The Sperm whale or cachalot (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the...
The Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa. The species is now one of the widest-ranging mammals in the world, as well as the most widespread suiform. It has been assessed as the least concern on the IUCN Red...
The Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere. Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been...
The Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is a cetacean adapted to life in the Arctic, with anatomical and physiological characteristics that differentiate it from other cetaceans. Amongst these are its all-white color and the absence of a dorsal...
The ermine (Mustela erminea) is a mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern portions of North America. Introduced in the late 19th century into New Zealand to control rabbits, the ermine has had a devastating effect on native bird populations. It...
The Red deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest deer species. It is closely related and slightly larger American elk or wapiti, native to North America and eastern parts of Asia, had been regarded as a subspecies of red deer, but recently it has...
One of the most abundant and widespread mammals around the globe, the House mouse (Mus musculus) is found in almost any part of the world (except Antarctica) due to human travel. This rodent originated in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern...
The European pine marten (Martes martes) is native to Northern Europe and belongs to the mustelid family, other members of which are mink, otter, badger, weasel, and wolverine. It is an agile animal, adapted to living in the forests. It is known to...
The Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus common throughout Europe and Asia. It lives in trees and its long tail helps the squirrel to balance and steer when jumping from tree to tree and running along...
The Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a small species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. In the English language, this deer was originally simply called a 'roe', but over time the word 'roe' has become a...
The European badger (Meles meles) is a mustelid native to almost all of Europe. It has a wide range and a large stable population size and is thought to be increasing in some regions. In Europe, where no other badger species commonly occurs, it is...
The Least weasel (Mustela nivalis) lives deep in the Northeast Asian deciduous forest. It hunts day and night, aided by its sharp nails and long slender body. It is the world’s smallest carnivore. According to Blackfoot legend, this species is the...
The Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-longest species of cetacean on Earth after the Blue whale. American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews called the fin whale "the greyhound...
The European polecat (Mustela putorius) is a species of mustelid native to western Eurasia and North Africa. It originated in Western Europe during the Middle Pleistocene, with its closest living relatives being the Steppe polecat, the Black-footed...
The European hare (Lepus europaeus) is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is among the largest hare species and is adapted to temperate, open country. Generally nocturnal and shy in nature, hares change their behavior in the...
The Eurasian wolf (Canis lupus lupus ), also known as the common wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to Europe and Asia. It was once widespread throughout Eurasia prior to the Middle Ages. Aside from an extensive paleontological record,...
The Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) is a true seal that lives along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared seals, and true seals). Harbor seals like to...
The Edible dormouse (Glis glis) is a large dormouse and one of only two living species in the genus Glis, found in most of Europe and parts of western Asia. Its name comes from the Romans, who ate them as a delicacy.
The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is a hedgehog species native to Europe. It is a generally common and widely distributed species that can survive across a wide range of habitat types. It is a well-known species, and a favorite in European...
The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. It is the most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of the weasel family (Mustelidae). It is found in the waterways and coasts of Europe, many parts...
The Gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. In Latin Halichoerus grypus means "hook-nosed sea pig". It is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or "earless...
The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is a beaver species that was once widespread in Eurasia but was hunted to near-extinction for both its fur and castoreum. At the turn of the 20th century, only about 1,200 beavers survived in eight relict...
The Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is one of eight extant species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest species of cetacean. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise...
The Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a wide-ranging marine mammal of the family Delphinidae. The common bottlenose dolphin is a very familiar dolphin species due to the wide exposure it receives in captivity in marine parks and...
The Wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) is a murid rodent native to Europe and northwestern Africa. It is found across most of Europe and is a very common and widespread species, is commensal with people, and is sometimes considered a pest. The Wood...
The Beech marten (Martes foina) is a species of marten native to much of Europe and Central Asia, though it has established a feral population in North America. It is superficially similar to the European pine marten but differs from it by its...
European water voles > (Arvicola amphibius) are semiaquatic rodents. They are often informally called water rats, though they only superficially resemble a true rat. Their dark color allows them to blend in well in the densely vegetated areas and...
The Common shrew (Sorex araneus) is among the most frequently found mammals in Northern Europe and Great Britain but doesn't occur in Ireland. It is one of the rare venomous mammals and lives for approximately 14 months.
Long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) are large oceanic dolphins. Pilot whales get their name from the original belief that there was a "pilot" or lead individual in their groups. They have also earned the nickname of "pothead whale" in some...
The Eurasian harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) is a small rodent native to Europe and Asia. It is typically found in fields of cereal crops, such as wheat and oats, in reed beds, and in other tall ground vegetation, such as long grass and hedgerows....
The pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps ) is one of two extant species in the family Kogiidae in the sperm whale superfamily. They are not often sighted at sea, and most of what is known about them comes from the examination of stranded specimens.
The European mole (Talpa europaea) is a small fossorial mammal that lives across most of Europe. It is also known as the Common mole and the Northern mole. This mole lives in a tunnel system, which it constantly extends. It uses these tunnels to...
The common vole (Microtus arvalis ) is a European rodent.
The Common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is a small member of the suborder of baleen whales. It is the smallest species of the rorquals and the second smallest species of baleen whale. American whalemen in the 19th century simply thought...
The European hamster (Cricetus cricetus ), also known as the Eurasian hamster, black-bellied hamster or common hamster, is the only species of hamster in the genus Cricetus. It is native to grassland and similar habitats in a large part of Eurasia,...
The common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus ) is a small pipistrelle microbat whose very large range extends across most of Europe, North Africa, South Asia, and may extend into Korea. It is one of the most common bat species in the British...
The hazel dormouse or common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius ) is a small mammal and the only living species in the genus Muscardinus.
The bank vole (Myodes glareolus ) is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around 100 millimetres (3.9 in) in length. The bank vole is found in...
The Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus ) is a distinctively coloured dolphin found in the cool to temperate waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.
The brown long-eared bat or common long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus ) is a small Eurasian insectivorous bat. It has distinctive ears, long and with a distinctive fold. It is extremely similar to the much rarer grey long-eared bat which was only...
The short-tailed field vole, short-tailed vole, or simply field vole (Microtus agrestis ) is a grey-brown vole, around 10 cm in length, with a short tail. It is one of the most common mammals in Europe, with a range extending from the Atlantic coast...
The Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens ), known in the United Kingdom as the water shrew, is a relatively large shrew, up to 10 cm (4 in) long, with a tail up to three-quarters as long again. It has short, dark fur, often with a few white tufts, a...
