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Foxes have been living in Britain since the last ice age.

Mammals - British Mammals 2

From hedgehogs in gardens to otters on rivers, British mammals have clever ways to feed, travel, and stay safe. Test what you know and learn new clues.

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Fascinating Fact

Otters are strong swimmers with webbed feet, and they are most often found along rivers, lakes, and quiet coastal edges.

British mammals include familiar garden visitors, secretive woodland species, and animals that live in rivers and along the coast. Because many are shy or active at night, you often spot them by signs such as footprints, droppings, feeding marks, and burrows, rather than by seeing the animal itself.

Key Terms

Nocturnal: Active mainly at night instead of during the day.
Territory: An area an animal uses and defends for food, shelter, or breeding.
Track: A footprint or trail that shows where an animal has walked.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What mammals live in the UK?

The UK has many mammals, including foxes, badgers, hedgehogs, rabbits, deer, squirrels, bats, and small rodents. Around coasts and waterways there are also seals, dolphins, and otters.

How can I identify a mammal by its footprints?

You can identify a mammal by looking at the size and shape of the print, how many toes show, and the pattern of steps. Soft mud, sand, or snow can make tracks easier to see.

Are bats the only flying mammals in the UK?

Yes, bats are the only mammals in the UK that truly fly using wings. Some other mammals can glide, but they do not flap to fly in the same way bats do.

Try These Related Quizzes

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

1 .

Can you identify this British mammal?

Photograph courtesy of Björn Schulz

Harvest Mouse

Brown Rat

Hazel Dormouse

Common Vole

Order: Rodentia
Family: Gliridae
Genus: Muscardinus
Species: M. avellanarius
Found mostly in the south of England and throughout Wales.
Active at night and hibernate in the winter months.
Distinguished by their hairy tail.
An old English name for this mammal is 'sleeper'.

2 .

Boar was often used in the production of which object?

Photograph courtesy of Richard Bartz

Toothbrush

Piano key

Chess piece

Ballet shoe

Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Suidae
Genus: Sus
Species: S. scrofa
Is an ancestor of domestic pigs.
Extremely vocal and will grunt and chirrup to each other.
Also emits a loud squeal when threatened or alarmed.
In this country, their only predator is man.

Hair from the neck was used for the bristles until the invention of synthetic materials in the 1930s

3 .

Can you identify this British mammal?

Photograph courtesy of www.flickr.com/photos/cjtrigg/

Lesser White-toothed Shrew

European Otter

Stoat

Least Weasel

Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Lutra
Species: L. lutra
A secretive semi-aquatic species which was once widespread in Britain.
Its main diet is fish, although it will take coots, moorhens and ducks.
They are mostly nocturnal.
Strictly protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

4 .

What is the female fox known as?

Photograph courtesy of www.flickr.com/photos/kevenlaw

Doe

Bitch

She-fox

Vixen

Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Vulpes
Species: V. vulpes
Has been living in Britain since the last ice age.
Widespread and common in all habitats.
Approximately 500,000 cubs are born in the UK every year.
They are generally nocturnal.

5 .

Can you identify this British mammal?

Photograph courtesy of Rabensteiner

Water Vole

Water Shrew

Bank Vole

Mole

Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Genus: Arvicola
Species: A. amphibius
A rare species in Britain.
Grows up to 30 cms in length from nose to tail.
Ratty from Wind in the Willows was this animal.
Can be spotted by ponds, lakes and slow running rivers.

6 .

Can you identify this British mammal?

Photograph courtesy of http://www.thinkoholic.com/

Brown long-eared Bat

Barbastelle

Whiskered Bat

Northern Bat

Order: Chiroptera
Family: Vespertilionidae
Genus: Plecotus
Species: P. auritus
Its ears are nearly as long as its body length!
Maximum recorded age is 30 years.
Widespread across mainland Britain.
They fly slow and low, making them vulnerable to nocturnal mammals.

7 .

What is the term used to describe a dog with a mix of multiple breeds?

Photograph courtesy of Chris Barber

Heinz 37

Heinz 57

Heinz 77

Heinz 97

Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species: C. lupus
Is known as 'Man's best friend'.
Domesticated from wolves approximately 15,000 years ago.
Can hear sounds at four times the distance of humans.
Also, can detect smells at concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than us!

8 .

What is a rabbit's home called?

Photograph courtesy of Norrie Adamson

Tunnel

Drey

Den

Warren

Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genus: Oryctolagus
Species: O. cuniculus
Common and widespread throughout Britain.
Can be spotted at dawn or dusk at roadsides.
There were no rabbits in Britain until the 12th Century.
They warn other rabbits of any threats by thumping the ground.

9 .

Which of these is NOT one of Santa's reindeer?

Photograph courtesy of Dean Biggins

Dasher

Prancer

Meteor

Cupid

Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Genus: Rangifer
Species: R. tarandus
Britain's only herd of this species is in the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland, where they roam free.
A beautiful and gentle animal.
They have similar traits to humans.
There are words in the Sami language for them such as lazy, happy and grumpy.