Editing Fauna of Great Britain

{{short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Wildlife of Great Britain}}
[[File:Satellite image of the United Kingdom.jpg|thumb|300px|A satellite image of Great Britain]]
The island of '''Great Britain''', along with the rest of the archipelago known as the [[British Isles]], has a largely [[temperate]] climate.  It contains a relatively small fraction of the world's wildlife.  The biota was severely diminished in the [[Last Glacial Period|last ice age]], and shortly (in geological terms) thereafter was separated from the [[Continental Europe|continent]] by the [[English Chanooonel]]'s formation.  Since then, humans have hunted the most dangerous forms (the wolf,{{#tag:ref|The last wolf was allegedly killed in 1743.<ref>Clarke et al. 1980, p. 116.</ref>|group="Notes"}} the [[brown bear]] and the [[wild boar]]) to extinction, though domesticated forms such as the dog and the pig remain.  The wild boar has subsequently been reintroduced as a meat animal.<ref>Clarke et al. 1980, p. 86.</ref>

==Overview==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2020}}
In most of Great Britain there is a temperate climate, with high levels of [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] and medium levels of sunlight. Further northwards, the climate becomes colder and [[coniferous]] forests appear, replacing the largely [[deciduous]] forests of the south. There are a few variations in the generally temperate British climate, with some areas of [[subarctic]] conditions, such as the [[Scottish Highlands]] and [[Teesdale]], and even [[sub-tropical]] in the [[Isles of Scilly]]. Plants have to cope with seasonal changes across the British Isles, such as in levels of sunlight, rainfall and temperature, as well as the risk of snow and frost during the winter.

Since the mid 18th century, Great Britain has gone through [[industrialisation]] and increasing [[urbanisation]]. A [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs|DEFRA]] study from 2006 suggested that 100 species became extinct in the UK during the 20th century: about 100 times the [[background extinction rate]].<ref>[[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs|DEFRA]], 2006</ref> This has had a major impact on indigenous animal populations. Song birds in particular are becoming scarcer, and habitat loss has affected larger [[mammalian]] species. Some species have however adapted to the expanding urban environment, particularly the [[red fox]], which is the most successful [[urban wildlife|urban mammal]] after the [[brown rat]], and other creatures such as [[common wood pigeon]].

==Invertebrates==
===Molluscs===
{{further|List of non-marine molluscs of Great Britain}}
There are 220 species of non-marine molluscs that have been recorded as living in the wild in Britain. Two of them (''[[Fruticicola fruticum]]'' and ''[[Cernuella neglecta]]'') are locally extinct. In addition there are 14 gastropod species that live only in [[greenhouse]]s.<ref>
{{cite journal
 | journal = Journal of Conchology
 | pages = 607–637
 | title = An annotated list of the non-marine molluscs of Britain and Ireland
 | last = Anderson
 | first = Roy
 | volume = 38
 | issue = 6
 | year = 2005
 | issn = 1753-2205
}}
</ref>

===Insects===
{{main|Lists of insects of Great Britain}}

==Vertebrates==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2020}}

===Amphibians===
{{Main|List of amphibians of Great Britain}}
The species of [[amphibian]] native to Britain are the [[great crested newt]], [[smooth newt]], [[palmate newt]], [[common toad]], [[natterjack toad]], [[common frog]] and the [[pool frog]]. Several other species have become naturalised.

===Reptiles===
{{main|List of reptiles of Great Britain}}
Like many temperate areas, Great Britain has few snake species: the [[European adder]] is the only venomous snake to be found there. The other notable snakes found in Great Britain are the [[barred grass snake]] and the [[Coronella austriaca|smooth snake]]. Great Britain has three native species of lizard: [[Anguis fragilis|slowworm]]s, [[sand lizard]]s and [[viviparous lizard]]s. There are also turtles, such as [[leatherback turtle]]s to be found in the [[Irish Sea]], although these are rarely seen. Other reptile species exist but are not native: [[aesculapian snake]], [[Podarcis muralis|wall lizard]] and [[Lacerta viridis|green lizard]].

