Mammals
If the ungulates remain very numerous with a large population of wild boar, deer, roe deer and mouflons, the most emblematic of the Pyrenees is without doubt the isard. Elegant and agile, it twirls its brown coat in the high altitude meadows and its fine horns, in the shape of a hook, are recognizable among thousands. The ibex, although present on the territory since prehistoric times, has been hunted as a trophy for too long and now benefits from a reintroduction plan. In the high meadows, you will hear the marmot whistle as you approach! Hidden in a burrow under the coombs or rocks, it slowly faces the cold months just like the brown bear, king of hibernation. A total of 39 ursids are in the Pyrenees, on the French and Spanish sides. The ermine gracefully waves its beautiful fur which turns white in winter. From the countryside to the summits, its legendary curiosity runs across the moors with exceptional agility. Since 2008, the mountain ermine has been the pride of the Aure valley, where it has been recorded. You will only find it there, it is the rarest species in the region. It is as fragile as it is threatened. The wolf, the ibex and the lynx have all disappeared from the Hautes-Pyrénées.
Reptiles and amphibians
If there is one small inhabitant in the department, it is the lizard, and there will be many of them along the hiking trails! Some are even the object of all the attention since Natura 2000 zones ensure their protection. We can mention the well-named mountain lizard of the Pyrenees, whose recent discovery expands the species. The asp viper revels in the rocky soils of high altitudes. Easily recognizable by its small triangular head and the tip of its curved snout, it requires real caution as it is venomous and can be deadly. In these wetlands, salamanders and newts have found their happiness as well as frogs (from the Pyrenees!) and toads, including the rare toad. Its habitat is exclusively located above 2,500 m and yet it can live for more than 30 years. Its survival is currently compromised, notably because of a fungus that has decimated the species.
Birds
They fly through the skies with grace. Birds of prey have found in the Hautes-Pyrénées a habitat that they seem to rule over. Their presence is simply exceptional, you will find many buzzards and falcons but also splendid golden eagles like the white eagle which comes in summer to feast on snakes. In the cliffs, the griffon vulture watches over you and you will not be able to confuse it with its very characteristic slow gliding flight. It likes the mountain pastures and its size would almost compete with the 3 m wingspan of the "bone breaker". This is the name given to the very harmless bearded vulture, one of the most emblematic and rare birds of prey. An endemic species, the snow partridge or the rock ptarmigan is also endemic. With a lot of luck, you will be able to observe the shy and discreet capercaillie, commonly called the capercaillie, whose incredible beauty of plumage is a delight.
Fish
Its 2,500 km of rivers drain a rich population that anglers know well and the wild trout has found its kingdom in the Hautes-Pyrénées. The most rebellious but also the most appreciated is the famous fario which, since its introduction in the Middle Ages, has seen its number of followers increase. You can admire it in the waters of the 220 mountain lakes where rainbows, brook trout, salmon and a few rarer Arctic char, recognizable by their bluish colour, undulate alongside them in complete peace. The water bodies are home to white fish, carp and carnivores.
Aquatic species
The desman is a small insectivore weighing 60 g, semi-aquatic and hyperactive, with webbed feet and a curious proboscis which has earned it the nickname of "rat-trumpet". Almost blind, this tiny emblem of the department lives on the banks of rivers. Easier to find, the euproctus can be recognized among a thousand: it is the only newt with nails! Its grey skin has horny tips. It is a fabulous heritage since it was already there at the time of the dinosaurs. It likes the clear and cold waters of the lakes and streams that shelter it. Two rare species, to be protected and approached with all the delicacy that their fragility deserves.
Trees
With a vegetation known as "à étage", the territory changes from 900 m into a real mountain kingdom filled with forests. Beech trees, fir trees and Scots pines follow one another before giving way to the sub-alpine level, dotted with hooked pines that can reach 500 years of age, iron rhododendron, whose fuchsia and carmine flowers are a delight, bird's sorb and birch trees. This green enchantment changes from 2,500 m where the dwarf willows resist the harsh conditions and beyond that, only the lichens face the climate.
Rare flowers and plants
With 1,700 species, 160 of which are found only in the Pyrenees, the department has an exceptional flora. From May onwards, you can admire broad-leaved cardamine, Pyrenean valerian, carline thistle, gispets or Gaston's grémils. From 2,500 to 3,000 metres, the flowers take on bright colours, such as the stemless silene, the fragrant poppy or the Irat saxifrage. In this bouquet of delicacy, the bright yellow clusters of the Pyrenean lily, whose stem can reach a metre, the blue iris with its dark and vivid hue or the Pyrenean ramonde, which clings to the rocks, sublime with its mauve petals and its orange heart, stand out. Rare and only local species.
Underwater vegetation
Some flowers in the department can only develop in an aquatic environment, such as the white-flowered saxifrage which grows along streams. Among the remarkable species, the fragile and rare aquatic subular is the subject of a local rescue plan. This small plant with cross-shaped flowers is only present in the Pyrenees and only at the lower laquette of Orédon in the Néouvielle National Nature Reserve.
