Childrens Illustrated Animal Atlas

55

Only males have a crest

on their backs.

The marmot lives in high alpine

meadows and pastures.

N

S

E

W

100 miles

AUSTRIA

UKRAINE

Common nightingale

This little bird is plain to look at,

but its song sets it apart. Nightingale

songs have high and low notes,

phrases, and trills that other birds

can’t make.

Black fur on its underside gives the

black-bellied hamster its name.

Black-bellied hamster

This hamster digs summer

and fall burrows 19^1 ⁄ 2 in

(50 cm) below the ground’s

surface. Its winter burrow

can be 6^1 ⁄ 2 ft (2 m) deep.

When swimming, this

hamster inflates its

cheek pouches to act

like water wings!

Northern crested newt

Also called the great crested newt, this

amphibian gets up to 6^1 ⁄ 2 in (17 cm)

long. Newts are most active at night,

and spend the day hiding in ponds, or

under damp logs or rocks.

Location

The European steppe

stretches from Romania

in the west to the Ural

Mountains in the east,

where it merges with

the Asian steppe.

SCALE

200 kilometers

0

0

200 miles

This is the heaviest

flying bird on Earth.

Males weigh up to

35 lb (16 kg)!

European

mole

The mole’s big forepaws

are always turned

outward to help it dig its

underground tunnels.

Rosy starling

This big bird of prey can

live for up to 32 years.

It makes a nest, called

an aerie, in a tall tree

Golden eagle or on a cliff ledge.

This pink and black

starling eats locusts

and other grasshoppers

it finds on the steppe.

Marbled

polecat

Giant mole

rat

Great

bustard

Eurasian

harvest mouse

The colorful marbled

polecat travels up to

0.6 miles (1 km) a night

searching for food.

Although they each have their

own burrow, there might be 6,000

giant mole rats in just 0.4 sq miles

(1 sq km) of grassland!

Weighing just

0.2 oz (6 g),

the tiny harvest

mouse is Europe’s

smallest rodent.

European

steppe

The steppe is a temperate grassland habitat.

Many animals here are seasonal visitors from

other habitats, while some, such as hamsters

and moles, live here all year round.

RUSSIAN

FEDERATION

Kiev

BELARUS

ROMANIA

BULGARIA

MACEDONIA

Bucharest

Sofia

Minsk

CROATIA

HABITAT KEY

Temperate

grasslands

Scrublands

Mountains

Coniferous

forests

Deciduous

forests

US_054_055_Alps_European_steppe.indd 55 23/05/2017 16:34