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  • Great Egret - Ardea alba - adult feeding chicks
    160563.jpg
  • Great Egret - Ardea alba - adult feeding chicks
    160562.jpg
  • Fen Raft Spider - Dolomedes plantarius- spiderling nursery
    156758.jpg
  • Fen Raft Spider - Dolomedes plantarius- spiderling nursery
    156757.jpg
  • Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus Length 40-55cm Familiar, long-eared social burrowing mammal. Lives in tunnel complexes called warrens. Mainly nocturnal or crepuscular; diet is vegetarian. Adult has mainly greyish brown fur with rufous nape and pale greyish underparts. Long ears have rounded, brown tips and tail is dark above and white below. Legs are long but relatively shorter than those of Brown Hare. squeals loudly in alarm. Introduced to Britain but now widespread and common in grassland, scrub and on roadside verges.
    101650.jpg
  • House Mouse Mus domesticus Length 14-19cm Ancestor of domesticated pet mice. Diet is varied. Presence detected by musky smell. Adult has a compact head and body, roughly the same length as tail. Coat ranges from yellowish brown to grey brown and is darker above than below. Ears are relatively large. Utters high-pitched squeaks. Probably introduced to Britain during Iron Age. Formerly abundant but now less so. Favours sites where food is stored (factories and farm barns) and has truly commensal association with Man
    114174.jpg
  • Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus Length 23-27cm Mainly nocturnal animal, protected by spines (modified hairs). Feeds mainly on invertebrates but will take food put out by people. Hibernates from Oct-Apr. Spines are erectile and an effective deterrent when animal rolls into a defensive ball. Head and underparts are covered in coarse hairs. Muzzle-shaped head ends in a sensitive nose. Utters a pig-like squeal in distress, and grunts when courting. Familiar garden resident.
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  • Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus Length 23-27cm Mainly nocturnal animal, protected by spines (modified hairs). Feeds mainly on invertebrates but will take food put out by people. Hibernates from Oct-Apr. Spines are erectile and an effective deterrent when animal rolls into a defensive ball. Head and underparts are covered in coarse hairs. Muzzle-shaped head ends in a sensitive nose. Utters a pig-like squeal in distress, and grunts when courting. Familiar garden resident.
    124202.jpg
  • Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus Length 30-50cm Familiar rodent with omnivorous diet. Swims and climbs well. Adult recalls an outsized mouse but with a larger, plumper body, shorter ears, shorter legs (but larger feet) and a thicker tail. Fur is coarse and mainly brown, grading to grey on underparts. Tail looks scaly with sparse bristles. Utters agonising screams in distress. First reached in Britain in 1720 as a stowaway on boats. Now widespread and abundant especially in areas where food is discarded.
    124562.jpg
  • Slow-worm Anguis fragilis Length 30-40cm Legless lizard. Hibernates Oct-Mar. Length comprises 50-60% tail but this can be shed in dire distress. Female gives birth to live young. Sexes are similar. Adult male has slender, shiny body and no discernible ‘neck’. Male is usually coppery brown or greyish brown, sometimes with darker markings on head. Adult female is similar but with a thin, dark vertebral stripe along back (may end in faint ‘v’ at anterior end) and broken black line on flanks. Belly is marbled bluish and some animals have blue spots on sides. Juvenile has golden or silvery back with thin, dark vertebral stripe and dark flanks. Favours sunny, open habitats with areas of grass and bramble.
    125276.jpg
  • Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos),Week old Golden Eagle chick in eyrie showing egg-tooth on tip of bill,Argyll, Scotland,early May
    143924.jpg
  • Fen Raft Spider - Dolomedes plantarius- spiderling nursery
    156760.jpg
  • Fen Raft Spider - Dolomedes plantarius - female guarding nursery of spiderlings
    156756.jpg
  • Sheep Ovis aries Shoulder height 50-70cm Coat comprises thick, rigid hair and thin, curly wool. Male (ram) has horns in most breeds. Female (ewe) usually has shorter horns. Juvenile (lamb) resembles female, but with shorter, cleaner coat. In lambing season, mothers and lambs utter the familiar ‘baaing’ and bleating calls respectively. Domesticated for millennia, kept for milk, wool, meat and hide.
