Gargano landscape.

Monte Gargano is a mountain in Apulia, Italy forming the backbone of the peninsula Promontorio del Gargano on the Adriatic Sea. Most of the upland area, about 1,211.18 km² above the development along the coasts and in the lower valleys, is now a national park, Parco nazionale del Gargano, formed in 1995. It is administratively part of the Province of Foggia. Image File history File linksMetadata Gargano. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Gargano. ... This article is about the Italian region. ... A satellite image of the Adriatic Sea. ... Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada A national park is a reserve of land, usually, but not always (see National Parks of England and Wales), declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... The Province of Foggia (Italian: Provincia di Foggia) is a province in the Apulia (Puglia) region of Italy. ...

Gargano is a peninsula partly mountainous and partly covered by the remains of an ancient forest, Foresta Umbra, the only remaining part in Italy of the ancient oak and beech forest that once covered much of Central Europe as well as the Appenine deciduous montane forests biome. Horace spoke of the oaks of Garganus in Ode II, ix. Mount Cook, a mountain in New Zealand A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded area set aside for hunting). ... A biome is a major class of ecologically similar communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, often reffered to as ecosystems. ... Horace, as imagined by Anton von Werner Quintus Horatius Flaccus, (December 8, 65 BC - November 27, 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus. ...

Attractions

The coast of Gargano is rich in beaches and tourist facilities. In the north are two major salt lakes Lesina and Varano. On the northern side of Gargano and on the shores of the lake with the same name stands the maritime town of Lesina. Monte Gargano is the site of the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the archangel Michael, Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano. The West Coast of New Zealand The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the ocean. ... Beaches is a 1988 movie adapted by Mary Agnes Donoghue from the novel Beaches by Iris Rainer Dart. ... A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water which has a concentration of salts (mostly sodium chloride) and other minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least 3,000 milligrams of salt per liter). ... Varano de Melegari is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 110 km west of Bologna and about 30 km southwest of Parma. ... Categories: Croatian geography stubs | Islands of Croatia ... Guido Renis archangel Michael (in the Capuchin church of Santa Maria della Concezione, Rome) tramples Satan. ... Monte SantAngelo sul Gargano or Monte Gargano, located at 20°58′ N 72°54′ E on Mount Gargano, Italy, is the site of the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the archangel Michael, the militant Christian transformation of Mithras. ...

Today tourism is thriving with several hotels and campsites, in particular along the sea-side of Marina of Lesina, give the possibility of staying in this suggestive area. Tourist attractions include the cathedral, the episcopal palace, the Abbey of Santa Maria of Ripalta and the volcanic rocks dating back to the Triassic era, known as "Black Stones", as well as the Sanctuary of San Nazario. The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 ± 0. ...

The National Park of Gargano is one of the few national protected areas efficiently contributing to the "un Bosco per Kyoto" enterprise, which in 2007 has involved several schools in the realization of projects for a social and responsible tourism. It is one of the most appreciated areas, unique for the decrease of fires and for the politics of environmental awareness.

Annual events

• St Primiano and the saint sailing-race on the 15th of May,
• St Nazario and the pilgrimage to the Sanctuary with the same name on July 28;
• St Rocco’s Day on the 15th, 16th and 17th of August.

is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Gargano Peninsula fossils

Some 12 to 4 mya (million years ago) during the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene, a highly endemic vertebrate fauna evolved on what was then Gargano Island due to higher sea levels than today. Several of these animals were subject to island gigantism. Mega-annum, usually abbreviated as Ma, is a unit of time equal to one million years. ... The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages. ... In the geologic time scale, the Zanclean (also known as Tabianian, Dacian) is a stage which makes up the Early Pliocene or Lower Pliocene subepoch. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Fauna is a collective term for animal life of any particular region or time. ... This article is about biological evolution. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... Island gigantism is a biological phenomenon by which the size of animals isolated on an island increases dramatically over generations. ...

Stratigraphy

The fossils are found in partially infilled paleokarst fissures across Monte Gargano. The Gargano Island fauna is known as Mikrotia fauna after an endemic rodent genus of the area. Initially named Microtia, this had to be corrected, because the genus name Microtia (butterfly) was already used for butterflies. FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under DOS. FOSSIL is an acronym for Fido Opus Seadog Standard Interface Layer. ... Karst topography is a three-dimensional landscape shaped by the dissolution of a soluble layer or layers of bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite. ... Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents. ... For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ... For other uses of the term butterfly, see butterfly (disambiguation). ...

The surface features of the ancient karst developed in Mesozoic limestone. In these, sediment accumulated together with the remains of the local fauna, forming thick layers of reddish, massive or crudely stratified silty-sandy clays, known as terrae rossae ("red soils"). Through the mid-Pliocene, some of these deposits were flooded, probably due to tectonic movement of the Apulian Plate. Others were overlaid by other sediments of terrestrial or freshwater origin. In this way a buried, partially reworked paleokarst originated. Karst topography occurs when a landscape is marked by underground drainage patterns. ... The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ... -1... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... Silt is soil or rock derived granular material of a specific grain size. ... Patterns in the sand Sand is a granular material made up of fine rock particles. ... The Gay Head cliffs in Marthas Vineyard are made almost entirely of clay. ... Loess field in Germany Surface-water-gley developed in glacial till, Northern Ireland Technically, soil forms the pedosphere: the interface between the lithosphere (rocky part of the planet) and the biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... ... The Adriatic or Apulian Plate is a small tectonic plate that broke away from the African plate along a large transform fault in the Cretaceous period. ... Terrestrial literally means of the earth and is used in a variety of contexts: In biology and in the general sense, terrestrial means indicates ground-dwelling (compare aquatic). ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ...