===Birds===
{{main|List of birds of Great Britain}}
{{see also|British avifauna}}

[[File:Long Eared Owl (5934254712).jpg|thumb|300px|A [[long-eared owl]]]]
In general the [[avifauna]] of Britain is similar to that of Europe, consisting largely of [[Palaearctic]] species. As an island, it has fewer breeding species than continental Europe. Some species, like the [[crested lark]], breed as close as northern [[France]], but have not colonised Britain. The mild winters mean that many species that cannot cope with harsher conditions can winter in Britain, and also that there is a large influx of wintering birds from the European continent and beyond. There are about 250 species regularly recorded in Great Britain, and another 350 that occur with varying degrees of rarity.

=== Mammals ===
{{main|List of mammals of Great Britain}}
Large mammals are not particularly numerous in Great Britain. Many of the large mammal species, such as the [[grey wolf]] and the [[brown bear]], were hunted to extinction many centuries ago. However, in recent times some of these large mammals have been tentatively reintroduced to some areas of Britain. The largest wild mammals that remain in Britain today are predominantly members of the [[deer]] family. The [[red deer]] is the largest native mammal  species, and is common throughout [[England]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]].

The other indigenous species is the [[roe deer]]. The common [[fallow deer]] was not naturally present Britain during the Holocene, having been brought over from [[France]] by the [[Normans]] in the late 11th century.  It has become well established,<ref>[http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/archaeology/research/plants_fallow.php The Fallow Deer Project, University of Nottingham] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315225356/http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/archaeology/research/plants_fallow.php |date=2008-03-15 }}</ref> though the fallow deer was naturally present in Britain during the previous [[Eemian interglacial]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Baker |first1=K. H. |last2=Gray |first2=H. W. I. |last3=Lister |first3=A. M. |last4=Spassov |first4=N. |last5=Welch |first5=A. J. |last6=Trantalidou |first6=K. |last7=De Cupere |first7=B. |last8=Bonillas |first8=E. |last9=De Jong |first9=M. |last10=Çakırlar |first10=C. |last11=Sykes |first11=N. |last12=Hoelzel |first12=A. R. |date=2024-02-12 |title=Ancient and modern DNA track temporal and spatial population dynamics in the European fallow deer since the Eemian interglacial |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |page=3015 |doi=10.1038/s41598-023-48112-6 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=10861457 |pmid=38346983|bibcode=2024NatSR..14.3015B }}</ref> The [[sika deer]] is another small species of deer which is not indigenous, originating from [[Japan]]. It is widespread and expanding in Scotland from west to east, with a strong population in [[Peeblesshire]]. Bands of sika exist across the north and south of England though the species is absent in Wales.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Ratcliffe, P. R. |year=1987 |title=Distribution and current status of Sika deer, ''Cervus nippon'', in Great Britain |journal=Mammal Review |volume=17 |pages=39–58|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2907.1987.tb00047.x}}</ref>

[[File:Hedgehog-among-leaves.jpg|thumb|300px|alt=A hedgehog at night|A [[European hedgehog]]]]
There are also several species of [[insectivore]] found in Britain. The [[European hedgehog|hedgehog]] is probably the most widely known as it is a regular visitor to urban gardens.  The [[European mole|mole]] is also widely recognised and its subterranean lifestyle causes much damage to garden lawns. [[Shrew]]s are also fairly common, and the smallest, the [[Eurasian pygmy shrew|pygmy shrew]], is one of the smallest mammals in the world. There are also seventeen species of [[bat]] found in Britain: the [[pipistrellus|pipistrelle]] is the smallest and the most common.