    101332.jpg
  • Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus Length 15-22cm. Adult is a classic mouse-shape with pointed head, compact body and long tail. Coat is mainly yellowish brown above, with dark vertebral band along dorsal surface of head and body. Yellowish flank colour grades to whitish on underparts. Underground nest and tunnel network serve as a refuge. After dark, forages for seeds, nuts and fruits above ground; climbs well. Utters frantic squeals in distress. Common in woodland but also found in most other terrestrial habitats including scrub and gardens.
    109386.jpg
  • Loggerhead Turtle Caretta caretta Length 1-1.5m Large, marine turtle. Widespread in warmer seas but threatened and endangered, especially when breeding. Small population exists in Mediterranean, nesting mainly on a few Greek islands and on coast of Turkey. Feeds on a variety of marine invertebrates.
    101909.jpg
  • Grass Snake Natrix natrix Length 60-90cm Large non-venomous snake. Hibernates October-April. Hunts on land but also active in water, feeding on frogs and fish. Female lays eggs, often in composting piles of vegetation. Adult has slender body, thickest towards middle evenly tapering towards tail. Ground colour on upperparts is olive-green; has occasional dark vertical stripes on flanks and double row of indistinct dark spots down back. Neck has black and yellow crescent-shaped markings on sides, forming incomplete collar. Scales on under surface are whitish with dark chequering. Has backward-curved teeth that retain struggling prey. Eye has round pupil. Juvenile resembles tiny adult with relatively larger head. Hisses if distressed. Locally common in grassland and heathland, usually in vicinity of water.
    137018.jpg
  • Northern Elephant Seal - Mirounga angustirostris - cows and pups in colony
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  • Southern Elephant Seal - Mirounga leonina - pup. Length 2-3m, weight 400-850kg Massive seal. Male is up to four times larger than female, with distinctive proboscis. Breeds on Sub-Antarctic islands, notably South Georgia.
    157632.jpg
  • Southern Elephant Seal Mirounga leonina Length 2-3m, weight 400-850kg Massive seal. Male is up to four times larger than female, with distinctive proboscis. Breeds on Sub-Antarctic islands, notably South Georgia.
    143429.jpg
  • Loggerhead Turtle Caretta caretta Length 1-1.5m Large, marine turtle. Widespread in warmer seas but threatened and endangered, especially when breeding. Small population exists in Mediterranean, nesting mainly on a few Greek islands and on coast of Turkey. Feeds on a variety of marine invertebrates.
    101966.jpg
  • Common Toad Bufo bufo Length 5-9cm A widespread toad; the only common species in Britain. Skin is covered in toxin-containing warts. Spawn is laid in double-rowed spawn strings. Gait consists of short hops. Adult is olive-brown to greenish buff (hue is influenced by ambient light). Has red iris and webbed hind feet. Female is larger than male. Juvenile recalls a tiny, large-headed adult. Courting male utters croaking calls in spring. More terrestrial than most other amphibians and adults spend much of their lives on land:  woodland, scrub, grassland and moors are favoured. Must return to water to breed and most are found within 2km or so of suitable ponds. Not deterred by fish: tadpole’ toxic skin acts as deterrent to predation. Observation tips Courting is easy to watch in suitable ponds in spring (February-March are typical months). Sometimes found hibernating under logs in winter.
    128403.jpg
  • Great Blue Heron chicks - Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias
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  • Great Egret - Ardea alba
    160569.jpg
  • Black-browed Albatross - Thalassarche melanophrys - 3 week old chick on nest
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  • Black-browed Albatross - Thalassarche melanophris - adult feeding chick
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  • Black-browed Albatross - Thalassarche melanophris - chick on nest
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  • Black browed Albatross - Thalassarche melanophrys - 3 week old chick on nest
    160485.jpg
  • Southern Elephant Seal bull - Mirounga leonina - with captured pup
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  • Southern Elephant Seal bull - Mirounga leonina - with captured pup
    159587.jpg
  • Southern Elephant Seal bull - Mirounga leonina - bull with captured pup
    159584.jpg
  • Northern Elephant Seal - Mirounga angustirostris - colony
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  • Fallow Deer Dama dama Shoulder height 80-100cm Medium-sized deer. Mainly nocturnal. Lives in separate sex herds for much of year. Adult is reddish brown with whitish spots in summer. Usually dark grey-brown in winter but some are black or creamy white. All have whitish rump with dark margin and blackish tail with white margin. Male (buck) grows broad, palmate antlers in spring and early summer; shed by late winter. Antler size and complexity increases with age. Female (doe) does not antlers. Fawn is reddish brown with whitish spots. Female has barking alarm call; male utters belching groan in autumn rut. Introduced. Now widespread but local in woodland, farmland and scrub.
