"were hunted to extinction many centuries ago. However, in recent times some of these large mammals have been tentatively reintroduced to some areas of mainland 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 is in fact not native to Britain, having been brought over from France by the Normans in the late 11th century. It has become well established. The sika deer"
"species regularly recorded in England, and another 300 that occur with varying degrees of rarity. England doesn't have many large mammals and is mainly populated by smaller mammals. Apart from semi-feral horses such as the Dartmoor pony and Exmoor pony, the largest wild land animals in England are European bison, with the bison being England's largest land mammal and found in a few areas such as the Lake District and Exmoor. England has a few non-native species of deer which have become naturalized to the similar climate from areas of continental Europe and Southern Siberia and whilst the Scottish red"
"an abundance of rabbits, hares, hedgehogs, shrews, moles and several species of bat. Carnivorous mammals include the fox, badger, otter, weasel, stoat and elusive wildcat. Various species of seal, whale and dolphin are found on or around British shores and coastlines. The largest land-based wild animals today are deer. The red deer is the largest species, with roe deer and fallow deer also prominent; the latter was introduced by the Normans. Sika deer and two more species of smaller deer, muntjac and Chinese water deer, have been introduced, muntjac becoming widespread in England and parts of Wales while Chinese water"
"pony. The UK's indigenous dog breeds include Bulldog, Jack Russell Terrier, Golden Retriever, Yorkshire Terrier, Airedale Terrier, Beagle, Border Collie, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, English Cocker Spaniel, Scottish Terrier, Welsh Corgi, Bullmastiff, Greyhound, English Springer Spaniel and Old English Sheepdog. The Kennel Club, with its headquarters in London, is the oldest kennel club in the world, and acts as a lobby group on issues involving dogs in the UK. Its main objectives are to promote the general improvement of dogs and responsible dog ownership. Held since 1891, Crufts is an annual dog show in the UK. The event takes place over"
"existing in parts of North West England and on the Isle of Wight. Rabbits and brown hares were introduced in Roman times, while the indigenous mountain hare remains only in Scotland and a small re-introduced population in Derbyshire. There are a variety of carnivores, especially from the weasel family (ranging in size from the weasel, stoat and European polecat to the badger, pine marten, recently introduced mink and semiaquatic otter). In the absence of the locally extinct wolf and brown bear the largest carnivores are the badger, red fox, the adaptability and opportunism of which has allowed it to proliferate"
"one of the largest and oldest clonal colonies on Earth. Among animals, the largest species are all marine mammals, specifically whales. The blue whale is believed to be the largest animal to have ever lived. The largest land animal classification is also dominated by mammals, with the African bush elephant being the most massive of these. The largest single-stem tree by wood volume and mass is the giant sequoia (""Sequoiadendron giganteum""), native to Sierra Nevada and California; it typically grows to a height of and in diameter. Multiple-stem trees such as banyan can be enormous. Thimmamma Marrimanu in India spreads"
"after the brown rat, and other animals such as common wood pigeon. 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 greenhouses. 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. Like many temperate areas, Great Britain exhibits a relative lack of snakes, with the European"
"the naturalist, zookeeper and author Gerald Durrell. Four species of small mammal are considered native: the wood mouse (""Apodemus sylvaticus""), the Jersey bank vole (""Myodes glareolus caesarius""), the Lesser white-toothed shrew (""Crocidura suaveolens"") and the French shrew (""Sorex coronatus""). Three wild mammals are well-established introductions: the rabbit (introduced in the mediaeval period), the red squirrel and the hedgehog (both introduced in the 19th century). The stoat (""Mustela erminea"") became extinct in Jersey between 1976 and 2000. The Green lizard (Lacerta bilineata) is a protected species of reptile; Jersey is its only habitat in the British Isles. The red-billed chough ""Pyrrhocorax"
"of primates including all four types of great ape, boasting the UK's only group of bonobo. Twycross Zoo has become known for breeding primates and has recorded first UK births for thirteen different species including the bonobo, siamang, agile gibbon and woolly monkey, contributing to numerous conservation breeding programmes. In 2000 Badham and Evans co-wrote ""Molly's Zoo"", a book telling the story of the zoo's history. Molly Badham was an expert in primates in captivity and highly regarded for her work with chimpanzees. Molly achieved many world firsts during her leadership, from breeding animals successfully through to being a founder"
