species that are found in Britain but not Ireland

fryup

Isn't it amazing that in two islands that are so close to each other that you have certain creatures that are not common to both.

Off the top of my head the first that come to mind are obviously the snakes > the grass-snake and the adder, also the mole and weasels

can anyone think of others? and vice versa.. species that are in ireland but not uk

kildare.17hmr

Chinese water deer, muntjac and roe deer off the top of my head. Altho there are reported sightings here of muntjac i dont think they are confirmed

Judgement Day

Birds are very picky too. Britain has a whole raft of birds that we can only dream about although the list has been shrinking. Off the top of my head Britain has - as regular breeding birds - the Nuthatch, Crested Tit, Marsh Tit, Stone Curlew, Green Woodpecker and the Avocet to many but a few.

F.R.

The lesser white toothed shrew, common shrew, Eurasian water shrew, polecat and Wallaby. Almost forgot wildcat and beaver.

blindside88

Wild boar, although there have been reported sightings here they appear to be feral pigs rather than actual wild boar

F.R.

blindside88 wrote: »

Wild boar, although there have been reported sightings here they appear to be feral pigs rather than actual wild boar

Wild boar (probable escapees from farms) are found in Ireland and Britain.

blindside88

F.R. wrote: »

blindside88 wrote: »

Wild boar, although there have been reported sightings here they appear to be feral pigs rather than actual wild boar

Wild boar (probable escapees from farms) are found in Ireland and Britain.

I thought the ones in Britain were actually wild but the ones in ireland were just escapees (I may well be mistaken)

F.R.

blindside88 wrote: »

I thought the ones in Britain were actually wild but the ones in ireland were just escapees (I may well be mistaken)

Wild boar went extinct in Britain about 700 years ago. They were only confirmed as present again after wild boar farming began in the 1980's. As there was no official reintroduction at that time they are likely escapees the same as here.

cuddlycavies

Irish stoat and hare are disticntly different from British. Giant Irish deer was also but obviously gone. The reasons are simple. Our landbridge with scotland was flooded out of existence before Englands connection with France was. Animals came across as the climate warmed and colonised England. We missed out on all voles, most shrews, mice. Thier predators such as Tawny owls also absent here because no voles. We have better variety of water fowl and some seabirds but really our wildlife is a cross between Britain and Tundra. fairly sparce. We have more Pine Martens and otters thugh. I was surprised to learn recently that the vikings brought the pine marten!

Birdnuts

cuddlycavies wrote: »

. I was surprised to learn recently that the vikings brought the pine marten!

Thats interesting - I read other studies that suggest Pine Martins have been present here since at least the Bronze age.


Back on topic - the UK has a number of reptiles and amphibians which we don't. Grass Snake, Adder, Smooth Snake, Crested Newt etc.

snowstreams

I wonder did they do a genetic test of the Pine martins to discover their origins?
I heard that from studying the genetics of the irish pygmy shrew, it was discovered its more closely related to the iberian pygmy shrew than the english one. So it turns out that early human settlers brought the shrew over.

magicbastarder

do corkonians count as a seperate species?

homerhop

adders, would be nice to have a few of them in the wild here

Judgement Day

homerhop wrote: »

adders, would be nice to have a few of them in the wild here

No thanks!

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0915/python.html

homerhop

lol big difference between an adder and a python, it is beyond me why people get exotic pets and then release them into the wild here.

Although there have been reports of a woodpecker sighting in the south east they are another bird i would love to see/hear in our woodlands.

F.R.

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Irish stoat and hare are disticntly different from British. Giant Irish deer was also but obviously gone. The reasons are simple. Our landbridge with scotland was flooded out of existence before Englands connection with France was. Animals came across as the climate warmed and colonised England. We missed out on all voles, most shrews, mice. Thier predators such as Tawny owls also absent here because no voles. We have better variety of water fowl and some seabirds but really our wildlife is a cross between Britain and Tundra. fairly sparce. We have more Pine Martens and otters thugh. I was surprised to learn recently that the vikings brought the pine marten!