    101286.jpg
  • Chinese Water Deer Hydropotes inermis Shoulder height 55-60cm Small, secretive deer. Adult is reddish buff in summer, greyish brown in winter. Black nose contrasts with otherwise white muzzle. Beady black eyes have white surround. Ears are large and antlers are absent in both sexes. With age, the upper canines develop into projecting tusks; longer in male than female. Fawn is reddish brown with white spots. Barks and screams in alarm. Males have a whistling call during rut. Escaped from Whipsnade Zoo early in 20th Century. Feral British populations now found from Buckinghamshire to East Anglia. Favours marsh habitats including fens and reedbeds.
    104335.jpg
  • Bennett's Wallaby Macropus rufogriseus Height to 90cm Tasmanian subspecies of Red-necked Wallaby, which is widespread in western Australia. Introduced and naturalised elsewhere, eg Peak District, England.
    105303.jpg
  • Spotted Hyena Crocuta crocuta Length 90-140cm Powerful predator and scavenger. Lives in family groups and an active predator as well as scavenger. Coat is buffish-brown with variable degrees of darker spotting. Widespread but local in sub-Saharan Africa, restricted to savannah grassland habitats.
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  • Southern Elephant Seal Mirounga leonina Length 2-3m, weight 400-850kg Massive seal. Male is up to four times larger than female, with distinctive proboscis. Breeds on Sub-Antarctic islands, notably South Georgia.
    143428.jpg
  • Great Crested Newt Triturus cristatus Length 14-16cm Britain’s largest newt. Present in breeding ponds February-August. Adult is mainly blackish brown with variable dark spots and patches, and white-tipped warts. Underparts, from neck to vent, are orange-yellow with black spots; blackish throat has smallish orange-yellow spots. Breeding male develops large, jagged dorsal crest and undulating crest on tail; pale stripe runs along centre of tail. Female, non-breeding male and juvenile lack a crest and body is darker; note yellowish stripe along lower edge of tail. Scarce and local. Favours neutral to slightly alkaline, fish-free ponds that seldom dry up for breeding. Woods and scrub are used at other times. Protected by law in Britain and parts of Europe.
    144148.jpg
  • Tawny Owl Strix aluco L 38-40cm. Our most familiar owl. Strictly nocturnal; roosts in tree foliage during day. Flight is leisurely on broad, rounded wings. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have streaked, variably chestnut-brown or grey-brown plumage, palest on underparts. Eyes are dark. In flight, underwings look pale. Young birds typically leave nest while still downy and white. Voice Utters sharp kew-wick and well-known hooting calls; most vocal in late winter and early spring. Status Fairly common resident of woodland habitats where small mammals are common; also in gardens and suburban parks.
    130627.jpg
  • Slow-worm Anguis fragilis Length 30-40cm Legless lizard. Hibernates Oct-Mar. Length comprises 50-60% tail but this can be shed in dire distress. Female gives birth to live young. Sexes are similar. Adult male has slender, shiny body and no discernible ‘neck’. Male is usually coppery brown or greyish brown, sometimes with darker markings on head. Adult female is similar but with a thin, dark vertebral stripe along back (may end in faint ‘v’ at anterior end) and broken black line on flanks. Belly is marbled bluish and some animals have blue spots on sides. Juvenile has golden or silvery back with thin, dark vertebral stripe and dark flanks. Favours sunny, open habitats with areas of grass and bramble.
    144195.jpg
  • jelly baby<br />
Leotia lubrica
    139273.jpg