Water voles are the UKs largest vole species and are often confused with brown rats in fact Ratty of Wind in the Willows was actually a water vole Water Voles like to sit down and eat in one place so heaps of gnawed grass can sometimes be seen along the edge of a waterway ID: 700165
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Slide1
Water Vole
(Probably) Britain's fastest declining wild mammal.
Water voles are the UK’s largest vole species and are often confused with brown rats, in fact 'Ratty' (of Wind in the Willows) was actually a water
vole!
Water Voles like to sit down and eat in one place, so heaps of gnawed grass can sometimes be seen along the edge of a waterway.
Credit: Philip Braude/The Mammal Society
Is Ratty your favourite?Slide2
Credit: Samuel Hood/The Mammal Society
The red squirrel was historically common across the UK.
S
ince
the introduction of non-native grey squirrels in the early 20th century their numbers have declined. The grey squirrels have contributed to the decline through competition (better feeders) and the spread and transmission of
squirrelpox virus.
Is the red squirrel your favourite?
Red SquirrelSlide3
Credit: Maurice Flynn/The Mammal Society
Is this UK bat species your favourite?
Soprano pipistrelle
These are the bats that you are most likely to see.
These animals weigh about the same as a 20 pence
coin. They
have a fast and hectic flight as they chase insects that they consume on the wing. A single individual can consume up to 3000 insects in one night! Slide4
Credit:
Nick Clayton
Did you realise that
we have dolphins
in the UK
?
In UK
waters, there are several hundred resident bottlenose
dolphins. Dolphins are highly social and intelligent mammals. Individuals have complex relationships with one another. Females can even sometimes act as midwives, helping other females give birth by pushing the calf up to the surface to breathe
Bottlenose Dolphin
Is the only marine mammal on the list your favourite?Slide5
Beaver
The beaver became extinct in the UK in the 16
th
century.
Beavers were hunted extensively for food, fur and even their scent glands. Beavers are ‘keystone species’ – they have a disproportionately large effect on the rest of the ecosystem. This can create favourable conditions for many other species to live. Small numbers of beavers have been reintroduced to the UK due to the range of benefits they provide to both wildlife and
humans.
Credit: Paul Scott/The Mammal Society
Are these reintroduced mammals your favourite?Slide6
Scottish Wildcat
Nicknamed the ‘Tiger of the Highlands’.
Although they look similar to tabby cats, wildcats are larger and have bushier tails
.
This mammal is rare, and the UK population could be as few as
400. The biggest threat to the Scottish wildcat is the domestic cat, because they can hybridise to produce fertile offspring. This threatens the genetic integrity of the species, meaning it is difficult to find a ‘pure’ wildcat.
Credit: Emma Telford/The Mammal Society
Is this elusive feline your favourite?Slide7
Pine Marten
Credit: Adrian Hinchcliffe/ The Mammal Society
Is this rare mammal your favourite?
The pine marten is one of the UK's rarest carnivores. These cat-sized mammals are very rare and not very well known. There are around 3500 individuals in Scotland, but there could be fewer than 100 in England and Wales. Pine martens prefer woodland and are talented climbers, spending most of their time in trees. They can even leap up to four metres between branches!
Solitary, secretive and mostly nocturnalSlide8
P
erfectly adapted to their semi-aquatic life.
Otters have webbed feet, streamlined bodies and a muscular tail, allowing them to swim at a speed of about one metre per second. Otters dive underwater to catch small fish and can see just as well under water as they can above it. From a distance they
look like mink
, but they are in fact much larger.
Credit: John Hunt/The Mammal Society
Is the otter your favourite?
OtterSlide9
Hedgehog
H
edgehogs are the
only spiny
mammals
in Britain.
They can hibernate between November and March, allowing them to save energy when food is hard to come by. Famously hedgehogs protect themselves from predators by rolling into a ball and erecting their spines. Hedgehog numbers are unfortunately declining across the UK, the greatest threat is habitat loss from agricultural change.
Is it this spiny mammal your favourite?Slide10
Intelligent, opportunistic, unfussy mammals.
These mammals
are opportunistic and
make
use of a variety of habitats. In the UK for instance, foxes have adapted very well to urban environments. Foxes hunt with keen senses of smell and hearing, and likely use the latter to find earthworms, which can make up a large portion of their diet
Red Fox
Credit: Ian Wade/The Mammal Society
Is the fox your favourite UK mammal?