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The Mammal Society

For Evidence Based Conservation

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Full Species List

To view the Species Hub please click here

The following is a full list of mammal species found in and around the British Isles, totalling 107.

Cut off from the continent around 8,000 years ago, as the ice retreated and re-opened the North Sea and English Channel, our native mammal fauna was fixed. Since then a number of introductions have taken place, such that today we have:

28     native terrestrial mammals, 2 native marine mammals (N)
18     native bats
13     introduced or naturalised species (I)
5       terrestrial island mammals (Isl)
30     cetaceans found in and around our waters
9       vagrant mammals: 4 bat species and 5 pinnipedia (seals) (found only occasionally)
4       feral species (F) and 2 domesticated / managed species


Mole by Derek Crawley
Mole by Derek Crawley

Eulipotyphla (Insectivores)

  • Hedgehog – Erinaceus europaeus (N)
  • European mole – Talpa europaea (N)
  • Common shrew – Sorex araneus (N)
  • Pygmy shrew – Sorex minutus (N)
  • Water shrew – Neomys fodiens (N)
  • Lesser white-toothed shrew – Crocidura suaveolens (Isl)
  • Greater white-toothed shrew – Crocidura russula (Isl)

Hare by Alex White
Hare by Alex White

Lagomorpha (Rabbits and hares)

  • European rabbit – Oryctolagus cuniculus (I)
  • Brown hare – Lepus europaeus (I)
  • Mountain hare – Lepus timidus (N)
  • Irish hare – Lepus timidus hibernicus (N)

 

 

 


Harvest mouse by Beth Arkwright
Harvest Mouse by Beth Arkwright

Rodentia (Rodents)

  • Red squirrel – Sciurus vulgaris (N)
  • Grey squirrel – Sciurus carolinensis (I)
  • Eurasian beaver – Castor fiber (N)
  • Hazel dormouse – Muscardinus avellanarius (N)
  • Edible dormouse – Glis glis (I)
  • Bank vole – Myodes glareolus (N)
    • Skomer vole – Myodes glareolus skomerensis (Isl)
  • Field vole – Microtus agrestis (N)
  • Common vole – Microtus arvalis
    • Guernsey vole – Microtus arvalis sarnius (Isl)
    • Orkney vole – Microtus arvalis orcadensis (Isl)
  • Water vole – Arvicola amphibius (N)
  • Harvest mouse – Micromys minutus (N)
  • Wood mouse – Apodemus sylvaticus (N)
  • Yellow-necked mouse – Apodemus flavicollis (N)
  • House mouse – Mus musculus (N)
  • Brown rat – Rattus norvegicus (I)
  • Black rat – Rattus rattus (I)

Polecat by Richard Bowler
Polecat by Richard Bowler

Carnivora (Carnivores)

  • Wildcat – Felis silvestris (N)
    • Feral cat – Felis catus (F)
  • Red fox – Vulpes vulpes (N)
  • Badger – Meles meles (N)
  • Otter – Lutra lutra (N)
  • Pine marten – Martes martes (N)
  • Stoat – Mustela erminea (N)
  • Weasel – Mustela nivalis (N)
  • Polecat – Mustela putorius (N)
    • Feral ferret – Mustela furo (F)
  • American mink – Neovison vison (I)

 


Red deer by Kyle Moore
Red deer by Kyle Moore

Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

  • Wild boar – Sus scrofa (N)
  • Red deer – Cervus elaphus (N)
  • Sika deer – Cervus nippon (I)
  • Fallow deer – Dama dama (I)
  • Roe deer – Capreolus capreolus (N)
  • Chinese water deer – Hydropotes inermis (I)
  • Reeves’ muntjac deer – Muntiacus reevesi (I)

Perrisodactyla (odd-toed ungulates)

  • Feral horse (Exmoor / Dartmoor pony) – Equus ferus caballus (managed)

Marsupial

  • Red-necked wallaby – Macropus rufogriseus (I)

Bechstein bat
Bechstein’s bat by Fiona Mathews

Chiroptera (Bats)

