Port St-Pierre

5 points of interest

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  Fauna

  Western green lizard

  This very handsome bright green lizard is the biggest in our territory, measuring 30 cm in length. It can be spotted from April to September. The rest of the time, it hibernates underground. It hunts in areas with dense vegetation and feeds primarily on insects and invertebrates. It exhibits sexual dimorphism, that is to say, during the breeding season only, the males have bright blue colouring on the throat and sides of the head. Mating takes place around May. The males engage in ferocious fights in which they occasionally lose their tails. That's not a problem for the Western green lizard as its tail grows back naturally.

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  Pastoralism

  Grazing

  Pastoralism is a livestock rearing technique extensively practised by farmers here. They exploit the local natural resources to feed their flocks, thereby shaping the landscapes. It is estimated that this practice started approximately 10,000 years ago. Sheep could be domesticated because they have a natural tendency to herd together. An annual migration called transhumance, which optimises the animals' food intake, involves moving the livestock to high-altitude grazing grounds in the summer when the vegetation is dry lower down in the valley. Grazing helps to keep habitats open, favouring certain animal species, reducing fire risk and maintaining the landscapes, making them a paradise for hikers.

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  Fauna

  European hare

  Morphologically, the hare can be distinguished from the rabbit by its larger and more slender body. It doesn't dig a burrow, but shelters in "forms", a shallow depression it makes in the ground or among tall plants. It can be found in the mountains up to an altitude of 2,000 metres. It feeds on grasses, fruits and seeds. So as to make the most of the nutritional qualities of these foods, it re-ingests some of the droppings it defecates during the night, in order to digest them a second time.

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  Fauna

  Common kestrel

  This small falcon with an 80-centimetre wingspan is very common. It has adapted to many natural habitats such as fields and cliffs, in pursuit of small rodents. It has a slender silhouette, with pointed wings. It is predominantly fawn in colour. The upper side of its wings is cream with black speckles. The male's head and the top of its tail are blue-grey. It flies rapidly, beating its wings almost continuously and constantly changing its direction, gliding for short distances and plummeting suddenly. Its characteristic attribute is its ability to hang motionlessly in flight, its tail fanned out and its wings beating very rapidly, on the lookout for prey. This is called the «Flight of the Holy Spirit».

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  Fauna

  Chub

  The chub (Leuciscus cephalus) is a gregarious fish that lives in oxygen-rich flowing water. It lives quite close to the surface during the summer and drops to the bottom at the first frosts, where it stays until the spring. The breeding season of the chub is between April and June. Its young live in shoals, becoming solitary when they reach maturity. This fish has rayed fins. It has a varied diet, feeding on plants (phytophage), but also other fish.