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List of mammals of Great Britain facts for kids

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This is a list of mammals of Great Britain. The diversity of mammal fauna of Great Britain is somewhat impoverished compared to that of Continental Europe, due to the short period of time between the last ice age and the flooding of the land bridge between Great Britain and the rest of Europe. Only those land species which crossed before the creation of the English Channel and those introduced by humans exist in Great Britain.

Native (usually synonymous with "indigenous") species are considered to be species which are today present in the region in question, and have been continuously present in that region since a certain period of time. When applied to Great Britain, three possible definitions of this time constraint are:

  • a species that colonised the islands during the glacial retreat at the end of the last ice age (c. 9500 years ago);
  • a species that was present when the English Channel was created (c. 8000 years ago); or,
  • a species that was present in prehistory.

This list includes mammals from the small islands around Great Britain and the Channel Islands. There are no endemic mammal species in Great Britain, although four distinct subspecies of rodents have arisen on small islands.

The following tags are used to highlight the conservation status of each species' British population, as assessed by Natural England and The Mammal Society in a Regional Red List, following the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Extinct No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
Extinct in the wild Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalised population well outside its previous range.
Critically endangered The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
Endangered The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Vulnerable The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Near threatened The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to in the future.
Least concern There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
Data deficient There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Diprotodonts

Order: Diprotodontia

Although marsupials are primarily found in the Australian region, the red-necked wallaby has been introduced to parts of Great Britain. Feral populations breed on the island of Inchconnachan on Loch Lomond in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, and on the Isle of Man. Other colonies have existed in Devon, the Peak District, and the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, and although these are now believed to be locally extinct, occasional sightings continue.

Red-necked wallaby442
Red-necked wallaby

Family: Macropodidae (kangaroos, wallabies, and kin)

Rodents

Order: Rodentia

Rodents are the largest order of mammals, comprising 40% of all species. They are characterised by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws and are native to almost all major landmasses on Earth.

Family: Castoridae (beavers)

  • Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber globally, in Great Britain, reintroduced

Family: Cricetidae (hamsters, voles, and kin)

Family: Muridae (mice, rats, and kin)

Apodemus sylvaticus (Sardinia)
Wood mouse

Family: Gliridae (dormice)

Family: Sciuridae (squirrels)

Lagomorphs

Mountain Hare Scotland
Mountain hare in Scotland

Order: Lagomorpha

The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). Although they can resemble rodents, and were classified as a superfamily in that order until the early 20th century, they have since been considered a separate order. They differ from rodents in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.

Family: Leporidae (rabbits and hares)

Eulipotyphlans

Order: Eulipotyphla

The order Eulipotyphla contains insectivorous mammals. Hedgehogs are easily recognised by their spines, while gymnures look more like large rats. Shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice, while moles are stout-bodied burrowers.

Erinaceus europaeus (Marek Szczepanek)
European hedgehog

Family: Talpidae (moles)

Family: Soricidae (shrews)

Family: Erinaceidae (hedgehogs and moonrats)

Bats

Order: Chiroptera

Bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.

Pipistrellus flight2
Common pipistrelle bat, Britain's most common species

Family: Rhinolophidae (horseshoe bats)

Family: Vespertilionidae (common bats, vesper bats, and kin)

Carnivorans

Order: Carnivora

There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

Mäyrä Ähtäri 4
European badger

Family: Canidae (dogs)

Family: Mustelidae (weasels, badgers, and kin)

Family: Felidae (cats)

Family: Phocidae (earless seals)

Even-toed ungulates

Order: Artiodactyla

The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans. Cetaceans are also considered to be even-toed ungulates for phylogenetic reasons.

Red deer
Red deer stag and hinds

Family: Suidae (pigs)

Family: Cervidae (deer)

Family: Bovidae (cattle, bison, and kin)

Whales and dolphins

Order: Cetacea

Delphinus delphis 03-cropped
Short-beaked common dolphin

The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life: they have a spindle-shaped, nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.

Family: Balaenidae (right whales and bowhead whales)

Family: Balaenopteridae (rorquals)

Family: Phocoenidae (porpoises)

Family: Physeteridae (sperm whales)

Family: Kogiidae (pygmy and dwarf sperm whales)

  • Pygmy sperm whale, K. breviceps

Family: Ziphiidae (beaked whales)

  • Northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus
  • Sowerby's beaked whale, Mesoplodon bidens
  • Gervais' beaked whale, Mesoplodon europaeus
  • True's beaked whale, Mesoplodon mirus

Family: Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins)

Locally extinct

See also

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List of mammals of Great Britain Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.