Gibraltar Nature Reserve
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Gibraltar Nature Reserve (formerly the Upper Rock Nature Reserve) is a
protected Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...
nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
in the
British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...
of
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
that covers over 40% of the territory's land area. It was established as the Upper Rock Nature Reserve in 1993 under the
International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...
's category Ia (
strict nature reserve A strict nature reserve (IUCN category Ia) or wilderness area (IUCN category Ib) is the highest category of protected area recognised by the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), a body which is part of the International Union for ...
) and was last extended in 2013. It is known for its semi-wild population of Barbary macaques, and is an important resting point for
migrating birds Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
.


Location

Originally named the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, it was limited to the upper part of the
Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabal Ṭāriq , meaning "Mountain of Tariq ibn Ziyad, Tariq") is a monolithic limestone mountain high dominating the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated near the end of a nar ...
, a long and narrow
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
peninsula that rises to a height of above sea level. The Rock is part of the
Betic Cordillera The Baetic System or Betic System () is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. Located in the southern and eastern Iberian Peninsula, it is also known as the Cordilleras Béticas (Baetic Mountain Ranges) or Baetic Mountains. The n ...
, formed about 200 million years ago. From the crest of the rock there is a dramatic view of the area, including Spain across the
Bay of Gibraltar The Bay of Gibraltar (), is a bay at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. It is around long by wide, covering an area of some , with a depth of up to in the centre of the bay. It opens to the south into the Strait of Gibraltar and the Med ...
and Jebel Musa of
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
across the
Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...
. It is an area of considerable natural beauty and one of the main tourist attractions in Gibraltar. The Upper Rock area of the nature reserve can be reached by road or by the
Gibraltar Cable Car Gibraltar Cable Car () is an aerial tramway in Gibraltar. The base station of the aerial tramway, cable car is located near the southern end of Main Street, Gibraltar, Main Street, next to Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, Alameda Gardens. History Th ...
, next to the
Gibraltar Botanic Gardens The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens or La Alameda Gardens are a botanical garden in Gibraltar, spanning around . The Rock Hotel lies above the park. History In 1816 the gardens were commissioned by the British Governor of Gibraltar George Don (Brit ...
.


Designation

The reserve was established in 1993 to protect the area of land that the United Kingdom's
Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
had decommissioned from military use. Its purpose is to preserve the wildlife and natural and historical sites, while providing access to the public. The flora and fauna of the nature reserve are protected by the
law of Gibraltar The law of Gibraltar is a combination of common law and statute, and is based heavily upon English law. The English Law (Application) Act 1962 stipulates that English common law will apply to Gibraltar unless overridden by Gibraltar law. Howe ...
. The nature reserve was last extended in 2013 when it was renamed the Gibraltar Nature Reserve to reflect its wider scope outside the Upper Rock. The protected area now covers the Great Gibraltar Sand Dune, Windmill Hill and the Europa Foreshore.


Climate

Gibraltar has a typical Mediterranean climate, moderated by the sea that almost surrounds the peninsula. Summers are warm and dry, while winters are cool and wet. Temperatures range from . Annual rainfall is about . The Levanter clouds provide condensation that keeps the vegetation green even in the dry season. These clouds form when moisture-laden easterly winds are forced upward by the cliffs of Gibraltar, and often form a cap over the Rock.