The Irish Elk was not uniquely Irish it ranged all the way to Russia.

Pine Marten fossils found in Waterford have been dated to ~2780 years b.p. so a bit before the Vikings got here. (The Irish quaternary fauna project.)

googsy

Little Owls, Tawny Owls, Nightingale

Judgement Day

homerhop wrote: »

lol big difference between an adder and a python, it is beyond me why people get exotic pets and then release them into the wild here.

Although there have been reports of a woodpecker sighting in the south east they are another bird i would love to see/hear in our woodlands.

Apparently there are few restrictions on importing all sorts of exotic animals and given the type of people that get into this sort of nonsense it's not surprising that things get released into the wild. As for Great Spotted Woodpeckers - they are getting positively common.


Here's one at Camolin, Co.Wexford last April.

http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web

OpenYourEyes

snowstreams wrote: »

I wonder did they do a genetic test of the Pine martins to discover their origins?
I heard that from studying the genetics of the irish pygmy shrew, it was discovered its more closely related to the iberian pygmy shrew than the english one. So it turns out that early human settlers brought the shrew over.

Similar results for genetic studies of Stoats, and I think Badgers and some other species too!

OpenYourEyes

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Chinese water deer, muntjac and roe deer off the top of my head. Altho there are reported sightings here of muntjac i dont think they are confirmed

Unconfirmed sightings of Roe Deer here too!

F.R. wrote: »

The lesser white toothed shrew, common shrew, Eurasian water shrew, polecat and Wallaby. Almost forgot wildcat and beaver.

Aren't there Wallabys on Lambay Island? Or am I thinking of a different species?

homerhop wrote: »

Although there have been reports of a woodpecker sighting in the south east they are another bird i would love to see/hear in our woodlands.

I think we have 30+ pairs in Ireland now, they're spreading from Wicklow into Dublin and a few other neighbouring counties!

Birdnuts

homerhop wrote: »

Although there have been reports of a woodpecker sighting in the south east they are another bird i would love to see/hear in our woodlands.

At the rate the GSW's are expanding in Wicklow, I would be confident that within 10 years you will be seeing this species in your neck of the woods Homer. Probably breeding too:cool:


The UK also has a wide range of insects that are not found here including many butterflies, crickets, ants, etc.

Desmo

For most animal and plant groups, Ireland has between 50-75% of the species that you get in the UK. It is for a mixture of reasons.
1) stuff that never got here (land bridges dried up)
2) the UK has a bigger range of climates and habitats than us
3) stuff that was here but was wiped out (like Eagles)
4) they are closer to the continent so get more vagrants

Mosses are very well covered here as are horsetails and woodlice, all of which are well suited to our damp conditions. So too are a small number of Iberian or Lusitanian species like the Kerry Spotted Slug and St. Patricks Cabbage (a Saxifrage) which may have been spread from Iberia by humans or be vestiges from before the last ice age. These are found in SW Ireland and are absent from the UK or nearly so. In general though, we are very species poor.

Des

Mothman

Desmo wrote: »

For most animal and plant groups, Ireland has between 50-75% of the species that you get in the UK. It is for a mixture of reasons.
1) stuff that never got here (land bridges dried up)
2) the UK has a bigger range of climates and habitats than us
3) stuff that was here but was wiped out (like Eagles)
4) they are closer to the continent so get more vagrants

....In general though, we are very species poor.

Des

Thanks Des, pretty much it in a nut shell.
With moths and butterflies its about 55-60%

fryup

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Our landbridge with scotland was flooded out of existence before Englands connection with France was. Animals came across as the climate warmed and colonised England.

never knew that, that explains alot alright

cuddlycavies wrote: »

I was surprised to learn recently that the vikings brought the pine marten!

really what would they have used them for? hunting?

Kess73

homerhop wrote: »

adders, would be nice to have a few of them in the wild here

They are a fantastic little snake. Very very shy, and so easy to miss due to their small size. Very easy snake to watch though, once you spot one, as they are very predictable in their movements.

