List of mammals of Great Britain

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

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 the conservation status of each species' British population, as assessed by Natural England and The Mammal Society in a Regional Red List, following the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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 naturalised population well outside its previous range.
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 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.

Diprotodonts

Order: Diprotodontia

Although marsupials are primarily found in the Australian region, the red-necked wallaby has been introduced to parts of Great Britain. Feral populations breed on the island of Inchconnachan on Loch Lomond in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, and on the Isle of Man. Other colonies have existed in Devon, the Peak District, and the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, and although these are now believed to be locally extinct, occasional sightings continue.

Red-necked wallaby

Family: Macropodidae (kangaroos, wallabies, and kin)

• Red-necked wallaby, Notamacropus rufogriseus LC introduced

Rodents

Order: Rodentia

Rodents are the largest order of mammals, comprising 40% of all species. They are characterised by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws and are native to almost all major landmasses on Earth.

Family: Castoridae (beavers)

• Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber LC globally, EN in Great Britain, reintroduced

Family: Cricetidae (hamsters, voles, and kin)

• European water vole, Arvicola amphibius LC globally, EN in Great Britain
• Short-tailed field vole, Microtus agrestis LC
• Common vole, Microtus arvalis LC
  • Orkney vole, M. a. orcadensis VU
• Bank vole, Myodes glareolus LC

Family: Muridae (mice, rats, and kin)

Wood mouse

• Yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis LC
• Wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus LC
  • St Kilda field mouse, A. s. hirtensis
• Eurasian harvest mouse, Micromys minutus LC
• House mouse, Mus musculus LC
  • St Kilda house mouse, M. m. muralis EX c. 1930
• Brown rat, Rattus norvegicus LC introduced
• Black rat, Rattus rattus LC introduced

Family: Gliridae (dormice)

• European edible dormouse, Glis glis LC introduced
• Hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius LC globally, VU in Great Britain

Family: Sciuridae (squirrels)

• Eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis LC introduced
• Red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris LC globally, EN in Great Britain

Lagomorphs

Mountain hare in Scotland

Order: Lagomorpha

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

• European hare, Lepus europaeus LC introduced
• Mountain hare, Lepus timidus LC
• European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus EN introduced

Eulipotyphlans

Order: Eulipotyphla

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

European hedgehog

Family: Talpidae (moles)

• European mole, Talpa europaea LC

Family: Soricidae (shrews)

• Lesser white-toothed shrew, Crocidura suaveolens LC
• Eurasian water shrew, Neomys fodiens LC
• Common shrew, Sorex araneus LC
• Eurasian pygmy shrew, Sorex minutus LC

Family: Erinaceidae (hedgehogs and moonrats)

• European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus LC globally, VU in Great Britain

Bats

Order: Chiroptera

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

Common pipistrelle bat, Britain's most common species

Family: Rhinolophidae (horseshoe bats)

• Lesser horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hipposideros LC
• Greater horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum LC

Family: Vespertilionidae (common bats, vesper bats, and kin)

• Western barbastelle, Barbastella barbastellus NT globally, VU in Great Britain
• Serotine bat, Eptesicus serotinus LC globally, VU in Great Britain
• Bechstein's bat, Myotis bechsteini NT
• Brandt's bat, Myotis brandti LC
• Daubenton's bat, Myotis daubentoni LC
• Greater mouse-eared bat, Myotis myotis LC globally, CR or possibly extirpated in Great Britain
• Whiskered bat, Myotis mystacinus LC
• Natterer's bat, Myotis nattereri LC
• Lesser noctule, Nyctalus leisleri LC
• Common noctule, Nyctalus noctula LC
• Nathusius pipistrelle, Pipistrellus nathusii LC
• Common pipistrelle, Pipistrellus pipistrellus LC
• Soprano pipistrelle, Pipistrellus pygmaeus LC
• Brown long-eared bat, Plecotus auritus LC
• Grey long-eared bat, Plecotus austriacus NT globally, EN in Great Britain
• Parti-coloured bat, Vespertilio murinus LC

Carnivorans

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.

European badger

Family: Canidae (dogs)

• Red fox, Vulpes vulpes LC

Family: Mustelidae (weasels, badgers, and kin)

• Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra NT
• European pine marten, Martes martes LC
• European badger, Meles meles LC
• Stoat, Mustela erminea LC,
• Least weasel, Mustela nivalis LC
• European polecat, Mustela putorius LC
• American mink, Neogale vison LC introduced

Family: Felidae (cats)

• European wildcat, Felis silvestris LC globally, CR in Great Britain
  • Scottish wildcat, F. s. silvestris

Family: Phocidae (earless seals)

• Grey seal, Halichoerus grypus LC
• Harbour seal, Phoca vitulina LC

Even-toed ungulates

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. Cetaceans are also considered to be even-toed ungulates for phylogenetic reasons.

Red deer stag and hinds

Family: Suidae (pigs)

• Wild boar, Sus scrofa LC reintroduced

Family: Cervidae (deer)

• Roe deer, Capreolus capreolus LC
• Siberian roe deer, Capreolus pygargus LC, introduced, extirpated
• Red deer, Cervus elaphus LC
  • Scottish red deer, C. e. scoticus
• Sika deer, Cervus nippon LC introduced
• European fallow deer, Dama dama LC introduced
• Water deer, Hydropotes inermis VU introduced
• Reeves's muntjac, Muntiacus reevesi LC introduced

Family: Bovidae (cattle, bison, and kin)

• European bison, Bison bonasus NT reintroduced

Whales and dolphins

Order: Cetacea

Short-beaked common dolphin

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

Family: Balaenidae (right whales and bowhead whales)

• North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis CR globally, possibly extant in Great Britain

Family: Balaenopteridae (rorquals)

• Common minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata LC
• Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis EN
• Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus EN
• Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus VU

• Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae LC

Family: Phocoenidae (porpoises)

• Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena LC globally, VU in Europe

Family: Physeteridae (sperm whales)

• Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus VU

Family: Kogiidae (pygmy and dwarf sperm whales)

• Pygmy sperm whale, K. breviceps LC

Family: Ziphiidae (beaked whales)

• Cuvier's beaked whale, Ziphius cavirostris LC

• Northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus NT

• Sowerby's beaked whale, Mesoplodon bidens LC
• Gervais' beaked whale, Mesoplodon europaeus LC
• True's beaked whale, Mesoplodon mirus LC

Family: Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins)

• White-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris LC
• Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus LC

• False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens NT
• Common dolphin, Delphinus delphis LC

• Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus LC

• Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba LC
• Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus LC
• Orca, Orcinus orca DD

Locally extinct

• Eurasian elk, Alces alces
• Grey wolf, Canis lupus
• Wolverine, Gulo gulo
• Eurasian lynx, Lynx lynx
• Reindeer, Rangifer tarandus
• Brown bear, Ursus arctos

See also

• Biota of the Isle of Man
• List of endemic species of the British Isles
• List of extinct animals of the British Isles
• List of mammals of Ireland

External links

• Marshall, Claire (13 June 2018). "One in five British mammals at risk of extinction". BBC News. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
• Carrell, Severin (24 November 2016). "Beavers given native species status after reintroduction to Scotland". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2023.