  • Greater horseshoe bat – Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
  • Lesser horseshoe bat – Rhinolophus hipposideros
  • Alcathoe bat – Myotis alcathoe
  • Whiskered bat – Myotis mystacinus
  • Brandt’s bat – Myotis brandtii
  • Bechstein’s bat – Myotis bechsteinii
  • Daubenton’s bat – Myotis daubentonii
  • Greater mouse-eared bat – Myotis myotis
  • Natterer’s bat – Myotis nattereri
  • Serotine bat – Eptesicus serotinus
  • Leisler’s bat – Nyctalus leisleri
  • Noctule bat – Nyctalus noctula
  • Common pipstrelle bat – Pipistrellus pipistrellus
  • Soprano pipistrelle bat – Pipistrellus pygmaeus
  • Nathusius’ pipistrelle bat – Pipistrellus nathusii
  • Barbastelle bat – Barbastella barbastellus
  • Brown long-eared bat – Plecotus auritus
  • Grey long-eared bat – Plecotus austriacus

Seal by Ben Andrew
Harbour seal by Ben Andrew

Pinnipedia (Seals)

  • Harbour seal – Phoca vitulina (N)
  • Grey seal – Halichoerus grypus (N)

Vagrant British seal species with restricted distribution:

  • Bearded seal – Erignathus barbatus
  • Harp seal – Pagophilus groenlandicus
  • Hooded seal – Cystophora cristatus
  • Ringed seal – Pusa hispida
  • Walrus – Odobenus rosmarus

Dolphins by Nick Clayton
Bottlenose dolphins by Nick Clayton

Cetacea (Whales, dolphins and porpoises inc. vagrants)

  • North Atlantic right whale – Eubalaena glacialis
  • Bowhead whale – Balaena mysticetus
  • Humpback whale – Megaptera novaeangliae
  • Blue whale – Balaenoptera musculus
  • Fin whale – Balaenoptera physalis
  • Sei whale – Balaenoptera borealis
  • Minke whale – Balaenoptera acutorostrata
  • Northern bottlenose whale – Hyperoodon ampullatus
  • Cuvier’s beaked whale – Ziphius cavirostris
  • Sowerby’s beaked whale – Mesoplodon bidens
  • Pygmy sperm whale – Kogia breviceps
  • Dwarf sperm whale – Kogia sima
  • Sperm whale – Physeter macrocephalus
  • Beluga – Delphinapterus leucas
  • Killer whale or orca – Orcinus orca
  • False killer whale – Pseudorca crassidens
  • Long-finned pilot whale – Globicephala melas
  • Risso’s dolphin – Grampus griseus
  • Atlantic white-sided dolphin – Lagenorhynchus acutus
  • White-beaked dolphin – Lagenorhynchus albirostris
  • Common dolphin – Delphinus delphis
  • Striped dolphin – Stenella coeruleoalba
  • Bottlenose dolphin – Tursiops truncatus
  • Harbour porpoise – Phocoena phocoena
  • Blainville’s beaked whale – Mesoplodon densirostris
  • Gervais’ beaked whale – Mesoplodon europaeus
  • True’s beaked whale – Mesoplodon mirus
  • Narwhal – Monodon monoceros
  • Melon-headed whale – Peponocephala electra
  • Fraser’s dolphin – Lagenodelphis hosei

Vagrant species and those without established populations in the UK

  • Raccoon – Procyon lotor
  • Red-necked wallaby – Macropus rufogriseus  (I)
  • Reindeer – Rangifer tarandus (I / current population domesticated from Sweden)
  • Parti-coloured bat – Vespertilio murinus
  • Kuhl’s pipistrelle bat – Pipistrellus kuhlii
  • Northern bat – Eptesicus nilssoni
  • Hoary bat – Lasiurus cinereus

Feral colonies and populations

  • Feral goat – Capra aegagrus hircus (F)
  • Feral Sheep – Ovis aries (F)
  • Cattle – Bos primigenius (domesticated)
  • Feral horse (Exmoor / Dartmoor pony) – Equus ferus caballus (managed)

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