Full Species List

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The following is a full list of mammal species found in and around the British Isles, totalling 101.

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)
25 cetaceans found in and around our waters
8       vagrant mammals: 3 bat species and 5 pinnipedia (found only occasionally)
4       feral species (F) and 2 domesticated / managed species

Rodentia (Rodents)

Harvest Mouse by Beth Arkwright

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

Insectivora (Insectivores)

Mole by Derek Crawley

Common shrew – Sorex araneus (N)
Pygmy shrew – Sorex minutus (N)
Water shrew – Neomys fodiens (N)
Greater white toothed shrew – Crocidura russula (Isl)
Lesser white toother shrew – Crocidura suaveolens (Isl)
Mole, European – Talpa europaea (N)
Hedgehog, Eurasian – Erinaceus europaeus (N)

Lagomorpha (Rabbits and hares)

Hare by Alex White

Rabbit – Oryctolagus cuniculus (I)
Brown hare – Lepus europaeus (I)
Mountain hare – Lepus timidus (N)
Irish hare – Lepus timidus hibernicus (N)

Carnivora (Carnivores)

Polecat by Richard Bowler

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

Chiroptera (Bats)

Bechstein’s bat by Fiona Mathews

Native:

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

Vagrants:

Parti-coloured bat – Vespertilio murinus
Northern bat – Eptesicus nilssoni
Hoary bat – Lasiurus cinereus

Artiodactyla (even toed ungulates)

Red deer by Kyle Moore

Wild boar – Sus scrofa (N)
Chinese water deer – Hydropotes inermis (I)
Reeves’ Muntjac – Muntiacus reevesi (I)
Sika – Cervus nippon (I)
Red deer – Cervus elaphus (N)
Roe deer – Capreolus capreolus (N)
Fallow deer – Dama dama (I)
Reindeer – Rangifer tarandus (I / current population domesticated from Sweden)
Feral goat – Capra aegagrus hircus (F)
Feral Sheep – Ovis aries (F)
Cattle – Bos primigenius (domesticated)

Perrisodactyla (odd toed ungulates)

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

Marsupial

Red-necked wallaby – Macropus rufogriseus (I)

Pinnipedia (Seals)

Seal by Ben Andrew

Common seal – Phoca vitulina (N)
Grey seal – Halichoerus grypus (N)