tortoise call Romania their home: The European pond turtle, the common tortoise, Hermann's tortoise and the marine loggerhead sea turtle.^[1] In recent years, a number of exotic species such as the Mississippi map turtle and even the Chinese softshell turtle were spotted in ponds and rivers around Bucharest, but their presence has not been extensively documented and their impact on the environment is not yet clearly understood.^[19][20]

Over a dozen species of lizard can be found in the country, with the most common one being the European green lizard and the common field lizard Lacerta agilis. While not yet present in Romania, the Pallas's glass lizard and Kotschy's gecko are considered likely to join the list of reptiles in Romania in the near future, both being present in Bulgaria, near the Romanian border.^[21]

Birds

Romania is home to a few dozen species of birds of prey, which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, falcons, owls and Old World vultures.^[1]

The last bearded vulture in Romania was shot in Sibiu in 1927 and there would not be another credible sighting of the bird until 2009.^[22] In 2016, researchers managed to provide the first photographic evidence of bearded vulture activity in Romania in almost 90 years.^[23][24]

The water-dwelling birds of Romania are mainly concentrated on the lower Danube, in the Danube Delta, and the littoral area of the Black Sea. The Dobruja region in general and the Danube Delta in particular are hotspots for nesting migratory birds. These include numerous species of ducks, geese, cormorants, shags, herons, storks, ibises, pelicans, swans and, occasionally, flamingos.^[25]

Several species of seagulls can be found not only on the coast, but hundreds of kilometers inland, becoming something of a pest in cities such as Bucharest and Brașov.^[26][27] The great white pelican is sometimes mentioned in the media as being the national bird of Romania, despite the lack of any official decision in this regard.^[28][29]

Among small birds, the most numerous species in Romania is probably the chaffinch, with an estimated 5 million adult individuals, followed by the robin, the goldcrest, the great tit, the white wagtail, the song thrush, the red-backed shrike and several species of sparrow.^[30]

The great bustard, the world's largest flying animal,^[31][32] was common in Central and South-Eastern Romania until the early 20th century, when agrarian reform severely restricted its habitat.^[33] They were considered extinct in Romania, with no sightings between 1981 and 2002, but can now be found in two small, isolated groups in Bihor and Timiș, near the border with Hungary.^[34] The first conservationist measures regarding the great bustard populations in Western Romania began in 2018.^[35]

Mammals

Alien species

A 2017 study identified 390 alien species of terrestrial animals (of which 90% are invertebrates) and 102 species of aquatic organisms (44 freshwater and 58 marine) in Romania. Most of these originate in North America and Southeast Asia and have been introduced accidentally. Despite being a signatory of the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, Romania is behind many other countries when it comes to protecting its ecosystems from invasive alien species. There is currently no official list of alien species or invasive species provided by the Romanian Ministry of Environment.^[65]

Some of the invasive alien species, such as the veined rapa whelk, the sea walnut or the soft-shell clam have been well documented,^[66][67] but the impact of most invasive species on the Romanian ecosystems has not been properly researched, with serious academic research into the topic only beginning within the last decade.^[65][68]