Blogs

Introduction This survey was started for a couple of reasons. Twenty years ago in Grafham, when walking the dog before bedtime, (about 10.00 – 11 pm) one or more hedgehogs could be seen regularly. Now they are not so regularly seen in this way, in fact it is a rather rare sight. This, combined with… 

Earlier this year we launched our first Mammal Society t-shirt design competition. We asked the nation’s 4-18 year olds to come up with a colourful design featuring some of Britain’s iconic mammals. The theme for this year’s competition, to tie in with National Mammal Week, was #MammalsMatter. We are very happy to announce that the… 

Dreaming of dormice by Lorna Griffiths Adorable, big-eyed, sleepy furball or grumpy, bitey, snarly furball: which would you choose? Me, I chose both. It all began back in 2008 when I happened upon a flyer pinned to a noticeboard “The Lincolnshire Dormouse Group Needs You”. I took down the details, and a few weeks later… 

Did the bat cross the road? by Domhnall Finch Movement ecology is fast becoming a key aspect to species conservation; not only do we need to know which habitats species occur in or are abundant within but we also need to identify how they move between these habitats. This issue is becoming ever more critical… 

Building bridges (and dams) by Roisin Campbell-Palmer Next to humans and elephants, beavers are arguably the most impactful of engineers. They are critical creators of lifescapes, which are exploited by a whole host of associated wildlife species. Once common in Britain, beavers were hunted to extinction in the 1600-1700’s for their valuable pelts, scent glands… 

The ocean’s deepest secrets – my time with beaked whales by Frazer Coomber Since I started work as the Mammal Society’s Science Officer, I have been working across a variety of British mammals from moles to mink and seals to shrews. However, my passion, experience and long-term interest has always been with marine mammals. One… 

Hedgehog hotspots by Patrick Wright Hedgehogs, along with farmland birds, are often used as an example of the overall decline of biodiversity in the UK. Populations were estimated to be around 1.5 million in 1995 and have since then declined to 500,000 in 2018 according the latest population review by the Mammal Society. Their decline,… 

“Touch not the cat [without] a glove” by Roo Campbell The Scottish wildcat is Britain’s last remaining native felid. It is not actually a unique species, but is, by some margin, the most northerly population of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris). As such, our wildcat is adapted to an environment that can be radically…