Crete Mediterranean forests


The Crete Mediterranean forests is a terrestrial ecoregion that encompasses Greek the island of Crete.
The island has a Mediterranean climate, and is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome found in the lands in and around the Mediterranean Sea. Crete's diverse habitats, from shrublands to forests, sustain 1600 species of plants, including dozens of endemic species. The island was once characterized by forests, but centuries of human habitation have transformed the landscape, converting much of the original forest into shrublands, woodlands, fields, orchards, and pastures.

Geography

Crete lies in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Aegean Sea is to the north, and the Libyan Sea is to the south. It is about 160 km south of the Greek mainland. Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean, with an area of 8,336 km².
Crete extends 260 km from east to west, and its north–south width varies from 60 to 12 miles. A mountainous spine extends the length of the island, with three principal ranges: the White Mountains or Lefka Ori in the west, Psiloritis in the center, and the Dikti Mountains in the east.
Geologically, Crete is part of the South Aegean Arc, created by the collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates starting 11 to 15 million years ago. Seas have divided Crete from the Greek and Anatolian mainlands for at least five million years. Crete's high mountains were uplifted 1.5 million years ago.

Flora

The island's range of topography and soils support diverse plant communities. At lower elevations, low shrubland is common. Phrygana includes many aromatic plants, and typical species include Sarcopoterium spinosum, Thymus capitatus, Phlomis fruticosa, Phlomis cretica, Phlomis lanata, Cistus spp., Genista acanthoclada, Calicotome villosa, and spurge. There are also high shrublands dominated by carob, juniper, and tree-spurge, and woodlands and forests of evergreen and semi-evergreen oaks. Groves of Cretan date palm are found in a few stream gorges around the island.
Woodlands of Calabrian pine and Kermes oak are found at mid-elevations, along with maquis, and phrygana of Berberis cretica, Rhamnus saxatilis, Prunus prostrata, and Satureja spinosa.
Woodlands of Mediterranean cypress and Cretan maple are found at high elevations. Above the tree line, thorny cushion scrublands grow on the highest peaks.
There are 1,600 plant species on Crete, of which about 10% are endemic.

Fauna

Crete is home to two endemic mammals, the Cretan shrew and Crete spiny mouse.
The Kri-kri is subspecies of feral goat found only in Crete's mountains and on nearby islands.

Extinct fauna

Crete's long isolation from the mainland made its fauna distinct. Dwarf elephants, the Cretan dwarf hippopotamus, Cretan dwarf mammoth, and Cretan dwarf megacerine, a tiny deer, lived on Crete until the end of the Pleistocene epoch. These species are examples of insular dwarfism.
The Cretan owl ', a giant flightless owl, and the Cretan otter ' also went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene.

Protected areas

There are several protected areas on Crete, including Samaria Gorge National Park.