Fauna of Ireland
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There is a wide range of species to be found on the island of Ireland.
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[edit] On land
Only 26 land mammal species are native to Ireland, because it was isolated from the European mainland by rising sea levels after the Midlandian Ice Age. Some species, such as the red fox, European hedgehog, stoat, and Eurasian badger are very common, whereas others, like the Irish hare, red deer and pine marten are less common and generally seen only in certain national parks and nature reserves around the island. Some introduced species have become thoroughly naturalised, e.g. the European rabbit, gray squirrel and brown rat.
Species that have become extinct in Ireland include, the Irish Great Elk, the great auk, the European beaver, the brown bear and the wildcat. The last grey wolf in Ireland was killed by a County Carlow farmer in 1783[1]
There are no snakes in Ireland[2] and only one land reptile is native to the country, the viviparous (common) lizard.
Three amphibians are found, the frog, the common newt and the natterjack toad. There are question marks over whether the frog is actually native to Ireland with some historic accounts telling that the frog was introduced in the 18th century. The natterjack toad is only found in a few localised sites in Co Kerry and west Cork.
[edit] Avifauna
About 400 bird species have been recorded in Ireland. Many of these species are migratory. There are Arctic birds, which come in the winter, and birds such as the swallow, which come from Africa in the summer to breed. Ireland has a rich marine avifauna, with many large seabird colonies dotted around its coastline such as those on the Saltee Islands, Skellig Michael and the Copeland Islands. Also of note are golden eagles, recently reintroduced after decades of extinction.
[edit] Aquatic animals
Ireland has well over a hundred fish species in its rivers, lakes and coastal waters. There are many aquatic mammals too, such as bottlenose dolphins, killer whales and harbour porpoises. Sea turtles are also common off the western seaboard, and the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus (L.)) is also found around the Irish coasts.[3]
24 species of cetacean have been recorded in Irish waters.[4] The marine fauna of the Celtic Sea includes over 340 species of invertebrate and fish.[5]
[edit] Further reading
- Nunn, J.D. (ed.) 2002. Marine Biodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters. Proceedings of a Conference 26 - 27 April 2001. Ulster Museum publication no. 8.
- Irish Wildlife Manuals is a series of contract reports relating to the conservation management of habitats and species in Ireland. The volumes are published on an irregular basis by Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service.[6]
[edit] Scientific Journals
- Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographical Society
- Irish Naturalists' Journal
- Irish Bird Report
- Proceedings Royal Irish Academy
[edit] See also
- List of mammals in Ireland
- List of birds of Ireland
- List of amphibians of Ireland
- List of butterflies in Ireland
[edit] References
- ^ The Irish Times, 1 May 2007.
- ^ Smithsonian - Why Ireland Has No Snakes.
- ^ Cotton, D.C.F. 2007. A critical review of Irish records of walrus Odobenus rosmarus (L.) with some unpublished observations from Cos Donegal, Sligo and Galway. Ir. Nat. J. 28: 349 - 355
- ^ Berrow, S. 2001.Biological diversity of cetaceans (Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises) in Irish Waters. in Marine Bodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters. Proceedings of a Conference 26 - 27 April 2001. Ed. J.D.Nunn. Ulster Museum. MAGNI publication no. 008
- ^ Ellis, J.R., Lancaster, J.E, Cadman, P.S. and Rogers, S.I. 2001. The marine fauna of the Celtic Sea. in Marine Biodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters. Proceedings of a Conference 26 - 27 April 2001. Ulster Museum publication no 8
- ^ Irish Wildlife Manuals www.npws.ie
[edit] External Links
- National Parks and Wildlife Service
- Habitas Ulster Museum Note some parts of this extensive website relate to Northern Ireland only.
- Fauna Europaea Some parts are more complete than others.Northern Ireland and Ireland are separated.
- Colonisation of Ireland by the stoat [www.studenec.ivb.cz/download.php?dir=Files/PDF/&file=106&ext=pdf] Provides a useful overview of post glacial colonisation.
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