Tourist attractions including St. Michael's Cave

The nature reserve contains many of Gibraltar's important
natural history Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
sites including caves such as St. Michael's Cave, with its many stalagmites and stalactites. St. Michael's Cave was first mentioned by
Pomponius Mela Pomponius Mela, who wrote around AD 43, was the earliest known Roman geographer. He was born at the end of the 1st century BC in Tingentera (now Algeciras) and died  AD 45. His short work (''De situ orbis libri III.'') remained in use nea ...
in 45 AD, and many sources have mentioned it since. It has become an important tourist attraction. Concerts are held in its main chamber.
Forbes' Quarry Forbes' Quarry is located on the northern face of the Rock of Gibraltar within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The area was quarried during the 19th century to supply stone for reinforcing the fortre ...
is where the Neanderthal discovery was made in 1848. The Gibraltar 1 skull was one of the first to be found. Neanderthal skulls have also been found at the
Devil's Tower Cave Devil's Tower Cave is a cave in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Archaeologist Dorothy Garrod found a Neanderthal skull in the cave which, together with other evidence found in this cave, shows it was used as a rock shelter by the Nean ...
on the North Front. It is possible that some of the last Neanderthals may have made the caves of Gibraltar their home before they died out 30,000 years ago. The
Gibraltar Heritage Trust The Gibraltar Heritage Trust is a non-profit charity established by statute on 1 May 1989 to preserve and promote the cultural natural heritage of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Funding and responsibilities The Trust collaborates w ...
manages conservation of the historical sites and their development as tourist attractions. These include the
O'Hara's Battery O'Hara's Battery is an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located at the highest point of the Rock of Gibraltar, near the southern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, in close proximity to Lord Airey's Bat ...
, 100 Ton Gun at
Napier of Magdala Battery Napier of Magdala Battery is a former coastal artillery battery on the south-western cliffs of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, overlooking the Bay of Gibraltar. It also overlooks Rosia Bay from the north, as does Parson's Lodge Ba ...
, Heritage Centre at
Princess Caroline's Battery Princess Caroline's Battery is an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located at the northern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, at the junction of Willis's Road and Queen's Road, Gibraltar, Queen's Road. The ...
and the Parson's Lodge Battery. Other military sites that are open to the public are the
Moorish Castle The Moorish Castle is the name given to a medieval fortification in Gibraltar comprising various buildings, gates, and fortified walls, with the dominant features being the Tower of Homage and the Gate House. Part of the castle itself also hous ...
, Devil's Gap Battery, Princess Anne's Battery, World War II Tunnels,
Great Siege Tunnels The Great Siege Tunnels in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, also known as the Upper Galleries, are a series of tunnels inside the northern end of the Rock of Gibraltar. They were dug out from the solid limestone by the British dur ...
and
Charles V Wall The Charles V Wall is a 16th-century defensive curtain wall that forms part of the fortifications of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Originally called ''Muralla de San Benito'' (English: St. Benedict's Wall), it was built in 1540 a ...
.


Other caves

The
Mediterranean Steps Mediterranean Steps is a path and nature trail in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. One of the footpaths of Gibraltar, the path is located entirely within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve and was built by the British military but is no ...
path within the Nature Reserve leads to the Goat's Hair Twin Caves and then Spider Cave. Spider Cave is a small
solutional cave A solutional cave, solution cave, or karst cave is a cave usually formed in a soluble rock like limestone (Calcium carbonate, with chemical formula ''CaCO3''). It is the most frequently occurring type of cave. It can also form in other rocks, incl ...
created from water running down the
fissure A fissure is a long, narrow crack opening along the surface of Earth. The term is derived from the Latin word , which means 'cleft' or 'crack'. Fissures emerge in Earth's crust, on ice sheets and glaciers, and on volcanoes. Ground fissure A ...
below Lord Airey's Battery; this cave was widened for military use during World War II. Spider Cave is inhabited by the Gibraltar funnel-web spider, and formerly hosted a colony of about 100 Schreibers' bats in the 1960s, but there was no recent sign of the bats in 2005. At the southern end of Gibraltar Nature Reserve lies a series of caves: Levant Cave, George's Bottom Cave and Gibbon's Cave. The first two caves are close together, accompanied by Tina's Fissure. Levant Cave was discovered during military tunnelling and has similar formations to New St. Michael's Cave. Gibbon's Cave was mostly destroyed due to tunnelling. George's Bottom Cave was discovered in 1965, named after
George Palao George L. Palao BEM (4 October 1940, Kensington, United Kingdom - 2009, Gibraltar) was a Gibraltarian historian and potholer and illustrator. He was particularly known for his excavations and finds in many caves of Gibraltar. Early years Bo ...
, and had a boulder blocking the cave entrance which was shifted away using machinery. The passage of George's Bottom Cave is tight, requiring crawling at some points, including the entrance. Crawling is made no easier by the
cave coral Cave popcorn, or coralloids, are small nodes of calcite, aragonite, or gypsum that form on surfaces in caves, especially limestone caves. They are a common type of speleothem. Appearance The individual nodules of cave popcorn range in size from ...
which together with the
curtains A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain) water. Curtains are often hung on the inside of a building's windows to block the passage of light. For instan ...
, columns, straws, and
helictite A helictite is a speleothem (cave-formed mineral) found in a Solution cave, limestone cave that changes its axis from the vertical at one or more stages during its growth. Helictites have a curving or angular form that looks as if they were gro ...
s create a variety of formations. George's Bottom Cave has six descending levels and many chambers.