"has fewer breeding species than continental Europe, with some species, like crested lark, breeding as close as northern France, yet unable to colonise 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 continent or beyond. There are about 250 species regularly recorded in Great Britain, and another 300 that occur with varying degrees of rarity. Large mammals are not particularly numerous in Great Britain. Many of the bigger species, such as the grey wolf and the brown bear,"
"and heavily interbred with domestic ferrets) to the badger and pine marten, the recently introduced mink and semiaquatic otter. There is an ongoing debate in England about whether badgers should be culled or vaccinated in order to reduce the spread of bovine tuberculosis. In the absence of the extinct wolf and brown bear the largest carnivores is the red fox, the adaptability and opportunism of which has allowed it to proliferate in the urban environment. Weasels and foxes dominate the role of carnivores in England and are very common in the countryside and in towns and some cities. England's seas"
"Western quoll The western quoll (""Dasyurus geoffroii"") is Western Australia's largest endemic mammalian carnivore. One of the many marsupial mammals native to Australia, it is also known as the chuditch. The species is currently classed as near-threatened. The western quoll is a member of the family Dasyuridae and is most closely related to the bronze quoll (""Dasyurus spartacus""), a recently described species from New Guinea that was for some time believed to be an outlying population of the western quoll. Its species name, ""geoffroii"", refers to the prominent French naturalist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, who named the genus ""Dasyurus"" in 1796."
"Domestic animals include the Connemara pony, Shetland pony, English Mastiff, Irish wolfhound and many varieties of cattle and sheep. England has a generally high population density, with almost 80% of the total population of the islands. Elsewhere in Great Britain and Ireland, high density of population is limited to areas around a few large cities. The largest urban area by far is the Greater London Built-up Area with 9 million inhabitants. Other major population centres include the Greater Manchester Built-up Area (2.4 million), West Midlands conurbation (2.4 million) and West Yorkshire Urban Area (1.6 million) in England, Greater Glasgow (1.2"
"and Newfoundland, but is less common here than in the east, and occurs only at depths between . The largest lancelets: European lancelet (""Branchiostoma lanceolatum"") ""primitive fish"". It can grow up to 6 cm (2.5 in) long. The blue whale is the largest mammal. The largest land mammal extant today is the African bush elephant. The largest extinct land mammal known was long considered to be ""Paraceratherium orgosensis"", a rhinoceros relative thought to have stood up to tall, measured over long and may have weighed about 17 tonnes. In 2015, a study suggested that one example of the proboscidean ""Palaeoloxodon"
"its natural tropical rainforest house, including over 10 species of small monkeys as well as sloths, armadillos and several other tropical creatures. The Angkor Reptile Temple houses the largest Anaconda in the UK named Optimus Prime. The zoo also has over 35 different species of snakes, lizards, spiders, alligators, bugs and beetles. The section contains macaws, owls, eagles and lorikeets that can be hand fed. Houses a collection of small mammals including meerkats, red pandas, otter and wallabies. Paradise Wildlife Park Paradise Wildlife Park is a family-run animal park located in Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, England. Previously known as Broxbourne Zoo,"
"by collecting the antlers which are shed each winter. The antlers are then auctioned with 80% of the proceeds returned to the refuge. In 2010, of antlers were auctioned, bringing in over $46,000. Elk The elk or wapiti (""Cervus canadensis"") is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, in the world, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in North America and Northeast Asia. This animal should not be confused with the still larger moose (""Alces alces"") to which the name ""elk"" applies in British English and in reference to populations in Eurasia. Elk range in forest"
"been put up around the area to house these. The most noticeable mammal in the park is the grey squirrel in the wooded area, other mammals likely to be present are small rodents such as voles, shrews and mice, although there is no confirmed data of these species being present. Four out of five of Britain's amphibian species currently reside within the park including the smooth and great crested newt. The only native species not recorded is the palmate newt. Amongst these newts the common frog and toad are also present. Due to the mixed woodland, scrub, water and grassland"
