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to join <strong>guide</strong>d tours into the abandoned tunnels and wells, as well as visit<br />
the rooms housing the old machinery. The Sardinian fauna is rich in species<br />
of particular interest, which are uncommon and, often, either extinct or<br />
rare in other European regions. Amongst the latter are several endemisms,<br />
i.e. species either with a limited distributional area (mostly Sardinia and<br />
Corsica) or exclusive to Sardinia. Amongst the mammals, the most typical<br />
of the Sardinian fauna is the Mouflon, ancestor of the domestic sheep,<br />
with which it bears a close resemblance. It lives in the mountains of the<br />
central area of the Island, amidst woodlands of yews and on the<br />
mountainous grasslands. It is recognisable for the white saddle on its back,<br />
which stands out of the thick russet fleece, and for the spiralled horns of<br />
the males. Some of the woodlands of Sardinia are inhabited by the<br />
Sardinian deer, currently found again in increasing numbers after risking<br />
extinction as a result of poaching. Noteworthy is also the Giara pony, living<br />
in the wild on the namesake basalt mesas of central Sardinia. Of special<br />
interest is also the Albino donkey found in the National Park of the Asinara<br />
and that gives name to the island itself.The Sardinian wild cat belongs to a<br />
subspecies of the European wild cat distributed throughout northern<br />
Africa, Corsica and Sardinia. It is a mammal that preys upon small rodents,<br />
Mouflon on the<br />
buttresses of<br />
Supramonte<br />
rabbits, birds and amphibians, usually hunting at night. It resembles a<br />
domestic cat, with which it can occasionally crossbreed. The Gray bigeared<br />
bat is endemic to Sardinia (i.e. only found on the Island) and was<br />
discovered only in 2002. Its discovery is especially relevant given that this is<br />
the only endemic mammal not only to Sardinia but also to Italy. The name<br />
derives from its large ears. Amongst the birds of prey is the Queen’s<br />
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