The central channel, which acts as a lagoon life artery, brings fresh sea water deep into the lagoon. Thus it’s not surprising that in the lagoon hosts a number of typical representatives of the invertebrate fauna. Among them are particularly frequent shells Cerastoderma glauca and Abra segmentum and snails species Haminoea hydatis and Hydrobia sp. Among the crustaceans the Corophium species Corophium orientale is caracteristic, playing a major role in the food chain since it is a favorite prey of some bird species. In addition to the typical lagoon invertebrates, also many marine and freshwater invertebrates can be found in the deep water areas. The lagoon is also a home to marine snail Cyclope neritea and Isopoda species Sphaeroma hookeri, which reacts to the danger by twisting into a ball. In winter, when the salinity is lower, the lagoon is teeming with larvae of Chironomidae.
The areas of deep water are suitable habitat for some typical marine fish species, such as mullets (Mugilidae) and gobies (Pomatoschistus sp.), but also for those who are adapted to a wider range of salinity, such as Aphanius fasciatus.
The deep water areas also attract many species of aquatic birds that feed by diving or rollover. Among them the most numerous are grebes (Podicipedidae), cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae) and ducks, geese and swans (Anatidae). This goes in particularly to the winter period, as the lagoon is rarely frozen due to salinity and its location in the Mediterranean.
Photo: Mirko Kastelic
