Table of Contents

Foreword 7 Introduction 8 The biology and life-cycle of mammals 9 The history of Britain's and Ireland's mammals 12 Mammals - explaining the names and classification 16 Britain's and Ireland's mammals - an overview 18 The types of mammal 19 Watching mammals 26 Mammal-watching techniques 27 When to go mammal-watching - time of day 29 When to go mammal-watching - time of year 30 Small mammal trapping 35 Bat watching 36 Watching marine mammals 38 Tracks and signs 40 Mammal tracks 46 THE SPECIES ACCOUNTS 53 TERRESTRIAL MAMMALS Squirrels and dormice Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris 54 Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis 58 Edible Dormouse Glis glis 62 Hazel Dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius 64 Small mammals (voles, mice and shrews), rats and beavers The identification of small mammals 66 Bank Vole Myodes (Clethrionomys) glareolus 69 Field Vole Microtus agrestis 72 Orkney Vole Microtus arvalis 74 Water Vole Arvicola amphibius 76 Harvest Mouse Micromys minutus 80 Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus 84 Yellow-necked Mouse Apodemus flavicollis 88 House Mouse Mus (musculus) domesticus 90 Common Rat Rattus norvegicus 92 Ship Rat Rattus rattus 96 Eurasian Beaver Castor fiber 98 Common Shrew Sorex araneus 100 Pygmy Shrew Sorex minutus 102 Water Shrew Neomys fodiens 104 Lesser White-toothed Shrew Crocidura suaveolens 106 Greater White-toothed Shrew Crocidura russula 108 Moles Mole Talpa europaea 110 Hedgehogs Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus 112 Rabbit and hares Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus 116 Brown Hare Lepus europaeus 120 Mountain Hare Lepus timidus 124 Bats Identifying bats 128 Key to the breeding bats of Britain and Ireland 130 Identification of the rare bats of Britain and Ireland 133 Identifying bats by sound 134 Identifying bats by droppings 138 resident bats Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 140 Lesser Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus hipposideros 144 Serotine Eptisecus serotinus 146 Noctule Nyctalus noctula 148 Leisler's Bat Nyctalus leisleri 152 Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus 154 Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus 158 Nathusius' Pipistrelle Pipistrellus nathusii 160 Barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus 162 Brown Long-eared Bat Plecotus auritus 164 Grey Long-eared Bat Plecotus austriacus 168 Bechstein's Bat Myotis bechsteinii 170 Natterer's Bat Myotis nattereri 172 Daubenton's Bat Myotis daubentonii 174 Whiskered Bat Myotis mystacinus 178 Alcathoe Bat Myotis alcathoe 180 Brandt's Bat Myotis brandtii 182 rare migrant and vagrant bats Greater Mouse-eared Bat Myotis myotis 184 Northern Bat Eptisecus nilssoni 186 Particoloured Bat Vespertilio murinus 187 Kuhl's Pipistrelle Pipistrellus kuhlii 188 Savi's Pipistrelle Hypsugo savii 189 European Free-tailed Bat Tadarida teniotis 190 Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus 191 Geoffroy's Bat Myotis emarginatus 192 Pond Bat Myotis dasycneme 193 bats that have reached britain by assisted means Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus 194 Mexican Free-tailed Bat Tadarida brasiliensis 194 Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans 195 Little Brown Myotis Myotis lucifugus 195 Terrestrial carnivores 196 Wildcat Felis silvestris 198 Feral Cat Felis catus 201 Fox Vulpes vulpes 202 Badger Meles meles 206 Otter Lutra lutra 210 American Mink Neovison vison 214 Pine Marten Martes martes 216 Polecat Mustela putorius 218 Stoat Mustela erminea 220 Weasel Mustela nivalis 224 Pigs Wild Boar Sus scrofa 226 Deer Identifying deer 228 European Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus 230 Red Deer Cervus elaphus 234 Sika Cervus nippon 238 Fallow Deer Dama dama 242 Reeves' Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi 246 Chinese Water Deer Hydropotes inermis248 Semi-domesticated introductions Reindeer Rangifer tarandus 251 Feral Goat Capra hircus 252 Feral Sheep Ovis aries 254 Cattle Bos taurus 256 Horse Equus caballus 258 Marsupials Red-necked Wallaby Macropus rufogriseus 261 Introduced ephemerals Pere David's Deer Elaphurus davidianus 262 Black-tailed Prairie-dog Cynomys ludovicianus 263 Siberian Chipmunk Tamias sibiricus 263 Coypu Myocastor coypus 264 Mongolian Gerbil Meriones unguiculatus 264 Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus 265 Golden Hamster Mesocricetus auratus 265 Himalayan Porcupine Hystrix brachyura 266 Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis 266 Raccoon Procyon lotor 267 Asian Short-clawed Otter Aonyx cinerea 267 MARINE MAMMALS 268 Seals Common Seal Phoca vitulina 270 Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus 272 vagrant seals and walrus Walrus Odobenus rosmarus 275 Hooded Seal Cystophora cristata 276 Bearded Seal Erignathus barbatus 277 Harp Seal Phoca groenlandica 278 Ringed Seal Pusa (Phoca) hispida 279 Cetaceans Identifying cetaceans 280 regular inshore cetaceans Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata 282 Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus 284 Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae286 Killer Whale (or Orca) Orcinus orca 288 Long-finned Pilot Whale Globicephala melas 290 Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus 292 Short-beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis 294 Atlantic White-sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus 295 White-beaked Dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris 296 Risso's Dolphin Grampus griseus 297 Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena 298 offshore cetaceans Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba 299 Sei Whale Balaenoptera borealis 300 Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus 301 Northern Bottlenose Whale Hyperoodon ampullatus 302 vagrant cetaceans North Atlantic Right Whale Eubalaena glacialis 303 Bowhead Whale Balaena mysticetus 303 Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus 304 Fraser's Dolphin Lagenodolphis hosei 305 Cuvier's Beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris 305 Mesoplodon beaked whales 306 Sowerby's Beaked Whale Mesoplodon bidens 306 True's Beaked Whale Mesoplodon mirus 307 Gervais' Beaked Whale Mesoplodon europaeus 307 Blainville's Beaked Whale Mesoplodon densirostris 307 Pygmy Sperm Whale Kogia breviceps 308 Dwarf Sperm Whale Kogia sima 308 False Killer Whale Pseudorca crassidens 309 Melon-headed Whale Peponocephala electra 309 Beluga Delphinapterus leucas 310 Narwhal Monodon monoceros 310 Status and legislation 311 List of British and Irish Mammals 314 Further reading and sources of useful information 317 Acknowledgements and photographic/artwork credits 320 Index of English and scientific names 325

