Common European Earthworm - Albania

The Strait of Otranto separates Albania from Italy and connects the Adriatic to the Ionian Sea. A treaty to reduce the continental shelf boundary was signed by Albania and Italy in 1992. The Strait of Otranto is less than 75 kilometers across and has several scheduled ferry services operating between the two countries.

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Lumbricus terrestris - The common European earthworm can stretch its body to lengths of 20 to 25 centimeters when fully extended. Earthworms feed on decaying material and serve an important function in the aeration and fertilization of the soil. The clitellum, a non-segmented raised saddle near the head of an earthworm, secretes a sac able to secure the eggs after mating. Earthworms are hermaphrodites, they possess both male and female sex organs, but are incapable of self-fertilization.

Common Buzzard - Albania

Buteo buteo - The common buzzard is found throughout Eurasia. It is a year long resident in most of Europe, but migrates from the colder regions of Scandinavia and Western Russia to Southern Africa and India. The buzzard will build nesting sites along the fringes of wooded areas. With a wingspan of 135 centimeters, hunting is limited to open fields and meadows. Buzzards are solitary birds, but will flock together when migrating or when the local area has an abundance of prey animals.

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Albania was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1385 to 1912. The call for an independent Albania was voiced through the League of Prizren, an organization formed in 1878. It was founded in response to the Congress of Berlin, convened in the same year for the purpose of reassigning borders in the Balkan region following the Ottoman Empire’s loss to Russia in the Russo-Turkish War. Albanians were not pleased with the results of the conference and began the struggle leading to independence in 1912.