Fauna of Scotland

Hi! You will discover through this article the wonderful fauna of Scotland!

The fauna of Scotland is typical of the northwest European part of the Palearctic ecozone. Scotland supports 62 species of wild mammals. We can also find raptors, seabirds, and fish.

Mammals:

·       Carnivores

You can easily find weasels and stoats in Scotland, although the polecat is quite absent in the country.

Moreover, the European otter is present in the Scottish coastal.

Scotland hosts the only populations of European Wildcat in the British Isles with numbers estimated at between 400 and 2,000 animals and of the Red Fox sub-species.

 Wildcat 

 Red Fox

·       Rodents, insectivores

In Scotland, we find 75% of the UK’s Red squirrels.

The species faces threats that include competition from the introduced Grey Squirrel, and the 'Scottish Strategy for Red Squirrel Conservation' provides a framework for supporting its long-term conservation.

The insectivore population is similar as the rest of Britain.

Red Squirrel

·       Artiodactyls

The Red Deer can be found in Scottish hills, with 40000 animals. Its existence in the pure form is threatened by hybridisation with introduced Sika Deer. It is replaces by Roe Deer in lower-lying land.

Red Deer

·    Others

In Scotland, you can only find nine of the sixteen bat species found in Britain.

There are twenty-one cetaceans’ species. The colony of dolphins in Moray Firth is the most northerly of the world.

Raptors:

Almost all pairs of the 600 Golden Eagles of Britain are found in Scotland. It’s the same concerning the Peregrine Falcons.

Golden Eagle

Peregrine Falcon 

Seabirds:

Scotland's seas host almost half of the European Union's breeding seabirds. Four seabird species have more than 95% of their combined British and Irish population in Scotland.

St Kilda site, which is a World Heritage Site, is a seabird haven of great significance. The island of Mingulay also has a large seabird population.

Fish:

There are 42 species of fish found in fresh waters in Scotland, but only half have arrived by natural colonisation.

Scottish rivers have one of the largest Atlantic salmon resources in Europe.

The basking shark is one of the most impressive animals of Scottish waters.

Because of the fresh climate only six amphibians and four land reptiles are native to Scotland.

Adder

Eloïse Monel