Flora

In the past, the Upper Rock was tree-covered. Most of the trees were felled for fuel during the
Great Siege of Gibraltar The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Enlightenment in Spain, Spain and Kingdom of France, France to capture Gibraltar from the Kingdom of Great Britain, British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the largest ba ...
between 1779 and 1783. Trees today mostly produce berries that are eaten by birds, who presumably dropped their seeds on the rock. The most common is the
olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...
(''Olea europea''). Carob (''
Ceratonia siliqua The carob ( ; ''Ceratonia siliqua'') is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit, which takes the form of seed pods, and as an orname ...
'') and nettle trees (''
Celtis ''Celtis'' is a genus of about 60–70 species of deciduous trees, commonly known as hackberries or nettle trees, in the hemp family Cannabaceae. It has a cosmopolitan distribution. Description ''Celtis'' species are generally medium-sized tree ...
'') are also found. Trees have been planted along the paths, including the
stone pine The Italian stone pine, botanical name ''Pinus pinea'', also known as the Mediterranean stone pine is a tree from the pine family (''Pinaceae''). The tree is native to the Mediterranean region, occurring in Southern Europe and the Levant. The ...
(''Pinus pinea'') and Aleppo pine (''
Pinus halepensis ''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. It was officially named by the botanist Philip Miller in his 1768 book ''The Gardener's Dictionary''; he pro ...
''). Both are native to the region, but the Aleppo pine is particularly common in dry, limestone regions. There was a drought in the 1990s when many of the introduced trees died, although the Aleppo pine fared better than others. Gibraltar has more than six hundred species of flowering plants. The maquis, or dense Mediterranean scrub, is mostly made up of tall bushes that include
wild olive Wild olive is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *'' Bontia daphnoides'' * Several species in the genus ''Elaeagnus'' (family Elaeagnaceae), particularly: **''Elaeagnus angustifolia'' **'' Elaeagnus latifolia'' *'' Halesia carolina' ...
, Mediterranean buckthorn, lentisc, '' Osyris'' and
terebinth ''Pistacia terebinthus'' also called the terebinth and the turpentine tree, is a deciduous shrub species of the genus '' Pistacia'', native to the Mediterranean region from the western regions of Morocco and Portugal to Greece and western and ...
, and smaller bushes that include shrubby scorpion vetch, spiny broom, teline, wild jasmine, shrubby germander and felty germander. The
bay laurel ''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. According to Flora Cretica (Kleinsteuber Books, 2024, ISBN 978-3-9818110-5-6) the stem can be 1 ...
and the dwarf fan palm are also found in parts of the maquis. Understory plants include the intermediate periwinkle,
Butcher's broom ''Ruscus aculeatus'', known as butcher's-broom, is a low evergreen dioecious Eurasian shrub, with flat shoots known as cladodes that give the appearance of stiff, spine-tipped leaves. Small greenish flowers appear in spring, and are borne sing ...
, Italian arum and Bear's breech. The firebreaks in the maquis are home to plants such as paper-white narcissus, common asphodel, giant Tangier fennel, wild gladiolus, '' Galactites'' and mallow bindweed. There are small areas of
garrigue Garrigue or garigue ( ), also known as phrygana ( , n. pl.), is a type of low scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. It is found on limestone soils in southern France and around the ...
in the reserve, low scrub that includes wild
rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers. It is a member of the sage family, Lamiaceae. The species is native to the Mediterranean r ...
,
esparto grass Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. '' Stipa tenacissima'' and '' Lygeum spartu ...
,
white asparagus Asparagus (''Asparagus officinalis'') is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus ''Asparagus'' native to Eurasia. Widely cultivated as a vegetable crop, its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable. Description Asparagus is an h ...
, toothed lavender, cut-leaved lavender, teline, '' Prasium'', shrubby scorpion vetch and
germander ''Teucrium'' is a cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae, commonly known as germanders. Plants in this genus are perennial herbs or shrubs, with branches that are more or less square in cross-section, leaves arranged ...
s. The many cliffs around the reserve harbour joint pine, dwarf fan palm,
sweet alison ''Lobularia maritima'' (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Alyssum maritimum'') is a species of low-growing flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. Its common name is sweet alyssum or , also commonly referred to as just alyssum (from the genus ''Aly ...
, ''
Biscutella ''Biscutella'' is a genus of over 50 species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae.Appel, O. & Al-Shehbaz, I. (2003). Cruciferae. In Kubitzki, K. (Series Editor):"The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants", Vol.5: K. Kubitzki & C. Baye ...
'' and wild parsley. Distinctive plants include the Gibraltar candytuft, white Gibraltar chickweed, Gibraltar saxifrage and Gibraltar thyme. The
Gibraltar campion ''Silene tomentosa'', the Gibraltar campion, is a very rare
flowering plant of the genus ''Silene'' and the fa ...
is a very rare species found only on Gibraltar that was thought for a while to be extinct.