Used to see loads of them in the Yorkshire Dales and the North York moors.


Wigg Island not too far from Liverpool is another good spot to see them.

swifts need our help!

a few more bat species would be good

Maudi

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Chinese water deer, muntjac and roe deer off the top of my head. Altho there are reported sightings here of muntjac i dont think they are confirmed

i thought we had em here muntjac that is..what are those small deer then ive spotted a couple of times...and they sort of 'bark'as they run off?

F.R.

Maudi wrote: »

i thought we had em here muntjac that is..what are those small deer then ive spotted a couple of times...and they sort of 'bark'as they run off?

We do mostly on the east coast distribution map here.

cuddlycavies

magicbastarder wrote: »

do corkonians count as a seperate species?

Yes and they totally discount the legend about snakes!

LordSutch

I presume there is nothing to stop somebody capturing some Moles (for example) in Britain and releasing them here in the same way as the American grey squirrel was released both here and in Britain.

Or maybe introducing a species like the Mole would be more complicated than that?

Birdnuts

LordSutch wrote: »

I presume there is nothing to stop somebody capturing some Moles (for example) in Britain and releasing them here in the same way as the American grey squirrel was released both here and in Britain.

Or maybe introducing a species like the Mole would be more complicated than that?

It would be illegal as they are non-native and so would be classed as an invasive species under the law.

fryup

^^^^

yes its illegal, but still some lout could introduce them

Cork boy 55

Wild parrots



The number of wild parrots living in England is rising at 30% per year, says an Oxford University research project. Parks and gardens in the leafy London suburbs have been adopted as a preferred habitat by birds that are native to southern Asia.
In the Surrey stockbroker belt, a single sports ground is believed to be home to about 3,000 parrots.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3869815.stm

thecommietommy

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Irish stoat and hare are disticntly different from British. Giant Irish deer was also but obviously gone. The reasons are simple. Our landbridge with scotland was flooded out of existence before Englands connection with France was. Animals came across as the climate warmed and colonised England. We missed out on all voles, most shrews, mice. Thier predators such as Tawny owls also absent here because no voles. We have better variety of water fowl and some seabirds but really our wildlife is a cross between Britain and Tundra. fairly sparce. We have more Pine Martens and otters thugh. I was surprised to learn recently that the vikings brought the pine marten!

Someone disputes this further on the thread, but in passing, the Normans introduced the rabbit to Ireland (as a source of food BTW). Hares existed here before they came though.

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/subjects/environment/furry-friends/rabbithare/

thecommietommy

Kess73 wrote: »

They are a fantastic little snake. Very very shy, and so easy to miss due to their small size. Very easy snake to watch though, once you spot one, as they are very predictable in their movements.

Used to see loads of them in the Yorkshire Dales and the North York moors.


Wigg Island not too far from Liverpool is another good spot to see them.

I hope you don't take offence, but adders can be potentially dangerous and even life threatening !!!

Dad five minutes from death after being bitten by black adder snake while on family walk in Kent
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/subjects/environment/furry-friends/rabbithare/

Each year, approximately 100 cases of adder bites are reported in the UK
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Bites-snake/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Ding Dong

for fish they have Barbel and Chub which we dont (shouldnt) have here

OpenYourEyes

Ding Dong wrote: »

for fish they have Barbel and Chub which we dont (shouldnt) have here

Zander, Dace and Carp too! (we shouldn;t have, I know some places have been stocked with carp and possibly the others too!)

tricky D

Birdnuts wrote: »

At the rate the GSW's are expanding in Wicklow, I would be confident that within 10 years you will be seeing this species in your neck of the woods Homer. Probably breeding too:cool:

Add Howth/Sutton to that list. A pair nested in the relations back garden in Sutton a few years ago until the wooded area was built on. The year or two after, they (possibly the same pair) were in the Deerpark.

Gunnerkid

Yellow-Tailed scorpions can be found in the south-west of the UK

Other unusual animals were officially recorded around the UK such as Brazilian Aardvarks. Story on it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10365422

Amprodude

if a snake was released into the wild here would they survive and adapt? personally I hate the species more than any other animal.

