Mammals

Some love the concrete jungle, sharing our homes and feeding on scraps of food we leave around. Some prefer the countryside and avoid humans completely.

Ranging in size from the tiny pygmy shrew to the large red deer, wild mammals include species that walk, run, climb and even fly. Some are scavengers, others have very specialised diets. Some are enigmatic and feature in our myths and legends. Others we think of as pests when their needs conflict with ours.

Mammals adopt a range of survival strategies. Voles and rabbits are prolific breeders, but bats live for many years and produce at most one young per year. Dormice hibernate when food supplies are low whilst squirrels do not hibernate, but can be less active in winter.

What they all have in common is that they give birth to live young which the mothers then suckle with milk until they are able to fend for themselves. They are also a key part of the Welsh biodiversity. And they’re a good indicator of the health of our environment – the return of the otter to most rivers in Wales, for example, is a sign that our water courses are clean and provide plenty of fish and amphibians.

Protecting our mammals

UK and international legislation protects our rarest mammals and UK and Local Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) guide actions for their conservation. CCW carries out research and gives advice on protected mammals. A number of Welsh and UK organisations play an important role in mammal conservation – follow the links below to find out more about mammals in Wales.

Priority species Healthcheck

Link here to the Lesser Horseshoe Bat pages.