Editing Pyrenees (section)

=== Fauna ===
In their [[fauna]] the Pyrenees present some striking instances of [[endemism]]. The [[Pyrenean desman]] is found only in some of the streams of the northern slopes of these mountains; the only other [[desman]], the [[Russian desman]], is confined to the [[Volga]] river basin in southern Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The [[Pyrenean brook salamander]] (''Calotriton asper''), an endemic amphibian, also lives in streams and lakes located at high altitudes. Among other peculiarities of Pyrenean fauna are blind insects in the [[cave]]rns of Ariège, the principal genera of which are ''[[Anophthalmus]]'' and ''Adelops''.<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Pyrenees|inline=1 }}</ref>

The [[Pyrenean ibex]], an endemic subspecies of the [[Iberian ibex]], became extinct in January 2000; another subspecies, the [[western Spanish ibex]], was introduced into the area, with the population numbering over 400 individuals as of 2020. The native [[brown bear]] population was hunted to near-extinction in the 1990s, but its numbers rebounded in 1996 when three bears were brought from [[Slovenia]]. The bear population has bred successfully, and there are now believed to be about 15 brown bears in the central region around [[Fos, Haute-Garonne|Fos]], with only four native ones still living in the [[Aspe Valley]].