Flora and Fauna

Malta’s flora and fauna is quite poor in species. The green spots consist mainly of bushes which are called «macchie».
The animals on Malta are neither poisonous nor dangerous. Among others there are mice, rats, hedgehogs, rabbits, bats, weasels, chameleons as well as other nontoxic snakes. In spring and autumn Malta is an important destination for migrating birds. However, the migrating birds are endangered because of the fowling which has become very popular in Malta.
On the landscape, especially on the main island, there are karsted areas and chequered fields where in summer picturesque red and white oleander bushes bloom.
The drinking water is a precious good in Malta because there are neither rivers nor lakes. The water must therefore be produced either by desalinating sea water or collecting rainwater which can be difficult especially during dry summers. Because of the almost nonexistent growth of trees the soil is at high erosion risk. Malta is mainly flat. Although there are hardly any mountains there are many precipitous cliffs and numerous caves.