Later, as the ice ages cycle got underway, sea levels sank and the former island was continentalized. In the cool and semiarid conditions of the Early Pleistocene (some 1.8 - 0.8 mya) a second karstic cycle occurred, producing the neokarst which removed part of the paleokarst fill. Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... The steppe of Western Kazakhstan in early spring In physical geography, steppe (from Slavic step) is a plain without trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a prairie, although a prairie is generally reckoned as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are said... Early Pleistocene (also known as Lower Pleistocene, or Calabrian) is a stage of the Pleistocene Epoch. ...

The Mikrotia fauna

The Gargano Island endemic mammals included: Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in female mammary glands and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in...

• Deinogalerix - 5 species of gymnures ("hairy hedgehogs"), among them the giant D. koenigswaldi with a skull of c.20 cm length.(Freudenthal, 1972)
• Hoplitomeryx - some 5 species of "prongdeer" with five horns and sabre-like upper canine teeth. They ranged from tiny to the size of a red deer, and large and small ones apparently occurred at the same time rather than one evolving from the other.(Laeinders 1984, van der Geer 2005)
• Mikrotia - 3 or more species of murine rodent, the only burrowing member of its subfamily known to date. The largest species, M. magna, had a skull 10 cm long.(Freudenthal, 1976, Parra et al., 1999)
• Paralutra garganensis - an endemic species of otter
• Prolagus imperialis and P. apricenicus - huge endemic pika species- P. imperialis was larger than any other known Prolagus.(Mazza, 1987)
• Stertomys laticrestatus - a dormouse of large size. Apparently a monotypic genus.

Non-endemic mammals found on the island included: Deinogalerix koenigswaldi, from the ancient greek language: deino, terrible. ... Genera Echinosorex Hylomys Podogymnura The Gymnure, also called Hairy Hedgehog or Moon Rat, is a mammal belonging to the order Insectivora. ... Species Leinders, 1984 four yet unnamed species The five-horned prongdeer Hoplitomeryx matthei with its sabrelike (moschid type) upper canines lived on the Gargano Island, now a peninsula on the east coast of South Italy, but an island during the Miocene and the Early Pliocene. ... The Canine teeth are the long, pointed teeth used for grabbing hold of and tearing apart foods, also called cuspids, dogteeth or fangs. Species that feature them, such as humans and dogs, usually have four, two in the top jaw, two in the lower, on either side of the Incisors. ... Binomial name Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest species of deer in the world. ... Genera See text. ... ... Genera Amblonyx Aonyx Enhydra Lontra Lutra Lutrogale Pteronura The otter (lutrinae) is a carnivorous aquatic or marine mammal part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, as well as others. ... Type Species Ochotona minor Link, 1795 (= Lepus dauuricus Pallas, 1776) Species See text The name pika (archaically spelled pica) is used for any member of the Ochotonidae, a family within the order of lagomorphs, which also includes the Leporidae (rabbits and hares). ... Subfamilies and Genera Graphiurinae Graphiurus Leithiinae Dryomys Eliomys Hypnomys Myomimus Selevinia Myoxinae Glirulus Muscardinus Glis Dormice are Old World mammals in the family Gliridae, part of the rodent (Rodentia) order. ... Monotypic is an adjective, that refers to a taxonomic group with only one type: in botany it means that a taxon has only one species; Ginkgo is a monotypic genus, while Ginkgoaceae is a monotypic family. ...

• Apodemus gorafensis - a field mouse
• A prehistoric species of Cricetus hamster (Freudenthal, 1985)
• Hattomys - 3 species of giant hamster, at least some of which probably also occurred elsewhere.(Freudenthal, 1985)
• Megacricetodon - another hamster (Freudenthal, 1985)

Bird species occurring at Gargano included: Species See text Apodemus is a genus of Eurasian field mice. ... Species Cricetus auratus Cricetus is a genus of Old World hamsters, differing from other hamsters in its ability to ingest tough Grasses. ... Genera Mesocricetus Phodopus Cricetus Cricetulus Allocricetulus Cansumys Tscherskia Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. ...

• Apus wetmorei, a swift.
• Columba omnisanctorum - one of the oldest pigeon fossils known; it probably was more widespread.
• Garganoaetus - two species of falconid, one larger than a Golden Eagle, the other well-sized; endemic.
• "Strix" perpasta - a true owl, perhaps the same as the widespread Bubo zeylonensis lamarmorae, a paleosubspecies of the Brown Fish-owl (Mlíkovský 2002) but this taxon was usually kown from later times.
• Tyto - 3 species of barn owls. The largest, the endemic T. gigantea, was about twice as massive as the living eagle-owl Bubo bubo. T. robusta was also large; this species and the former were endemic. "T. sanctialbani", a smaller species, is now united with the more widespread Tyto balearica.
• an indeterminate woodpecker.

