kids encyclopedia robot

List of mammals of Great Britain facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This is a list of mammals of Great Britain. The Great Britain mammal fauna 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.

Great Britain holds, important populations of grey seals, and rare bat species.

Mountain Hare Scotland
Mountain hare in Scotland

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 each species' conservation status as assessed by the IUCN:

EX Extinct No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EW Extinct in the wild Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
RE Regionally Extinct The species is extinct in the wild in the region.
CR Critically Endangered The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
EN Endangered The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VU Vulnerable The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NT Near Threatened The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
LC Least Concern There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DD Data Deficient There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Rodents

Superorder: Euarchontoglires Order: Rodentia

Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continuously and must be kept short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the coypu (once introduced to Great Britain, but subsequently eradicated) can weigh up to 9 kg (15.5 lb).

Family: Castoridae (beavers)

  • Eurasian beaver Castor fiber – Reintroduced, recognised as native in 2016

Family: Cricetidae (voles)

Family: Muridae (rats, mice and relatives)

  • Harvest mouse Micromys minutus
  • Wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus
  • Brown rat Rattus norvegicus - Introduced
  • Yellow-necked mouse A. flavicollis
  • House mouse Mus musculus
  • Black rat Rattus rattus - Introduced

Family: Gliridae (dormice)

Family: Sciuridae (squirrels)

Family: Hystricidae (Old World porcupines)

  • Himalayan porcupine Hystrix brachyura - Introduced

Rabbits and hares

Superorder: Euarchontoglires Order: Lagomorpha

The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). Though 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 (hares and rabbits)

Moles, shrews and hedgehogs

Erinaceus europaeus (Marek Szczepanek)
European hedgehog

Superorder: Laurasiatheria Order: Eulipotyphla

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

Family: Talpidae (moles)

  • European mole Talpa europaea

Family: Soricidae (shrews)

  • Common shrew Sorex araneus
  • Pygmy shrew S. minutus
  • Water shrew Neomys fodiens

Family: Erinaceidae (hedgehogs and gymnures)

  • European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus

Bats

Superorder: Laurasiatheria Order: Chiroptera

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

Pipistrellus flight2
Common pipistrelle bat, Britain's most common species
  • Greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
  • Lesser horseshoe bat R. hipposideros
  • Greater mouse-eared bat Myotis myotis – Vagrant
  • Whiskered bat M. mystacinus
  • Brandt's bat M. brandti
  • Natterer's bat M. nattereri
  • Bechstein's bat M. bechsteini
  • Daubenton's bat M. daubentoni
  • Geoffroy's bat M. emarginatus
  • Alcathoe bat M. alcathoe
  • Parti-coloured bat Vespertilio murinus – Vagrant
  • Serotine Eptesicus serotinus
  • Northern bat E. nilssoni – Vagrant
  • Common noctule Nyctalus noctula
  • Leisler's bat or lesser noctule N. leisleri
  • Hoary bat Lasiurus cinereus – Vagrant
  • Common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus
  • Soprano pipistrelle P. pygmaeus
  • Nathusius pipistrelle P. nathusii
  • Kuhl's pipistrelle P. kuhlii
  • Barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus
  • Brown long-eared bat Plecotus auritus
  • Grey long-eared bat P. austriacus

Carnivores

Superorder: Laurasiatheria 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.

Velvet the polecat (2)
European polecat

Odd-toed ungulates

Superorder: Laurasiatheria Order: Perissodactyla

The odd-toed ungulates are browsing and grazing mammals. They are usually large to very large, and have relatively simple stomachs and a large middle toe.

Even-toed ungulates

Superorder: Laurasiatheria 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.

Red deer
Red deer stag and hinds

Whales and dolphins

Superorder: Laurasiatheria Order: Artiodactyla Infraorder: Cetacea

Eubalaena glacialis with calf
North Atlantic right whale
Humpback whale fluke (1)
Humpback whale diving
Traditional Sailing Boat and Whale - geograph.org.uk - 624101
Minke whale and a boat in the British water
Belugawhale MMC
Beluga
Porpoise touching
Harbour porpoise
Bull Killer Whale near Victoria BC
Bull killer whale

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

Rundkopfdelfin
Risso's dolphin

Introduced animals

Wallabies

Superorder: Australidelphia Order: Diprotodontia

Though most marsupials make up a great part of the fauna in the Australian region, the red-necked wallaby has been introduced and a feral population is currently breeding on the island of Inchconnachan, and at Loch Lomond in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. A smaller group is present on the Isle of Man, and the species is locally extinct in the Peak District, in Cumbria, and at Ashdown Forest in East Sussex.

Family: Macropodidae (kangaroos, wallabies, and kin)

Rodents

Superorder: Euarchontoglires Order: Rodentia

Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continuously and must be kept short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the coypu (once introduced to Great Britain, but subsequently eradicated) can weigh up to 9 kg (15.5 lb).

Family: Gliridae (dormice)

Family: Sciuridae (squirrels)

Shrews

Superorder: Laurasiatheria Order: Eulipotyphla

Eulipotyphlans are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice while the moles are stout-bodied burrowers.

Even-toed ungulates

Superorder: Laurasiatheria 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.

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of mammals of Great Britain Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.