Cres Island

Cres Island

The island of Cres is an Adriatic Island in Croatia. It is a northern island in the Kvarner Bay, accessible by ferry from Rijeka, the island of Krk, or the Istrian peninsula. Lake Vrana is a freshwater lake on the island of Cres, which is strictly guarded and where swimming and fishing are prohibited. It is Croatia's largest lake in terms of volume, and one of Eastern Europe's deepest freshwater lakes, extending to 76 meters at its deepest point. Cres is inhabited by a number of different species of non-venomous snakes, among them Elaphe quatuorlineata, Zamenis longissimus, Zamenis situla and Natrix tessellata, which are rare or absent on other Adriatic islands. There is a relatively large population of endangered Eurasian Vultures on the island, which are often seen hovering above the island. As it is endemic to this area and rare in other European countries, it is considered an endangered species on the brink of extinction. The island is also home to White Snake Eagles, Golden and Gray Sea Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Horned Owls, Little Owls, Swifts, and of course the inescapable inhabitants of the coast, seagulls. The island's only larger predator is the Stone Marten. There are even rabbits and hares, Kvarner Moles, dormice, mouflons and Wild Boars. The abundance and variety of vegetation and the human impact on these areas for millennia have provided the habitat for the evolution of many species of insects, some of them extremely rare, the most important being the weevils, which is found only in the caves of the island of Cres and not elsewhere in the world.