Carnivorous Mammals

All of the Algarve’s ten species of mammalian land predators (carnivores) are found in the south west. In fact, the area holds some important populations of these elusive but exciting creatures. The familiar Red Fox Vulpes vulpes is found everywhere.

The only other carnivore that is legal tender for hunters is the common and widespread Egyptian Mongoose Herpestes ichneumon. Within Europe, this species, thought to have been introduced by the Romans or Moors, is restricted mainly to southern Iberia. It is famous for its skill in catching snakes and its resistance to venom. This mongoose also takes a wide range of other prey and will even sit in the middle of a field munching on melons, hence its Spanish name, Meloncillo.

A relative of the mongoose, and similarly considered part of Iberian wild fauna, the Genet Genetta genetta, introduced by the Moors, is relatively common, preferring more natural wooded habitats. Somewhat catlike in appearance, with a length of around 50 cm, and possessing an equally long tail, it is tawny-yellow with dark brown blotches that merge to form longitudinal stripes. The well-known Badger Meles meles is also present, preferring areas with easily excavated soil in which to dig its den or sett.

The charismatic Otter Lutra lutra can be found in many waterways in the area. Well known for eating fish, here they have a particular fondness for the abundant crayfish, often eating large quantities. Surprisingly, it is fairly common, and a few even inhabit the marine environment of the Costa Vicentina, only seeking freshwater occasionally to wash salt off their thick water-repellent coats.

Beech Martens Mustela foina are like a larger version of their more familiar cousin, the Weasel Mustela nivalis, but with a long bushy rufous tail. Both are relatively common in woods, orchards, farmland and in country gardens, preying mainly on rodents. Another member of the same family, the handsome Western Polecat Mustela putorius is more scarce and only found in really wild habitats close to waterlines, far from human habitation.

The most threatened carnivore in Europe, and the most endangered wild cat in the world, the Iberian or Pardel Lynx Lynx pardina (pardina = of a leopard) is present here in one of its last remaining enclaves in Portugal. This is a beautiful large cat with long ear tufts, bushy cheeks and beard, having a yellowish-brown coat with small dark spots. Measuring around 70 cm at the shoulder and one metre long, not including its characteristic short tail. Its distribution is extremely fragmented, and is reduced to five unconnected areas in the Algarve. Its most important niche is situated to the north of AlmaVerde in the nearby Serra do Espinhaço de Cão and the adjoining coastal gullies, where most of the estimated 25 remaining individuals eke out a precarious existence. Severely threatened with extinction, this fabulous creature has recently become a target for various conservation initiatives. Cats appear to have an extraordinary ability to maintain healthy small populations in the face of inter-familial breeding, and so it is hoped that the recent surge in protection measures will result in the survival and ultimately, in an increase in numbers of this species.

Note: If you should be so fortunate as to see, dead or alive, a Pardel Lynx, you are strongly urged to record the location and date and to report the sighting to the Costa Vicentina’s Algarve headquarters in Aljezur, Tel: 282-998673. All sightings contribute to the knowledge and therefore the conservation of this critically endangered large cat.

The Wildcat Felis sylvestris is not so rare, but still very scarce and similarly confined to the wilder hilly natural habitats. The wildcat resembles a large, robust version of the domestic tabby cat, with a body length up to 68 cm, and with a proportionately wider head, amber eyes and a pink nose. Its coat, unlike its tamed relation, has no blotchy markings, only vertical stripes and a distinctively large, black-tipped, bushy tail with three to five rings.