Fauna and Flora

The narrow gorge walls and rocky gorges are some of the most unique environments in the space, where curious plants such as the Pyrenean violet and Pyrenean saxifrage grow, and nests can be found of birds such as the bearded vulture, the golden eagle, or the common vulture. In addition to the cliffs and the river, where otters are sometimes seen, we find various environments depending on the orientation of the slopes.

In the shady places there are dense oaks, and the Mediterranean vegetation dominates the sunsets with holm oaks, boxwood and scrub. The Montsec ridge, dry and strongly beaten by the wind, is covered with dry meadows and scrub. The great biodiversity of the place is complemented by caverns of caves and chasms, shelter for bats and other animals from the subsurface environment.

Wildlife

Bearded vulture

Bearded vulture

(Gypaetus barbatus)
Huge size and slender silhouette. It feeds mainly on bones, which they swallow whole or broken up, dropping them from a great height.

Golden eagle

Golden eagle

(Aquila chrysaetos)
Large eagle, which lives in mountainous areas with cliffs. It is a hunter and also eats carrion. It can fly at 240 km/h.

Egyptian vulture

Egyptian vulture

(Neophron percnopterus)
The smallest of European vultures, they feed on debris and small carrions. Migrant, it spends its winters in Africa.

otter

Otter

This is a carnivorous mammal, which feeds on small fish, frogs and other aquatic animals. They are great swimmers and can stay submerged for up to 6 minutes without going to the surface to breathe.

Newt

Pyrenean newt

(Euproctus asper)
It lives in the streams of cold, oxygenated water, where it walks along the bottom in search of food.

 

Flora

Pyrenean saxifrage

Pyrenean saxifrage

(Saxifraga longifolia)
Endemic to the Pyrenees, and lives on rock crevices in calcareous substrates. It flowers between the months of May and August.

Pyrenean violet

Pyrenean violet

(Ramonda myconi)
It lives in the crevices of the shaded rocks of the Pyrenees and in mountainous areas of the eastern half of Catalonia. It blooms from May to July, when it acquires a purple hue, and then dries out to grow once again with the autumn rains.

Downy oak 

Downy oak 

(Quercus pubescens)
Medium deciduous tree that can grow up to 25 metres high, and that can be found in the medium mountain forests in Catalonia. As the Latin name implies, the twigs and the underside of the leaves are hairy.

 

Petrocoptis

(Monocopcis Petrocoptis)
Endemic rupicola plant, unique in the world. Listed as protected.