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Who am I?
It is easier to tell you, who I am not. I am not a zoologist nor indeed, any other kind of ologist (I did manage to get a grade C in O'level Biology but other than that, I have had no formal training in this field). I claim no credentials other than my own experiences and limitless enthusiasm. I have always been fascinated by mammals (and other areas of natural history) and together with my love of photography I am now in a position to bring these two fields together. I first became aware of the animals roaming our countryside aged six or seven, by devouring a book by David Stephen on mammals. Thank you David for opening my eyes to a world I still know very little about. So if you spot any errors on my pages, please let me know - it's how I learn. Approaching my 50th birthday (January 2009), I decided on the quest of photographing Britain's birds and since then have realised that other forms of life are just as deserving of my attentions. If along the way I can help other 'non-experts' in their own efforts to identifying some of our species, then this is a pleasing bonus. Whilst many of my photographs are, to say the least, poor from a pure photography standpoint, I have included them where they portray the species and offer some help in a recognition process. It is to be hoped that as time goes on, I will be able to replace these 'poor' shots with better quality ones. The List If I am going to aim to photograph each of Britain's mammals, the first thing I need to know is - what mammals are in Britain? Unlike birds, mammals (with the exception of bats, whales, dolphins and seals) are largely naturally restrained from entering or leaving our shores - although in recent times man has provided routes for individuals and groups, some of which have gone on to forge viable populations. My list of 83 species, adapted from The Mammal Society, is detailed below. (There will, no doubt, be inaccuracies - I am not an expert - and if you find any, please let me know; I am keen to learn.) Order Insectivora: insectivores Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) Mole (Talpa europaea) Shrew, Common (Sorex araneus) Shrew, Pygmy (Sorex minutus) Shrew, Water (Neomys fodiens) Shrew, Lesser White-toothed (Crocidura suaveolens) Order Chiroptera: bats Horseshoe Bat, Greater (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) Horseshoe Bat, Lesser (Rhinolophus hipposideros) Whiskered Bat (Myotis mystacinus) Brandt's Bat (Myotis brandtii) Natterer's Bat (Myotis nattereri) Bechstein's Bat (Myotis bechsteinii) Daubenton's Bat (Myotis daubentonii) Serotine (Eptesicus serotinus) Noctule (Nyctalus noctula) Leisler's Bat (Nyctalus leisleri) Pipistrelle, Common (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) Pipistrelle, Soprano (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) Pipistrelle, Nathusius' (Pipistrellus nathusii) Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus) Long-eared Bat, Brown (Plecotus auritus) Long-eared Bat, Grey (Plecotus austriacus) Particoloured Bat (Vespertilio murinus) Northern Bat (Eptesicus nilssonii) Order Lagomorpha: hares and rabbits Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Hare, Brown (Lepus europaeus) Hare, Mountain (Lepus timidus) Order Rodentia: rodents Squirrel, Grey (Sciurus carolinensis) Squirrel, Red (Sciurus vulgaris) Vole, Bank (Clethrionomys glareolus) Vole, Field (Microtus agrestis) Vole, Orkney/Guernsey (Microtus arvalis) Vole, Water (Arvicola terrestris) Mouse, Wood (Apodemus sylvaticus) Mouse, Yellow-necked (Apodemus flavicollis) Mouse, Harvest (Micromys minutus) Mouse, House (Mus domesticus) Rat, Common (Rattus norvegicus) Rat, Ship (Rattus rattus) Dormouse, Common (Muscardinus avellanarius) Dormouse, Edible/Fat (Glis glis) Order Carnivora: carnivores Fox (Vulpes vulpes) Pine Marten (Martes martes) Stoat (Mustela erminea) Weasel (Mustela nivalis) Polecat (Mustela putorius) Ferret (Mustela furo) Mink (Mustela vison) Badger (Meles meles) Otter (Lutra lutra) Wildcat (Felis silvestris) Feral Cat (Felis catus) Order Pinnipedia: seals etc Seal, Common (Phoca vitulina) Seal, Grey (Halichoerus grypus) Seal, Ringed (Phoca hispida) Seal, Harp (Phoca groenlandica) Seal, Bearded (Erignathus barbatus) Seal, Hooded (Cystophora cristata) Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) Order Artiodactyla: even-toed ungulates Deer, Red (Cervus elaphus) Deer, Sika (Cervus nippon) Deer, Fallow (Dama dama) Deer, Roe (Capreolus capreolus) Muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) Deer, Chinese Water (Hydropotes inermis) Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) Goat, Feral (Capra hircus) Sheep, Feral (Ovis aries) Cattle, Domestic (Bos taurus) Wild Boar/Feral Pig (Sus scrofa) Order Perissodactyla: odd-toed ungulates Horse (Equus caballus) Order Marsupialia: marsupials Wallaby, Red-necked (Macropus rufogriseus) Order Cetacea: whales and dolphins (The following 11 species of cetacean are those most frequently seen around the UK coastline. Others species have been recorded but infrequently.) Porpoise, Harbour (Phocoena phocoena) Dolphin, Bottle-nosed (Tursiops truncatus) Dolphin, Common (Delphinus delphis) Dolphin, White-beaked (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) Dolphin, Atlantic White-sided (Lagenorhynchus acutus) Dolphin, Risso's (Grampus griseus) Pilot Whale, Long-finned (Globicephala melas) Whale, Killer (Orcinus orca) Whale, Sperm (Physeter macrocephalus) Whale, Fin (Balaenoptera physalus) Whale, Minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
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