Fauna


Mammals

Mammals include the
red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...
,
European rabbit The European rabbit (''Oryctolagus cuniculus'') or coney is a species of rabbit native to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal and Andorra) and southwestern France. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Oryctolagus''. The European rab ...
and
mouse-eared bat The mouse-eared bats or myotises are a diverse and widespread genus (''Myotis'') of bats within the family Vespertilionidae. The noun "''myotis''" itself is a Neo-Latin construction, from the Greek language, Greek "''muós'' (meaning "mouse") an ...
. The best-known residents are the Barbary macaques that make the reserve their home. Gibraltar has a reintroduced population of
Barbary macaque The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Barbary ape, is a macaque species native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar. It is the type species of the genus ' ...
s, the only wild primate species in Europe, the famous Rock apes. The macaques may be found at the Ape's Den near the middle cable-car station, at the top cable car station, and near the Great Siege Tunnels. As of 2012 there were from 200 to 250 macaques, all of them living in the nature reserve. It is forbidden to feed the monkeys, but these rules have not always been followed. As a result, some of them have become aggressive and dependent on food from humans. In 2008 the government ordered a group of macaques to be culled that had taken to scavenging in the town centre.


Reptiles

There are five species of lizard in the nature reserve, six snakes and an
amphisbaenian Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of typically legless lizards, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As ...
. This last is a small, subterranean reptile that has no legs and no eyes. The most common lizard is the small green or brown
Iberian wall lizard ''Podarcis hispanicus'', also known as Iberian wall lizard, is a small wall lizard species of the genus ''Podarcis''. It is found in the Iberian Peninsula, in northwestern Africa and in coastal districts in Languedoc-Roussillon in France. In Span ...
. The larger Algerian sand racer and the mainly nocturnal Moorish gecko are also common. Rarer lizards are the
Turkish gecko The Mediterranean house gecko (''Hemidactylus turcicus'') is a species of house gecko native to the Mediterranean region, from which it has spread to many parts of the world including parts of East Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the ...
and the
ocellated lizard The ocellated lizard or jewelled lizard (''Timon lepidus'') is a species of lizard in the Family (biology), family Lacertidae (wall lizards). The species is Endemism, endemic to southwestern Europe. Common names Additional common names for ''T. l ...
. Snakes include the
horseshoe whip snake The horseshoe whip snake (''Hemorrhois hippocrepis'') is a species of snake in the family Colubridae . The species is native to southwestern Europe and northern Africa. Description Adults of ''H. hippocrepis'' may attain a total length (includin ...
,
Montpellier snake ''Malpolon monspessulanus'', commonly known as the Montpellier snake, is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake. Geographic range It is very common in Spain, Portugal and Northwest Africa, being also present in the southern Mediterranea ...
,
southern smooth snake ''Coronella girondica'', commonly known as the southern smooth snake or Riccioli's snake, is a species of harmless snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to southern Europe and northern Africa. No subspecies are recognized as bein ...
,
false smooth snake ''Macroprotodon cucullatus'', commonly known as the false smooth snake, is a species of mildly venomous colubrid snake endemic to the Mediterranean Basin. Geographic distribution ''M. cucullatus'' is found in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Lib ...
,