Desmo

Amprodude wrote: »

if a snake was released into the wild here would they survive and adapt? personally I hate the species more than any other animal.

They would have to include a pregnant female or you would have to release a pair and most species that are kept as pets would not survive the cold climate. The snakes you do get in the UK might survive but even in the UK, they are probably on the edge of their range in terms of ideal conditions.

You do get slow worms and it looks like these were released but they are really (legless) lizards. http://www.biology.ie/group.php?m=lizard&g=79

Des

Alun

An introduced species, not a native one, but I was watching Animal 24:7 on the Beeb this morning and there was a piece on edible dormice that apparently were released somewhere in Southern England at the turn of the 20th century.

They're big buggers, almost like squirrels, and with a nasty temperament and a bite to match. These particular ones had set up a nest inside an automatic ticket machine at the station, using the supply of tickets as nest building material, and so had to be removed (very carefully and with thick leather gloves!)

Amprodude

Desmo wrote: »

Amprodude wrote: »

if a snake was released into the wild here would they survive and adapt? personally I hate the species more than any other animal.

They would have to include a pregnant female or you would have to release a pair and most species that are kept as pets would not survive the cold climate. The snakes you do get in the UK might survive but even in the UK, they are probably on the edge of their range in terms of ideal conditions.

You do get slow worms and it looks like these were released but they are really (legless) lizards. http://www.biology.ie/group.php?m=lizard&g=79

Des

I would have thought Great Britain would have a similiar climate to Ireland and would be colder than Ireland at winter time. Great Britain is an Island too and there are snakes there unlike Ireland and New Zealand.

Desmo

Amprodude wrote: »

I would have thought Great Britain would have a similiar climate to Ireland and would be colder than Ireland at winter time. Great Britain is an Island too and there are snakes there unlike Ireland and New Zealand.

GB is very close to the continent and snakes found it easier to get there than to Ireland (or NZ). We have only 1 native reptile (lizard) apart from turtle visitors. The Winter climate in GB is colder in Scotland certainly and to an extent further south ok. Sometimes what counts more is how hot it gets in Summer and for how long. The South of England is warmer and drier than here and is reliably so, in Summer. What I was referring to were pet/exotic snakes which would have difficulty surviving here. The native GB snakes (adders, grass snakes, smooth snakes) might survive here; dunno; they are possibly on the edge of their ideal range as it is, in GB.

Alun

Amprodude wrote: »

I would have thought Great Britain would have a similiar climate to Ireland and would be colder than Ireland at winter time. Great Britain is an Island too and there are snakes there unlike Ireland and New Zealand.

True, but the kinds of snake that might escape from a reptile keepers vivarium would be (sub-)tropical species and used to a much warmer climate. However, if you released grass snakes and adders here I'm sure they'd thrive.

Kat1170

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Zander, Dace and Carp too! (we shouldn;t have, I know some places have been stocked with carp and possibly the others too!)

Zander are an introduced species in the UK. Plenty of Carp here from your Goldfish* type to Mirror Common etc.


*I mean large pond type as opposed to bowl type :-)

oldfart

F.R. wrote: »

The lesser white toothed shrew, common shrew, Eurasian water shrew, polecat and Wallaby. Almost forgot wildcat and beaver.

we do have polecats - I had one dead specimen confirmed as such

OpenYourEyes

oldfart wrote: »

we do have polecats - I had one dead specimen confirmed as such

We don't have an established population of polecats - there are reports of them every year, but they're likely to be individuals that were releases or escaped. They are very unlikely to be breeding here.

kylith

Kat1170 wrote: »

Zander are an introduced species in the UK. Plenty of Carp here from your Goldfish* type to Mirror Common etc.


*I mean large pond type as opposed to bowl type :-)

They're the same type of fish, unless they're fancy goldfish. I had a tiny pet shop goldy that grew into a 8" monster. I rehomed him to a pond and have since heard that he's grown even larger!