Species Many, see list The bird genus Apus comprise some of the Old World members of the family Apodidae, commonly known as swifts. ... Genera Nearly 20, see text. ... Genus Columba The large bird genus Columba comprises a group of medium to large stout-bodied pigeons, often referred to as the typical pigeons. ... Pigeon redirects here. ... Genera Daptrius Phalcoboenus Polyborus Milvago Herpetotheres Micrastur Spiziapteryx Polihierax Microhierax Falco The family Falconidae includes about 60 species of diurnal birds of prey, notably the falcons and caracaras. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 World distribution of the golden eagle Light green = Nesting area Blue = Wintering area Dark green = All year distribution Adult in flight. ... Genera some 25, see text Synonyms Striginae sensu Sibley & Ahlquist True owls (family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls (Tytonidae). ... A chronospecies is a species which changes physically, morphologically, genetically, and/or behaviorally over time on an evolutionary scale such that the originating species and the species it becomes could not be classified as the same species had they existed at the same point in time. ... Binomial name (Gmelin, 1788) Subspecies (Gmelin, 1788) Sri Lankan Brown Fish-owl (Temminck, 1820) Common Brown Fish-owl Zarudny, 1905 Western Brown Fish-owl Delacour, 1926 Eastern Brown Fish-owl (disputed) and see text Synonyms Strix zeylonensis Gmelin, 1788 Ophthalmomegas lamarmorae Dejaut, 1911 and see text The Brown Fish Owl... A taxon (plural taxa), or taxonomic unit, is a grouping of organisms (named or unnamed). ... Genera Tyto Phodilus Barn owls (family Tytonidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the typical owls, Strigidae. ... Binomial name Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) Synonyms Strix alba Scopoli, 1769 Lechusa stirtoni Miller, 1956 The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) or, to distinguish it from relatives, Common Barn Owl, is an owl in the barn owl family Tytonidae. ... Binomial name Bubo bubo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) is a species of horned owl resident in much of Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Bubo bubo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) is a species of horned owl resident in much of Europe and Asia. ... Genera Melanerpes Sphyrapicus Xiphidiopicus Dendropicos Dendrocopos Picoides Veniliornis Campethera Geocolaptes Dinopium Meiglyptes Hemicircus Micropternus Picus Mulleripicus Dryocopus Celeus Piculus Colaptes Campephilus Chrysocolaptes Reinwardtipicus Blythipicus Gecinulus Sapheopipo For other uses, see Woodpecker (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Puglia
• Tavoliere delle Puglie

Apulia is a region of Italy (called Puglia in Italian), bordering on Molise to the north-west, Campania to the south-west, Basilicata to the south, the Adriatic Sea to the east and the Ionian Sea to the south-east. ... The Tavoliere seen from the Gargano promontory. ...

References

• Freudenthal, M. (1972): Deinogalerix koenigswaldi nov. gen., nov. spec., a giant insectivore from the Neogene of Italy. Scripta Geologica 14: 1-19^{[verification needed]}
• Freudenthal, M. (1976): Rodent stratigraphy of some Miocene fissure fillings in Gargano (prov. Foggia, Italy). Scripta Geologica 37: 1-23{7check}}
• Freudenthal, M. (1985) Cricetidae (Rodentia) from the Neogene of Gargano (Prov. of Foggia, Italy). Scripta Geologica 77: 29-76.
• Leinders, J.J.M. (1984): Hoplitomerycidae fam. nov. (Ruminantia, Mammalia) from Neogene fissure fillings in Gargano (Italy); part 1: The cranial osteology of Hoplitomeryx gen. nov. and a discussion on the classification of pecoran families. Scripta Geologica 70: 1-51, 9 plates.
• Mazza, P. (1987): Prolagus apricenicus and Prolagus imperialis: two new Ochotonids (Lagomorpha, Mammalia) of the Gargano (Southern Italy). Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana 26(3): 233-243.
• Mlíkovský, Jirí (2002): Cenozoic Birds of the World, Part 1: Europe: 215. Ninox Press, Prague. ISBN 80-901105-3-8 PDF fulltext
• Parra, V.; Loreau, M. & Jaeger, J.-J. (1999): Incisor size and community structure in rodents: two tests of the role of competition. Acta Oecologica 20(2): 93-101. DOI:10.1016/S1146-609X(99)80021-6 (HTML abstract)
• Van der Geer, A.A.E. (2005): The postcranial of the deer Hoplitomeryx (Mio-Pliocene; Italy): another example of adaptive radiation on Eastern Mediterranean Islands. Monografies de la Societat d'Història Natural de les Balears 12: 325-336.

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

External links

• Parco Nazionale del Gargano (in English)
• Gargano - Tourism and Travel information (in English)
• Guida al Turismo sul Gargano (in Italian)
• Gargano - Travel & Tourism (in English)
• Pictures from the Gargano and Vieste (in Italian)