As with any country around the world, each and every insect and animal plays a vital role in maintaining all the different ecosystems found across France - helping to maintain the beauty and diversity of the country.
The opportunity to spot so many different species is one of the great pleasures of visiting and travelling through France. There are many national parks and areas of outstanding beauty throughout the country and, of course, these are a haven for wildlife.
There is a great resource here to help identify any creatures, be they furry, winged, 4-legged, 8-legged, or no-legged:
The guide will also give you the french names for many of the creatures found in France, as well as advice on snakes and spiders. There is an enormous amount of fear and misunderstanding about snakes. As in the UK, all the snakes in France are generally harmless, with one or two exceptions. The link above gives advice on how to reduce the risk of accidentally surprising any reptilian residents in your garden or whilst out on a walk and in the very rare instances it does happen, what to do in the event with you or a pet are bitten.
