Fauna of Great Britain
Part of a series on the |
Wildlife of Great Britain |
---|
The island of Great Britain, along with the rest of the archipelago known as the
Overview
In most of Great Britain there is a temperate climate, with high levels of
Since the mid 18th century, Great Britain has gone through
Invertebrates
Molluscs
There are 220 species of non-marine molluscs that have been recorded as living in the wild in Britain. Two of them (Fruticicola fruticum and Cernuella neglecta) are locally extinct. In addition there are 14 gastropod species that live only in greenhouses.[4]
Insects
Vertebrates
Amphibians
The species of
Reptiles
Like many temperate areas, Great Britain has few snake species: the
Birds
In general the
Mammals
Large mammals are not particularly numerous in Great Britain. Many of the large mammal species, such as the
The other indigenous species is the roe deer. The common fallow deer is in fact not native to Britain, having been brought over from France by the Normans in the late 11th century. It has become well established.[5] The sika deer is another small species of deer which is not indigenous, originating from Japan. It is widespread and expanding in Scotland from west to east, with a strong population in Peeblesshire. Bands of sika exist across the north and south of England though the species is absent in Wales.[6]
There are also several species of insectivore found in Britain. The hedgehog is probably the most widely known as it is a regular visitor to urban gardens. The mole is also widely recognised and its subterranean lifestyle causes much damage to garden lawns. Shrews are also fairly common, and the smallest, the pygmy shrew, is one of the smallest mammals in the world. There are also seventeen species of bat found in Britain: the pipistrelle is the smallest and the most common.
There are a variety of carnivores, especially from the weasel family (ranging in size from the
Various species of seal and dolphin are found seasonally on British shores and coastlines, along with harbour porpoises, orcas, and many other sea mammals.
Fish
Great Britain has about forty species of native freshwater fish, of which the largest is the salmon. The saltwater fish include some larger species such as sharks.
See also
- Biodiversity in British Overseas Territories
- Fauna of Europe
- Fauna of Scotland
- Flora and fauna of the Outer Hebrides
- Flora and fauna of Cornwall
- Fauna of the Isles of Scilly
- Fauna of Ireland
- Fauna of England
- Atlases of the flora and fauna of Britain and Ireland
- Biota of the Isle of Man
- List of endangered species in the British Isles
- Introduced species of the British Isles
- List of extinct animals of Britain
- Animal welfare in the United Kingdom
References
- Footnotes
- Bibliography
- Clarke, Philip; Jackman, Brian; and Mercer, Derrik (eds): The Sunday Times Book of the Countryside. London: Macdonald General Books, 1980. ISBN 0-354-04441-9
- Citationsanal
- ^ Clarke et al. 1980, p. 116.
- ^ Clarke et al. 1980, p. 86.
- ^ DEFRA, 2006
- ^
Anderson, Roy (2005). "An annotated list of the non-marine molluscs of Britain and Ireland". Journal of Conchology. 38 (6): 607–637. ISSN 1753-2205.
- ^ The Fallow Deer Project, University of Nottingham Archived 2008-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
- .
- ^ "BBC - Science & Nature - Pets - Rabbits". Archived from the original on 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
- ^ "BBC Nature - Hare videos, news and facts". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Hare Preservation Trust". Hare-preservation.trust.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2018.