About the Author

Dominic Couzens is one of Britain's best-known wildlife writers. His work appears in numerous magazines, including BBC Wildlife and BBC Countryfile, and his books include Secret Lives of Garden Wildlife. Andy Swash is an ecologist, a wildlife photographer and the managing director of WILDGuides. Robert Still, the cofounder of WILDGuides, is an ecologist and graphic artist and has designed more than thirty of its titles. Jon Dunn lives in Shetland, UK, working there and abroad as a wildlife tour guide and writer. His books include Britain's Sea Mammals (WILDGuides).

Reviews

"[A]n excellent series of field guides."--Mike Toms, British Trust for Ornithology "The WILDGuides are rapidly becoming the definitive format for UK field guides... Their clear, concise and comprehensive format has set a new bar in the field guide arena."--Peter Smithers, Antenna: Journal of the Royal Entomological Society "This lavishly illustrated guide crams in a huge amount of information in an accessible format. The stunning photos capture the charisma of our mammal species as well as key identification features and are likely to entice readers out into the field in order to try to catch a glimpse of these often elusive animals... An invaluable guide to take out into the field and also a pleasure to peruse at home."--Philip Briggs, Bat Conservation Trust "The winning WILDGuide formula continues throughout this wide?ranging and attractively designed field guide that follows in the major footsteps of Britain's Birds... Britain's Mammals is a book for simple enjoyment as well as for learning and I heartily recommend it."--Phil Slade, Another Bird Blog "Watching mammals is always a thrill and this new book will help... The team at WILDGuides have produced another excellent field guide, hot on the heels of Britain's Birds, with Britain's Mammals well worth a place on your bookshelf or in your rucksack as you head out to explore the countryside."--The Biggest Twitch "This book should hardly hit the book case and be in constant use."--John Miles, Chick Books "This book held the attention of my 6-year-old grandson for every one of its 320+ pages and I was very impressed with it too. It is now my go-to field guide for anything and everything I could ever want to know about British and Irish mammals. I have no hesitation in recommending as an excellent addition to any naturalist's library."--Mike King, Gloster Birder "This guide is worthy of a special mention because it's just excellent. If you want to know about mammals in Britain it's unlikely you'll need any other book. This one is the business ... a truly must-have field guide to all the mammals which inhabit, or have inhabited, the UK."--UK Safari