Friday, November 24, 2006

34-ish mammals in Ireland

Some sources claim that 35 species of land mammal live on Ireland's land and around our coast (an example of a coastal land mammal is a seal). Others (me) say 34 species, still others (ahem... wikipedia) claim only 31. Well there's only one thing for it, a list. You'll find that below.

Some 50% of our current mammals didn't get here themselves, but were accidentally or deliberately introduced by people. I've grouped these together. Ireland's native mammals are those that were present during the last Ice Age and thrived afterwards. These are also grouped together.

Native Irish mammal species

  1. Bat - Common pipistrelle (our smallest and commonest bat)
  2. Bat - Soprano pipistrelle
  3. Bat - Nathusius' pipistrelle
  4. Bat - Brandt's bat
  5. Bat - Daubenton's
  6. Bat - Brown long-eared
  7. Bat - Leisler's
  8. Bat - Natterer's
  9. Bat - Lesser horseshoe
  10. Bat - Whiskered
  11. Red Deer
  12. Irish Hare
  13. Red Fox
  14. Pine Marten
  15. Otter
  16. Irish Stoat
  17. Badger
  18. Mouse - Field Mouse (also known as Wood Mouse)
  19. Mouse - House Mouse
  20. Pygmy Shrew (our smallest land mammal)
  21. Hedgehog
  22. Red Squirrel
  23. Grey Seal
  24. Common Seal

And the following were introduced:

  1. Bank Vole
  2. Grey squirrel
  3. Rabbit
  4. American Mink
  5. Feral Goat
  6. Japanese Sika Deer
  7. Fallow Deer
  8. Brown Rat
  9. Black Rat
  10. Brown Hare

While these went extinct:

  1. Wolf
  2. Giant Deer / Irish elk
  3. Brown Bear
  4. Muskrat
  5. Red Squirrel (was extinct, reintroduced, currently threatened)
  6. Reindeer
  7. Roe Deer
  8. Wild Boar
  9. Wild Cat
  10. Wild Pig (Greyhound Pig)

Over 20 Cetacean species (whales, dolphins, porpoises) frequent Irish waters

These include:

  1. Bottlenose dolphin
  2. Orca (killer whale)
  3. Northern minke whale
  4. Common dolphin
  5. Euphrosyne (striped) dolphin
  6. Risso's dolphin
  7. White-beaked dolphin
  8. Atlantic white-sided dolphin
  9. Harbour porpoise
  10. Cuvier's beaked whale
  11. Pilot whale
  12. Sperm whale

Hmmm. And humans too I guess.

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The island of ireland

Once upon a time, and for 15000 years, ice a mile high blanketed Ireland. When the lingering Ice Age finally released and the Irish ice departed it left a landscape scoured. Across land bridges linking Ireland, Britain and mainland Europe plants and animals arrived to colonise the new lowlands, mountains and valleys. The world’s ice continued to melt, the sea levels to rise, and some 8000 years ago Ireland became the island we now know, accounting for just 0.01% of the world's total land area and the most westerly point of Europe.

Though at Alaskan latitudes, the country's climate is tempered, due partly to the neighbouring waters of the Gulf Stream and partly the prevailing southwesterlies that veering and backing make landfall on our sodden coast. These offerings from the Atlantic mean it is never too hot, never too cold. But without doubt it is wet. Rain lingers year round, never far away, though is most frequent in winter, the western counties and, inevitably, on the day of your parade.