The forest is living space for several kinds of rodents (hazel mouse, dormouse and squirrel) and game, mostly deer and red deer in Alpine woods. Common predators are foxes, badgers and martens. Polecats, ermines and weasels are rare. The most hunted mammals are hares and rabbits, above 1,300m snow hares. In the high mountains (1,300m ¿ 2,700m) there are also marmots.

A typical cloven-hooved animal in the Alpine region is the chamois, the ibex has been naturalized again. Often you can watch buzzards, hawks and sparrow-hawks circle round, but also some golden eagles brooding near the forest line. On their way to the south wild geese, sea eagles, fish eagles and dwarf eagles are passing.

Carinthian waters are full of fish, mainly trout, pikes, perches, tenches, chars and carps. Nearby the waters ring snakes and cube snakes are living. The big (up to 1,80m long) aesculapius snake came from the Mediterranean (like the sand vipers) and prefers warm places. Cross adders are living all over the country. Adders and vipers are quiet poisonous snakes.

The Alpine salamander likes rain and twilight. Green lizards prefer warm rocks and sunny places.
Most of the insects, the most varied animal species, are strictly protected: Alpine beetles, stag beetles, rhinoceros beetles and butterflies as swallow tails, skulls and mourning cloaks.