[[Rodent]]s are also numerous across Britain, particularly the brown rat which is by far the most abundant urban mammal after humans. Some however, are becoming increasingly rare. [[Habitat]] destruction has led to a decrease in the population of [[dormice]] and [[bank vole]]s found in Britain. Due to the introduction of the North American [[Eastern gray squirrel|grey squirrel]], the [[red squirrel]] had become largely extinct in England and Wales, with the last populations existing in parts of North West England and on the [[Isle of Wight]]. [[European rabbit]] and [[European hare]] were introduced in Roman times,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/pets/rabbits.shtml |title=BBC - Science & Nature - Pets - Rabbits |access-date=2012-04-18 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630035620/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/pets/rabbits.shtml |archive-date=2012-06-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/European_Hare|title=BBC Nature - Hare videos, news and facts|website=Bbc.co.uk|access-date=6 January 2018}}</ref> while the indigenous [[mountain hare]] remains only in Scotland and a small re-introduced population in Derbyshire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hare-preservation-trust.co.uk/mountain.html|title=Hare Preservation Trust|website=Hare-preservation.trust.co.uk|access-date=6 January 2018|archive-date=2 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502102132/http://www.hare-preservation-trust.co.uk/mountain.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Eurasian beaver|Eurasian beavers]] were formerly native to Britain before becoming extinct by the early 16th century due to hunting. Efforts are being made to reintroduce beavers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How beavers are returning to England's forests |url=https://www.forestryengland.uk/blog/how-beavers-are-returning-englands-forests |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Forestry England |language=en-gb}}</ref>

There are a variety of carnivores, especially from the weasel family (ranging in size from the [[weasel]], [[stoat]] and [[European polecat]] to the [[European badger]], [[pine marten]], recently introduced [[mink]] and semiaquatic [[otter]]). In the absence of the locally extinct [[grey wolf]] and [[brown bear]] the largest carnivores are the badger, [[red fox]], the adaptability and opportunism of which has allowed it to proliferate in the urban environment, and the [[European wildcat]] whose elusiveness has caused some confusion over population numbers, and is believed to be highly endangered, partly by hybridisation with the domestic cat.

Various species of [[pinniped|seal]] and [[dolphin]] are found seasonally on British shores and coastlines, along with [[harbour porpoise]]s, [[orca]]s, and many other sea mammals.

===Fish===
{{main|List of fish of Great Britain}}
Great Britain has about forty species of native [[freshwater fish]], of which the largest is the [[salmon]].  The [[saltwater fish]] include some larger species such as sharks.

