The zuvintas reserve was founded in 1946 in the southern part of Lithuania, namely in Alytus district. It completely covers the lake Zuvintas, that's the reason it got this name. The reserve area is 5420 ha, 1032 ha refers to the lake Zuvintas, 1211 ha refers to forests, 2881 ha is covered by swamps, and 68 ha of meadows belongs. It is known that on this lake and previously worked as a conservation regime, which began with 1937. By 1976, the zuvintas reserve became a branch of the Kaunas Zoological Museum.

The lake Zuvintas has an unusual floating Islands, but the largest part of the area around him is covered with swamps, presented both upland and lowland types. Another major water body of the reserve is the dovine, which is located in the basin of Susupe.

Terrain is mostly represented by plains, with free-standing and low hills. The climate here is temperate with the average temperature in July reaches 16 month, 5 °C, and average January temperature of -5°C. the Average annual rainfall ranges from 600 to 800 mm.

In the zuvintas reserve officially registered 473 species of plants, of which mosses and algae are 105 species. In the Northern area of the reserve forest is Bukta, which is a swampy spruce forest mixed with hornbeam, aspen, and birch. In this area grow perfectly reeds, lake vegetation, and it's all thanks to the prosperity of the zoobenthos zooplankton: molluscs, annelids, larvae of dragonflies and mosquitoes, isopods copepods, which represent a rich food base for a huge number of fish. If you take into account plenty of fish, it is worth mentioning such as tench, pike, roach, Rudd, bream, bleak, perch, silver bream and three-spined stickleback.

In the reserve registered about 217 species of birds, including nesting and waterfowl: mallards, the colony of mute Swan, Teal-Whistler, Teal-young moon, tufted duck and pochard. A special pride of the reserve is the mute Swan. In 1937 this place was first settled a pair of swans and then began natural reacclimatization of these birds in Lithuania.

Mammal world of zuvintas reserve is represented by 29 species, e.g., deer, ordinary boar, hare, squirrel, elk, Fox, raccoon dog, black polecat, river otter, weasel and others. Regular hunting with neighbouring land limits the number of wolves in the reserve. One by one the wolves appear in the reserve in winter, but high damage local wildlife, they do not bring.
In 1947 in reserve were brought 8 river beavers that lived in the Voronezh reserve. Beavers were released in the lake Zuvintas. After some time, the majority of the beavers left the lake in strong connection with the relative content of organic matter and the swamps of lake shores and settled on the rivers Dovine and Bambana. During 1950-1951, on these rivers appeared beaver burrows and lodges. Later, the beavers left and those places. By 1952, the lake was only one beaver, who lived to 14 years. In 1974, again at this place appeared beavers. They based their refuge in the river deltas Caelica and Bambara, as well as the Eastern shores of the lake. By 1985, at the reserve were counted around 20 lodges.

On the dovine river in 1969 were found muskrat lodges. These animals are settled here on their own and began to expand habitat, which has helped warm winters for several years. In 1982, in the lake district of new inhabitants appeared zuvintas reserve - the American mink, the number of lodges which by 1985 had reached 15.

The development of natural complexes of the reserve is determined not only natural, but also anthropogenic factors. Natural ecosystem change zuvintas reserve are manifested not only in the overgrowing of the lake and its sailaanii, the accumulation of peat, the increase in the share of the Supreme marshes, but in the immediate ecosystem of chemicals and cultivation of the surrounding land. These factors are what make lake ecosystems are particularly dependent on external influence.