Hvernig geta stórir fuglar flogið mörg hundruð kílómetra á einum degi án þess að nota meiri orku en í hvíld? Umfangsmikil alþjóðleg rannsókn með þátttöku slóvenskra vísindamanna veitir svarið. Hún leiddi í ljós að svif á loftstraumum er orkunýtnasta form virkrar hreyfingar á jörðinni. Uppgötvunin undirstrikar einnig einstakt mikilvægi farleiðarinnar yfir Slóveníu, sem er ein af helstu leiðum stórra ránfugla í Evrópu.
Although Slovenia has only a few dozen kilometres of coastline, its waters harbour a rich and diverse underwater world. This year, researchers and divers have been delighted by two significant sightings: the discovery of juvenile noble pen shells, the largest bivalve species in the Mediterranean, and more frequent sightings of the Mediterranean feather star, a mysterious and elegant inhabitant of the seabed.
Lipizzaners are wonderful white horses. They are famous throughout the world for their nobility, elegance and remarkable talent for performing the movements of classical dressage. The cradle of the Lipizzaner breed is the Lipica Stud Farm, after which the Lipizzaner is named.
White storks – symbols of happiness, love and new life – are thriving in Slovenia. This year's census, carried out by DOPPS – BirdLife Slovenia, brought record-breaking results: 321 pairs of white storks nested across the country, and 807 chicks successfully fledged – 134 more than the year before. This is the highest number recorded since the census began. Already in 2023 and 2024, storks impressed with a record number of occupied nests. Last year, 311 pairs nested in Slovenia, and 673 young birds fledged – which was also a historic result at the time.
Despite its small size, the Slovenian sea hides a wealth of life. Did you know that it is also home to dolphins? Researchers have so far observed around 400 dolphins in the Slovenian sea, with some 150 living there permanently. The only resident species found in the waters along the Slovenian coast and elsewhere in northern Adriatic is the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). For more than 20 years, experts from the Morigenos Slovene Marine Mammal Society have been monitoring the species, studying their behaviour, movement and life.
20 March is World Frog Day. As tailless amphibians, frogs play an important role in the balance of nature. They are important to ecosystems as both prey and predators. In rainy weather, spring temperatures awaken amphibians to make their way to their spawning grounds in the evening. To make their migration route as safe as possible, the Municipality of Kranj has again organised several campaigns to help frogs cross roads on rainy evenings.
Sometimes one cannot help but wonder at the rich variety of animals that share our living space. Slovenia has fourteen indigenous breeds of nine domestic animal species.
The Karst is the homeland of the Karst Shepherd, a breed of dog which over the centuries the sharp bora wind has only toughened and not weakened, and which together with the herders and Karst sheep has eked out a living, while being able to maintain its noble character. Without love, mutual respect and understanding, both human and dog would lose a lot.
The Postojna Cave is planning to put on display almost two dozen olm offspring that hatched three years ago, yet under very strict conditions.