grass snake The grass snake (''Natrix natrix''), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian semi-aquatic non- venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians. Subspecies Many subspecie ...
and
ladder snake The ladder snake (''Zamenis scalaris'') is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to southwestern Europe. Distribution The geographic range of the ladder snake includes Portugal, Spain, southern France a ...
.


Birds

The Rock of Gibraltar, at the head of the
Strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...
, is a prominent
headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...
, which accumulates
migrating birds Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
during the passage periods. The vegetation on the Rock, unique in southern
Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
, provides a temporary home for many species of migratory birds that stop to rest and feed before continuing migration for their crossing over the sea and desert. In spring, they return to replenish before continuing their journeys to Western Europe, journeys which may take them as far as
Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...
or Russia. The Rock has been identified as an
Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
by
BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
because it is a migratory bottleneck, or choke point, for an estimated 250,000 raptors that cross the Strait annually, and because it supports breeding populations of
Barbary partridge The Barbary partridge (''Alectoris barbara'') is a gamebird in the pheasant family (Phasianidae) of the order Galliformes. It is native to North Africa. Distribution The Barbary partridge has its main native range in North Africa, and is also na ...
s and
lesser kestrel The lesser kestrel (''Falco naumanni'') is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across Afghanistan and Central Asia, to China and Mongolia. It is a summer bird migration, migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and someti ...
s.


Invertebrates

There are many insects in the reserve. In the late summer,
praying mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate ...
es are conspicuous, as are dragonflies crossing the strait. 33 species of butterfly have been observed, including the
Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...
, two-tailed pasha, swallowtail, Spanish festoon and striped greyling. Moths that may be seen at times include the
burnet moth The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. Some of the 1000 or so species are commonly known as burnet or forester moths, ofte ...
, hummingbird hawkmoth, striped hawkmoth and cream-spot tiger. The most notable spider is the large, black and hairy Gibraltar funnel-web spider. The fast and aggressive ''
Scolopendra cingulata ''Scolopendra cingulata'', also known as Megarian banded centipede, and the Mediterranean banded centipede, is a species of centipede, and "the most common scolopendromorph species in the Mediterranean area". Description The species has altern ...
'' centipede is also notable. Both the spider and the centipede have venomous but not fatal bites.


Gallery

*''Animals of Gibraltar'' on Wikimedia Commons File:Roca de Gibraltar.jpg, Northern peak of the Rock of Gibraltar File:Gibraltar affe.jpg, A Barbary macaque File:Gibraltar and Africa.jpg, View of the African coast File:Gibraltar Rock 06.jpg, Top of the
Charles V Wall The Charles V Wall is a 16th-century defensive curtain wall that forms part of the fortifications of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Originally called ''Muralla de San Benito'' (English: St. Benedict's Wall), it was built in 1540 a ...


References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * * {{Places in Gibraltar Environment of Gibraltar Nature reserves Parks in Gibraltar Important Bird Areas of Gibraltar Protected areas established in 1993 1993 establishments in Gibraltar