Green Crab - Lithuania

In March of 1990, members of the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet took a bold step and initiated the “Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania.” This open declaration of Lithuania’s desire to dissolve itself from the Soviet Union occurred almost two years before the formal break-up of the Soviet Union.

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Carcinus maenas -  The term crustacean is derived from the Latin “crustacea,” a reference to the hard exoskeletons common to most species of this subphylum. The green crab is endemic to the shores of Northern Europe, but now flourishes along the coasts of the United States and the southern coast of Australia. The green crab can tolerate a wide range of temperatures and is euryhaline; it has the ability to adapt to different water salinities. These features have allowed the green crab to spread its range to distant shores.

Scorpion Fly - Lithuania

Panorpa - Scorpion flies belong to the genus panorpa, a genus containing about 240 species. They are medium-sized insects ranging between 9 to 22 millimeters in length with slender bodies and long heads resembling a beak. Scorpion flies feed on carrion in both adult and larvae stages. Early plant life may have been pollinated by the wind, but fossils records of extinct scorpion flies indicate these insects may have been the first flying pollinators to rise out of the primeval forests.

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Lithuania first gained political recognition as the Duchy of Lithuania, a state existing from 1230 to 1795. There was a brief period when King Mindaugas, reigning from 1251 to 1263, proclaimed Lithuania a kingdom, an entity lasting only until King Mindaugas died. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a formidable power in European affairs. It merged into a successful dynastic union with Poland in 1385 and then a more formal union, the Union of Lublin in 1569; this confederation survived until 1795.

European Heraldry - The Bison

The European bison is the heaviest European herbivore. A mature adult is 2 to 3.5 meters in length, stands 1.5 to 2 meters tall, and can weigh as much as 900 kilos. Their native range covered most of the cooler regions in Europe and extended into the Caucasus Mountains. Deciduous and mixed forests were ideal habitats. The European bison is a browser and the American bison is a grazer. Browsers primarily feed on leaves, shoots, and fruit; grazers rely more on grass. Several European cities have used the bison in their local coat of arms. Svislach is a town in Belarus, Perloja is in Lithuania, and Żywiec is located in Poland.