"in 1936. The world's largest surviving carnivorous marsupial is the Tasmanian devil; it is the size of a small dog and can hunt, although it is mainly a scavenger. It became extinct on the mainland some 600 years ago, and is now found only in Tasmania. There are four species of quoll, or ""native cat"", all of which are threatened species. The Eastern quoll for example is believed to have been extinct on the mainland since the 1960s, though conservation efforts are under way to reintroduce the secretive species to the mainland. The remainder of the Dasyuridae are referred to"
"from eastern America have forced the decline of the native red squirrel due to competition. Red squirrels are now confined to upland and coniferous-forested areas of England, mainly in the north, south west and Isle of Wight. England's climate is very suitable for lagomorphs and the country has rabbits and brown hares which were introduced in Roman times. Mountain hares which are indigenous have now been re-introduced in Derbyshire. There is a variety of carnivores, especially from the weasel family. These ranging in size from the weasel, stoat and European polecat (rare in England, mainly found in the Welsh Marches"
"canary (""Serinus canaria"") and a subspecies of kestrel (""Falco tinnunculus canariensis""). Three endemic reptile species are found in the park: the Canary Island lizard (""Gallotia galloti galloti""), the Canary Island wall gecko (""Tarentola delalandii""), and the Canary Island skink (""Chalcides viridanus viridanus""). The only mammals native to the park are bats, the most common of which is Leisler’s bat (""Nyctalus leisleri""). Other mammals, such as the mouflon, the rabbit, the house mouse, the black rat, the feral cat, and the North African hedgehog, have all been introduced to the park. Teide casts the world's largest shadow projected on the sea."
"and starring Willem Dafoe. Thylacine The thylacine ( , or , also ; ""Thylacinus cynocephalus"") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger (because of its striped lower back) or the Tasmanian wolf (because of its canid-like appearance, traits and attributes). Native to continental Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, it is believed to have become extinct in the 20th century. It was the last extant member of its family, Thylacinidae; specimens of other members of the family have been found in the fossil record dating back to the late Oligocene. Surviving"
"only in greenhouses. The species of amphibian native to England 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. Four species of snake are, the European adder, grass snake, barred grass snake and smooth snake. Some introduced snakes are aesculapian snake and dice snakes. Lizards found in England are slowworms, common lizards, sand lizards, European green lizards (introduced) and the common wall lizard (introduced from mainland Europe - found in the Isle of Wight.) Turtles found off the English coast are the leatherback sea"
"introduced to Britain during historical times. Some species such as the midwife toad ""(Alytes)"", rainbow trout ""(Oncorhynchus mykiss)"", sweet chestnut ""(Castanea sativa)"" and horseradish ""(Armoracia rusticana)"" have been introduced with no adverse consequences. However, others such as the eastern grey squirrel ""(Sciurus carolinensis)"", signal crayfish ""(Pacifastacus leniusculus)"", and Japanese knotweed ""(Fallopia japonica)"" have had a severe impact both economically and ecologically. In 2010 CABI (Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International) estimated that introduced species in United Kingdom cost £2 billion annually. The most costly species were listed as being the European rabbit and Japanese knotweed. The European rabbit, introduced to Britain"
"pygmy shrew, is one of the smallest mammals in the world. There are also seventeen species of bat found in Britain: the pipistrelle is the smallest and the most common. Rodents are also numerous across Britain, particularly the brown rat which is by far the most abundant urban animal after humans. Some however, are becoming increasingly rare. Habitat destruction has led to a decrease in the population of dormice and bank voles found in Britain. Due to the introduction of the North American grey squirrel, the red squirrel had become largely extinct in England and Wales, with the last populations"
"Giant forest hog The giant forest hog (""Hylochoerus meinertzhageni""), the only member of its genus, is native to wooded habitats in Africa and generally is considered the largest wild member of the pig family, Suidae; a few subspecies of the wild boar can reach an even larger size. Despite its large size and relatively wide distribution, it was first described only in 1904. The specific name honours Richard Meinertzhagen, who shot the type specimen in Kenya and had it shipped to the Natural History Museum in England. The giant forest hog is, on average, the largest living species of suid."
