Bats, Land Mammals, and Aquatic Mammals

Mammals are the most developmentally advanced group of animals. What distinguishes them from other vertebrates (such as reptiles, amphibians, birds and so on) are that they are wholly or at least partly covered in hair or fur, and that the mothers feed their young with milk from their mammary glands.

All mammals are warm blooded (but so are birds) and must maintain their bodies at a constant temperature, different for each species but within the range 35 to 40 oC. The smallest mammals are just a few cm long and weigh little more than a gram, while at the other extreme the largest whales grow to 30 metres in length and can weigh up to 150 tonnes.

The Bat Cave

Barbastelle Bat Barbastella barbastellus	Pipistrelle Bat Pipistrellus pipistrellus	Brandt's Bat Myotis brandtii	Bechstein's Bat Myotis bechsteinii	Daubenton's Bat Myotis daubentonii	Noctule Bat Nyctalus noctula
Leisler's Bat Nyctalus leisleri	Whiskered Bat Myotis mystacinos	Serotine Bat Epstesicus serotinus	Natterer's Bat Myotis nattereri	Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum	Lesser Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus hipposideros
More about bats On First Nature... On other Bat Websites: Bat Conservation Trust		British bat species not yet featured here: Grey Long-eared Bat - Plecotus austriacus Soprano Pipistrelle - Pipistrellus pygmaeus Nathusius's Pipistrelle - Pipistrellus nathusii			Brown Long-eared Bat Plecotus auritus

Land-based Mammals

Badger Meles meles	Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus	Dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius	Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris	Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis	Rabbit Oryctolagus coniculus
Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus	Water vole Arvicola terrestris	Mole Talpa europaea	Fox Vulpes vulpes	Polecat Mustela putorius	Shrew Sorex araneus
More about land-based mammals: On First Nature... On other mammal-related websites: The Mammal Society

Aquatic Mammals

Mink Lutreola vison	Grey Seal Halichoerus gryphus	Otter Lutra lutra
More about aquatic mammals: On First Nature... On other mammal-related websites: The Mammal Society Sea Watch Foundation... ORCA... Cetaceans Research and Rescue... International Otter Survival Fund...

• Mammal links

• Organisations active in mammal conservation include:

Government Agencies active in mammal conservation include:

• Countryside Council for Wales

• Natural England (formerly English Nature)

• Scotish Natural Heritage

• The Environment Agency

Species Identification Guide... Water Vole Deer Hedgehog Grey Seal Otter Mink Badger Dormouse Polecat Rabbit Brown Rat Grey Squirrel Red Squirrel Common Shrew Mole Red Fox Mammal Menagerie

Algarve Wildlife - the natural year is an indispensable companion if you intend visiting Portugal. Details...

 

 

Mammal Links... The Mammal Society