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Tag Archives: British mammals

A Water vole does lunch

25 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in animals, mammal

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British mammals, Water vole

I was listening to a Water rail squealing from the reeds growing alongside a local brook, getting tantalising but very fleeting glimpses of it moving stealthily along the water’s edge, when I realised I could hear another sound, a slight but regular rustling. I scanned the edge of the brook again and there, sitting in plain sight, was the well-camouflaged brown blob of a Water vole, munching contentedly on a green reed. It made for a much more obliging photographic subject, and a very cute one at that.

230125 water vole

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New year, first mammals

03 Tuesday Jan 2023

Posted by sconzani in autumn, mammal

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Tags

British mammals, grey squirrel, rabbit

It probably comes as no surprise that the first mammal I spotted this year was a Grey squirrel – it’s certainly the mammal I see most often.

230103 grey squirrel

And that wee beastie was followed closely by the second mammal of 2023, a Rabbit, this one enjoying a snooze in some very welcome sunshine yesterday.

230103 rabbit

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Passed on

26 Tuesday Jul 2022

Posted by sconzani in mammal

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British mammals, dead shrew, shrew

This was one of three dead shrews I saw on Sunday’s walk around a local meadow. These tiny creatures live a fast and furious life so their death may have been from natural causes though I’ve never seen three on one day in one field before. I wonder if last week’s heat wave got them (for non-British readers, Britain recorded temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius last week for the first time ever). I found it intriguing, if gory, to see the ants clustered around the snout and claws.

220726 dead shrew

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Cute but deadly

23 Wednesday Mar 2022

Posted by sconzani in animals, mammal

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American mink, British mammals, Cardiff Bay, invasive mammal, Mink, Neovison vison

One of the many disadvantages of the huge accumulations of rubbish in Cardiff Bay is that these areas provide perfect homes for predators like this Mink. It was weaving through the logs and tyres and other assorted junk, popping its head up here and there, almost like it was playing hide and seek. It was fascinating to watch, of course, but it will prove deadly for any unsuspecting wildlife that nests or even snoozes in the area.

220323 mink (2)

This is not a native species; it’s an American mink (Neovison vison), whose ancestors escaped or were deliberately released from fur farms around 70 years ago (they were first recorded breeding in the wild in the 1950s). They are the reason why Water vole numbers plummeted in the 1990s, and have caused huge damage to bird populations in various places (the Mammal Society website has more information). A creature that’s cute but also deadly.

220323 mink (1)

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V is for vole

27 Monday Dec 2021

Posted by sconzani in animals, mammal

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British mammals, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, vole, Water vole

Only one animal has featured in this countdown to date so I decided we needed another, and what better than a cute little Ratty – Water vole, that is, not Brown rat, though I see rather more rats than Ratties these days. If you’ve been following along here for a while you may remember this handsome little beastie that was munching away on reeds in the brook at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park back in May.

211227 water vole

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F is for fox

11 Saturday Dec 2021

Posted by sconzani in animals, mammal

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British mammals, fox, Red fox

Though often more common than we realise, especially in urban locations, the fox is still quite an elusive creature, and I’m seldom lucky enough to see one – or, if I do, it’s often just a fleeting glimpse as one crosses my path in the distance (as happened back in July). Better those fleeting glimpses though, than the sight of a dead fox lying beside a busy road (as happened very recently), which is very upsetting to see.

211211 fox

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Sick rabbit, dead fox

30 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by sconzani in animals, mammal

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British mammals, dead fox, fox, rabbit, sick rabbit

During Sunday’s walk I came across this very sick-looking rabbit, sitting at the end of a local no exit road. I don’t think it had been hit by a car – no obvious signs of injury, and I doubt it had myxomatosis – eyes clear and bright. But, later, on Twitter, a contact suggested it might have had RVHD2 (rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease) as that often shows no outward signs. The only positive thing about that diagnosis is that the rabbit usually dies quickly, instead of suffering the horrific lingering torture of myxomatosis.

211130 sick rabbit

Monday’s walk took me round various Cardiff streets on the hunt for particular leafmines (more on that next Monday) and, sadly, this time I found a dead fox. In this case, I think the poor creature probably was hit by a car as it was lying just off the verge of a very busy road.

211130 dead fox

I was almost dreading what today’s walk might bring but I’m extremely relieved to report that I found nothing injured or deceased!

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The squirrel’s tail

23 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by sconzani in animals, mammal

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British mammals, grey squirrel, squirrel's tail

This must be the strangest thing I’ve found when out leafmining: part of a Grey squirrel’s tail. There was no sign of the rest of the squirrel and the tail was lying right next to a busy road, so I’m guessing the creature narrowly escaped death by car but is now looking much less bushy!

211123 squirrel's tail

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Shrew, deceased

02 Thursday Sep 2021

Posted by sconzani in mammal

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British mammals, dead shrew, Pygmy shrew, shrew

It almost looks like it’s sleeping, recovering from scurrying rapidly about by taking a short nap on the warm bare earth … but no. A tiny four centimetres in length, furry tailed and the tail about two thirds the length of its body so, I think, a Pygmy shrew. The words from a Neil Young song spring to mind: ‘It’s better to burn out than to fade away’ – this little shrew lived, and died, those lyrics.

210902 pygmy shrew

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Mole paws

02 Monday Aug 2021

Posted by sconzani in mammal

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British mammals, European mole, Mole, Mole front paw, Mole paws, Talpa europaea

It’s always sad to find a dead creature (and this was only my second ever Mole sighting, both dead) but it was a chance to take a closer look at one, in this case at its amazing front paws.

210802 mole paw (2)

These are highly specialised digging tools, of course, but I’ve only just found out while researching this post that Moles have an extra thumb, called a prepollex, though it’s not really a thumb but rather an extended wrist bone. As the Live Science website explains:

the mole’s extra thumb sprouts from a bone in its wrist, with the thumb-bone growing parallel to the “normal” inner thumb; but that’s where the similarities stop. The outer thumb doesn’t have any moving joints, consisting of a single, sickle-shaped bone that develops later than the inner thumb and the rest of the mole’s fingers.

210802 mole paw (1)

As the extra bone is rigid and extends the width of the Mole’s palm, it is thought to help this little mammal dig its underground tunnels more efficiently. Amazing!

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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