"of seasonal variability. Great Britain also experienced early industrialisation and is subject to continuing urbanisation, which have contributed towards the overall loss of species. A DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) study from 2006 suggested that 100 species have become extinct in the UK during the 20th century, about 100 times the background extinction rate. However, some species, such as the brown rat, red fox, and introduced grey squirrel, are well adapted to urban areas. Rodents make up 40% of the mammal species. These include squirrels, mice, voles, rats and the recently reintroduced European beaver. There is also"
"Giant eland The giant eland (""Taurotragus derbianus""), also known as the Lord Derby eland, is an open-forest and savanna antelope. A species of the family Bovidae and genus ""Taurotragus"", it was described in 1847 by John Edward Gray. The giant eland is the largest species of antelope, with a body length ranging from . There are two subspecies: ""T. d. derbianus"" and ""T. d. gigas"". The giant eland is an herbivore, eating grasses, foliage and branches. They usually form small herds consisting of 15–25 members, both males and females. Giant elands are not territorial, and have large home ranges. They"
"breeder has reached the UK, although it has done so twice. This is Allen's gallinule. Seabird rarities can of course reach the UK from great distances. Amongst the more improbable wanderers to Britain, perhaps the most surprising is the ancient murrelet from the Pacific. Britain's climate militates against the profusion of introduced species that can be found in warmer places like Florida, but there are populations of nine self-supporting species that have been admitted to the British list. In addition, there are feral populations of Canada goose, greylag goose and other wildfowl which would be on the British list anyway"
"the UK, two species in particular, the house mouse and the brown rat, are actively controlled to limit damage in growing crops, loss and contamination of stored crops and structural damage to facilities, as well as to comply with the law. Rodent Rodents (from Latin ""rodere"", ""to gnaw"") are mammals of the order Rodentia, which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents (2,277 species); they are found in vast numbers on all continents except Antarctica. They are the most diversified mammalian"
"Thylacine The thylacine ( , or , also ; ""Thylacinus cynocephalus"") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger (because of its striped lower back) or the Tasmanian wolf (because of its canid-like appearance, traits and attributes). Native to continental Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, it is believed to have become extinct in the 20th century. It was the last extant member of its family, Thylacinidae; specimens of other members of the family have been found in the fossil record dating back to the late Oligocene. Surviving evidence suggests that it"
"kill them (although this is illegal). Shrews are also fairly common, and the smallest, the pygmy shrew, is one of the smallest mammals in the world. There are also several species of bat found in England: the pipistrelle bat is the smallest and the most common of them all. Rodents are also numerous across Britain and England, particularly the brown rat which is by far the most abundant urban animal after humans. Some however, are becoming increasingly rare. Habitat destruction has led to a population decrease in the number of dormice and bank voles found in Britain. Grey squirrels introduced"
"and temperature, as well as the risk of snow and frost during the winter. Since the mid eighteenth century, Great Britain has gone through industrialisation and increasing urbanisation. A DEFRA study from 2006 suggested that 100 species have become extinct in the UK during the 20th century, about 100 times the background extinction rate. 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 mammal"
"after reviewing 22 skins from Scotland in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London. When Reginald Innes Pocock reviewed the taxonomy of the genus ""Felis"" in the late 1940s, he had more than 40 Scottish wildcat specimens in the collection of the Museum at his disposal. He recognized ""Felis silvestris grampia"" as a valid taxon. Results of morphological and genetic analyses indicate that the Scottish wildcat descended from the European wildcat. The population in Britain got isolated about 7,000 to 9,000 years ago due to a rise of sea level after the last glacial maximum. Since 2017, the Cat"