== Extinct or extirpated animals ==
{{Main|List of extinct animals of the British Isles}}
During the previous [[Eemian Interglacial]] (130-115,000 years ago) when Britain had a similar or slightly warmer temperate climate as it does today,<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Russell Coope |first=G. |date=August 2000 |title=The climatic significance of coleopteran assemblages from the Eemian deposits in southern England |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0016774600021740/type/journal_article |journal=Netherlands Journal of Geosciences |language=en |volume=79 |issue=2–3 |pages=257–267 |doi=10.1017/S0016774600021740 |bibcode=2000NJGeo..79..257R |issn=0016-7746}}</ref> the large mammal fauna of Britain was considerably more diverse than it is at present or earlier in the [[Holocene]]. Large herbivore species present during the Eemian not present in Britain during the Holocene include the large [[straight-tusked elephant]],<ref name=":0" /> the [[narrow-nosed rhinoceros]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=van Asperen |first1=Eline N. |last2=Kahlke |first2=Ralf-Dietrich |date=January 2015 |title=Dietary variation and overlap in Central and Northwest European Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis and S. hemitoechus (Rhinocerotidae, Mammalia) influenced by habitat diversity |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0277379114003886 |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |language=en |volume=107 |pages=47–61 |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.10.001}}</ref> the [[hippopotamus]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schreve |first=Danielle C. |date=January 2009 |title=A new record of Pleistocene hippopotamus from River Severn terrace deposits, Gloucester, UK—palaeoenvironmental setting and stratigraphical significance |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0016787809000054 |journal=Proceedings of the Geologists' Association |language=en |volume=120 |issue=1 |pages=58–64 |bibcode=2009PrGA..120...58S |doi=10.1016/j.pgeola.2009.03.003}}</ref> [[Irish elk]] and [[bison]], in addition to the currently present roe, fallow and red deer.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Turner |first=Alan |date=December 2009 |title=The evolution of the guild of large Carnivora of the British Isles during the Middle and Late Pleistocene |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jqs.1278 |journal=Journal of Quaternary Science |language=en |volume=24 |issue=8 |pages=991–1005 |doi=10.1002/jqs.1278 |bibcode=2009JQS....24..991T |issn=0267-8179}}</ref> Large carnivores present during this time include hyenas (''[[Crocuta spelaea]]'') and lions (''[[Panthera spelaea]]'') in addition to wolves and brown bears.<ref name=":1" /> During the Holocene, Britain was inhabited by the [[aurochs]] (the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle) until its extinction around 3,500 years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hall |first=Stephen J. G. |date=April 2008 |title=A comparative analysis of the habitat of the extinct aurochs and other prehistoric mammals in Britain |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0906-7590.2008.5193.x |journal=Ecography |language=en |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=187–190 |doi=10.1111/j.0906-7590.2008.5193.x |bibcode=2008Ecogr..31..187H |issn=0906-7590}}</ref> The [[Eurasian lynx]] was also formerly native to Britain during the Holocene, with its youngest records dating to around 1,500 years ago during the early Medieval period.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hetherington |first1=David A. |last2=Lord |first2=Tom C. |last3=Jacobi |first3=Roger M. |date=January 2006 |title=New evidence for the occurrence of Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ) in medieval Britain |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jqs.960 |journal=Journal of Quaternary Science |language=en |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=3–8 |doi=10.1002/jqs.960 |bibcode=2006JQS....21....3H |issn=0267-8179}}</ref> The [[Moose|moose/elk]] was present in Britain during the early Holocene, but became extinct by around 5600 years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schmölcke |first1=U. |last2=Zachos |first2=F.E. |date=November 2005 |title=Holocene distribution and extinction of the moose (Alces alces, Cervidae) in Central Europe |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1616504705000819 |journal=Mammalian Biology |language=en |volume=70 |issue=6 |pages=329–344 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2005.08.001|bibcode=2005MamBi..70..329S }}</ref> The [[European pond turtle]] was also present in Britain during the Holocene (as it had been during the Eemian<ref name=":0" />), with the youngest radiocarbon-dated records dating to around 5,500 years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sommer |first1=Robert S. |last2=Persson |first2=Arne |last3=Wieseke |first3=Nina |last4=Fritz |first4=Uwe |date=December 2007 |title=Holocene recolonization and extinction of the pond turtle, Emys orbicularis (L., 1758), in Europe |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0277379107002028 |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |language=en |volume=26 |issue=25–28 |pages=3099–3107 |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2007.07.009|bibcode=2007QSRv...26.3099S }}</ref> 

== See also ==
* [[British Overseas Territories#Biodiversity|Biodiversity in British Overseas Territories]]
* [[Fauna of Europe]]
* [[Fauna of Scotland]]
* [[Flora and fauna of the Outer Hebrides]]
* [[Flora and fauna of Cornwall]]
* [[Fauna of the Isles of Scilly]]
* [[Fauna of Ireland]]
* [[Fauna of England]]
* [[Atlases of the flora and fauna of Britain and Ireland]]
*[[Biota of the Isle of Man]]
* [[List of endangered species in the British Isles]]
* [[Introduced species of the British Isles]]
* [[List of extinct animals of Britain]]
* [[Animal welfare in the United Kingdom]]

==References==
;Footnotes
{{Reflist|group="Notes"}}

;Bibliography
{{Refbegin}}
*Clarke, Philip; Jackman, Brian; and Mercer, Derrik (eds): ''The Sunday Times Book of the Countryside''.  London: Macdonald General Books, 1980.  {{ISBN|0-354-04441-9}}
{{Refend}}

;Citationsanal
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121114070122/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3295386/Warmer-seas-bring-rare-turtles-to-Britain.html Warmer seas bring rare turtles to Britain]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/science-environment-49892209 More than a quarter of UK mammals face extinction]

{{Fauna of Great Britain}}
{{Fauna of Europe}}

[[Category:Fauna of Great Britain| ]]
[[Category:Fauna of the British Isles|*]]
[[Category:Fauna of the United Kingdom| ]]
[[Category:Fauna of islands of the Atlantic Ocean|Great Britain]]
[[Category:Biota of archipelagoes]]