List of mammals of Great Britain

Order: Diprotodontia

Although marsupials are primarily found in the Australian region, the red-necked wallaby has been introduced to parts of Great Britain. Feral populations breed on the island of Inchconnachan on Loch Lomond in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, and on the Isle of Man. Other colonies have existed in Devon, the Peak District, and the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, and although these are now believed to be locally extinct, occasional sightings continue.[1][2][3]

Red-necked wallaby

Family: Macropodidae (kangaroos, wallabies, and kin)

• Red-necked wallaby, Notamacropus rufogriseus LC[4] introduced

Order: Rodentia

Rodents are the largest order of mammals, comprising 40% of all species. They are characterised by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws and are native to almost all major landmasses on Earth.

Family: Castoridae (beavers)

• Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber LC globally, EN in Great Britain, reintroduced[5][6]

Family: Cricetidae (hamsters, voles, and kin)

• European water vole, Arvicola amphibius LC globally,[7] EN in Great Britain
• Short-tailed field vole, Microtus agrestis LC[8]
• Common vole, Microtus arvalis LC[9]
  • Orkney vole, M. a. orcadensis VU[6]
• Bank vole, Myodes glareolus LC[10]

Family: Muridae (mice, rats, and kin)

Wood mouse

• Yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis LC[11]
• Wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus LC[12]
  • St Kilda field mouse, A. s. hirtensis
• Eurasian harvest mouse, Micromys minutus LC[13]
• House mouse, Mus musculus LC[14]
  • St Kilda house mouse, M. m. muralis EX c. 1930
• Brown rat, Rattus norvegicus LC introduced[15]
• Black rat, Rattus rattus LC[16] introduced[17]

Family: Gliridae (dormice)

• European edible dormouse, Glis glis LC introduced[18]
• Hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius LC globally,[19] VU in Great Britain[20]

Family: Sciuridae (squirrels)

• Eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis LC introduced[21]
• Red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris LC globally,[22] EN in Great Britain[6]

Mountain hare in Scotland

Order: Lagomorpha

The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). Although they can resemble rodents, and were classified as a superfamily in that order until the early 20th century, they have since been considered a separate order. They differ from rodents in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.

Family: Leporidae (rabbits and hares)

• European hare, Lepus europaeus LC[23] introduced
• Mountain hare, Lepus timidus LC[24]
• European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus EN[25] introduced

Order: Eulipotyphla

The order Eulipotyphla contains insectivorous mammals. Hedgehogs are easily recognised by their spines, while gymnures look more like large rats. Shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice, while moles are stout-bodied burrowers.

European hedgehog

Family: Talpidae (moles)

• European mole, Talpa europaea LC[26]

Family: Soricidae (shrews)

• Lesser white-toothed shrew, Crocidura suaveolens LC[27]
• Eurasian water shrew, Neomys fodiens LC[28]
• Common shrew, Sorex araneus LC[29]
• Eurasian pygmy shrew, Sorex minutus LC[30]

Family: Erinaceidae (hedgehogs and moonrats)

• European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus LC globally,[31] VU in Great Britain[6]

Order: Chiroptera

Bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.

Common pipistrelle bat, Britain's most common species

Family: Rhinolophidae (horseshoe bats)

• Lesser horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hipposideros LC[32]
• Greater horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum LC[33]

Family: Vespertilionidae (common bats, vesper bats, and kin)

• Western barbastelle, Barbastella barbastellus NT globally,[34] VU in Great Britain[6]
• Serotine bat, Eptesicus serotinus LC globally,[35] VU in Great Britain[6]
• Bechstein's bat, Myotis bechsteini NT[36]
• Brandt's bat, Myotis brandti LC[37]
• Daubenton's bat, Myotis daubentoni LC[38]
• Greater mouse-eared bat, Myotis myotis LC globally, CR or possibly extirpated in Great Britain[39][6]
• Whiskered bat, Myotis mystacinus LC[40]
• Natterer's bat, Myotis nattereri LC[41]
• Lesser noctule, Nyctalus leisleri LC[42]
• Common noctule, Nyctalus noctula LC[43]
• Nathusius pipistrelle, Pipistrellus nathusii LC[44]
• Common pipistrelle, Pipistrellus pipistrellus LC[45]
• Soprano pipistrelle, Pipistrellus pygmaeus LC[46]
• Brown long-eared bat, Plecotus auritus LC[47]
• Grey long-eared bat, Plecotus austriacus NT globally,[48] EN in Great Britain[6]
• Parti-coloured bat, Vespertilio murinus LC[49]

