In terms of the animal world, the area of the Djetinja gorge stands out as very important. The established fauna of diurnal butterflies in the gorge is one of the richest in Serbia and reminds us of the refuges of the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. 17 species that are on the list of taxa of the Red Book of Daily Butterflies of Serbia have been determined.
The upper course of the Djetinja river represents extremely high-quality salmonid water. The canyon part of Djetinja represents a great potential for the development of salmonid species. Eight species of amphibians and nine species of reptiles have been registered in the area of the Djetinja gorge. Looking at the number of registered species, it can be concluded that the diversity of the herpetofauna of the gorge of the Djetinja river is significant.
The established bird fauna of the Djetinja gorge includes 53 species of birds, of which as many as 47 species are classified as nesting birds. 43 species from the bird fauna of Djetinja gorge are strictly protected, while the remaining 10 species belong to the category of protected species.
The diversity of mammal fauna of the gorge of the Djetinja river can be characterized as high. A total of 42 species of mammals from 14 families belonging to all orders registered in Serbia have been registered in the gorge area. About the total number of mammals (98 species) so far registered in the territory of Serbia, the fauna of the Djetinja gorge makes up approximately 43%
The field research of the Djetinja gorge determined the presence of 110 species of diurnal butterflies. The number of recorded species of diurnal butterflies in the gorge of Djetinja is 57.3% of the species of Serbia, 38% of the species of the Balkans and 77.5% of the Uzice region, which makes the gorge one of the richest habitats in our country. 68 species of butterflies have a small and very small population, of which 17 species are on the list of the Red Book of Daily Butterflies of Serbia.
The canyon part of Djetinja river represents a great potential for the development of salmonid fish species, namely: Salmo trutta (stream trout), Barbus peloponnesius (stream barbell), Alburnoides bipunctatus (shallow, greenfinch), Barbatula barbatula (mustache, tern, midge), Phoxinus phoxinus (pijor, bojanac, gagica, zelenak), Leuciscus cephalus (maple), Gobio sp. (krkuša), Hucho hucho (huchen), Thymallus thymallus (grayling), while occasional restocking includes carp, scorpionfish, California trout, bream and stream trout. The Susica river is of great importance as a natural trout hatchery and is the only natural breeding ground for river trout. The existence of artificial barriers (dam and Lake Vrutci) negatively affects the migration and spawning of indigenous species, but facilitates the control of ichthyofauna and control of restocking needs.
Among the amphibians, in the gorge of Djetinja, there are significant raptor amphibians (colorful salamander and small murmur), and tailless amphibians (yellow-bellied tortoise). Among the frogs, there are toads (common and green), real frogs (big green and Greek) and croquettes. Of the lizards, there are the blind lizard, the green lizard, the wall lizard, and of the snakes: the copper snake, the stepski drvolaz, the belouska, the ribarica and the poskok.
The most important species of birds that live in the gorge of the Djetinja river are: gray heron (Ardea cinerea, wanderer), wasp (Pernis apivorus, nesting bird), eagle snake (Circaetus gallicus, passerine), hawk (Accipiter gentilis, nesting bird) nisus, nest-inhabitant, buteo (buteo buteo, nest-inhabitant), barber pigeon (Columba palumbus, nest-inhabitant), turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur, nest-migratory) and cuckoo (Cuculus canorus: nestling).
Mammals that live (seasonally or permanently) in the area of the gorge of Djetinja are: Insectivora – Bubojedi, Chiroptera – Bats, Rodentia – Rodents, Lagomorpha – Rabbits, Carnivora – Beasts and Artiodactyla – Papkari.
Bug eaters in the Djetinja canyon are distributed in eight species, the most famous of which are the shrew (Neomys anomalus) and the hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicusr). In addition to them, there are small shrew, forest shrew, water shrew, garden shrew, field shrew and European moles.
Among bats, there are two families (horseshoe bats and evening horseshoes) with eleven species: Rhinolophus ferrumequinum – large horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus euryale – southern horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hipposideros – small horseshoe bat, Myotis capaccini – small-fingered evening squirrel, – dwarf blind muscle, Eptesicus serotinus – broad midnight, Miniopterus schreibersi – long-winged ljiljak and Plecotus austriacus – gray long-eared lizard.
Rodents are represented in the gorge area with 3 families, 2 subfamilies with a total of 13 species. Gray down, hazel down and forest down have been registered from the down family. In addition to the above, there are the field vole, yellow-throated mouse, underground vole, squirrel, water vole and muskrat (Ondatra zibethica).
Among carnivores, martens, dogs, wolves, wild cats, foxes, brown ferrets and otters are represented.
The order of ungulates is represented by only two species: wild boar (Sus scrofa) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).