Order: Carnivora

There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

European badger

Family: Canidae (dogs)

• Red fox, Vulpes vulpes LC[50]

Family: Mustelidae (weasels, badgers, and kin)

• Asian small-clawed otter, Aonyx cinereus VU introduced[51]
• Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra NT[52]
• European pine marten, Martes martes LC[53]
• European badger, Meles meles LC[54]
• Stoat, Mustela erminea LC,[55]
• Least weasel, Mustela nivalis LC[56]
• European polecat, Mustela putorius LC[57]
• American mink, Neogale vison LC introduced[58]

Family: Felidae (cats)

• European wildcat, Felis silvestris LC globally,[59] CR in Great Britain[6]
  • Scottish wildcat, F. s. silvestris [60]

Family: Phocidae (earless seals)

• Grey seal, Halichoerus grypus LC[61]
• Harbour seal, Phoca vitulina LC[62]

Order: Artiodactyla

The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans. Cetaceans are also considered to be even-toed ungulates for phylogenetic reasons.

Red deer stag and hinds

Family: Suidae (pigs)

• Wild boar, Sus scrofa LC reintroduced[63]

Family: Cervidae (deer)

• Roe deer, Capreolus capreolus LC[64]
• Siberian roe deer, Capreolus pygargus LC,[65] introduced, extirpated[66][67]
• Red deer, Cervus elaphus LC[68]
  • Scottish red deer, C. e. scoticus
• Sika deer, Cervus nippon LC introduced[69]
• European fallow deer, Dama dama LC introduced[70]
• Water deer, Hydropotes inermis VU introduced[71]
• Reeves's muntjac, Muntiacus reevesi LC introduced[72]

Family: Bovidae (cattle, bison, and kin)

• European bison, Bison bonasus NT[73] reintroduced[74]

Order: Cetacea

Short-beaked common dolphin

The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life: they have a spindle-shaped, nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.

Family: Balaenidae (right whales and bowhead whales)

• North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis CR globally, possibly extant in Great Britain[75]

Family: Balaenopteridae (rorquals)

• Common minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata LC[76]
• Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis EN[77]
• Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus EN[78]
• Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus VU[79]

• Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae LC[80]

Family: Phocoenidae (porpoises)

• Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena LC globally, VU in Europe[81]

Family: Physeteridae (sperm whales)

• Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus VU[82]

Family: Kogiidae (pygmy and dwarf sperm whales)

• Pygmy sperm whale, K. breviceps LC[83]

Family: Ziphiidae (beaked whales)

• Cuvier's beaked whale, Ziphius cavirostris LC[84]

• Northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus NT[85]

• Sowerby's beaked whale, Mesoplodon bidens LC[86]
• Gervais' beaked whale, Mesoplodon europaeus LC[87]
• True's beaked whale, Mesoplodon mirus LC[88]

Family: Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins)

• White-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris LC[89]
• Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus LC[90]

• False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens NT[91]
• Common dolphin, Delphinus delphis LC[92]

• Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus LC[93]

• Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba LC[94]
• Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus LC[95]
• Orca, Orcinus orca DD[96]

• Eurasian elk, Alces alces
• Grey wolf, Canis lupus
• Wolverine, Gulo gulo
• Eurasian lynx, Lynx lynx
• Reindeer, Rangifer tarandus
• Brown bear, Ursus arctos

• Biota of the Isle of Man
• List of endemic species of the British Isles
• List of extinct animals of the British Isles
• List of mammals of Ireland

• Marshall, Claire (13 June 2018). "One in five British mammals at risk of extinction". BBC News. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
• Carrell, Severin (24 November 2016). "Beavers given native species status after reintroduction to Scotland". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2023.