The British mild and damp climate has allowed many, many different species of animals and birds to settle and evolve here that may have struggled to live elsewhere in the world. Britain is an island surrounded by seas and oceans which usually keep our summers warm and wet and our winters generally mild.
Animals that settled on the British Isles learned that they could rely on food supplies being available practically all year round because of the consistent lack of extreme weather. However, when extreme weather occurs, it can cause serious problems because the ecosystem is not designed to deal with it. In recent times and because of climate change, Britain experiences more extremes which is unfortunately changing the nature of our islands animal life.
Because of climate change, animal species from other countries arrive on the islands and settle here, taking over native wildlife and forcing them into margins. New pests have arrived and have spread to parts where they were unable to thrive previously.
In this section ‘British Wildlife’, we will take a look at some of Britains amazing animals, their life styles and how they are affected by the ever changing climate on these islands.Animals are interesting, no matter what species they are. Animals that live out in the wild, I think, are the most intriguing.
If you have ever seen a Wildlife documentary on TV, then you would know how amazingly adaptable wild animals are in their own unique environments whether it be elephants in the savannas, zebras on the plains or gorillas in the Virunga Mountains. Each and every one of the wildlife mammals, reptiles and birds on our planet have an individual and unique survival plan. Each different species of wildlife animal have their own hierarchies and family structures, diets and mating rituals, just to name a few behaviours. Most animals featured here come from Africa, Asia, America and Australia. For animals from the British Isles, you can visit our new section, British Wildlife.
With the ever increasing amount of wildlife animals becoming endangered species and their survival threatened daily, awareness must be spread.
Wildlife at Animal Corner hopes to help spread awareness as well as providing valuable and interesting wildlife animal information. By looking through our wildlife section, you can discover specific animal diets, reproduction and behaviour and which animals are constantly struggling to survive and what conservation programs are in progress to try and help those animals, some which are on the verge of extinction.The Addax is a critically endangered mammal which is found in several isolated areas in the sahara desert in Northern Africa. African Wild Dog The African Wild Dog is known by other names such as the Painted Hunting Dog, African Hunting Dog and Painted Wolf. In Swahili it is referred to as ‘Mbwa mwilu’. Anteater Anteaters are specialist carnivorous predators of termites and ants. They detect anthills and termite mounds with their acute sense of smell. Armadillo Armadillos have a wide variety of warm habitats depending on species. Habitats can range from tropical rainforests to grasslands, dry deserts and savannas. Bison Bison are huge, powerful, aggressive bovine mammals with solid muscular heads and necks which are covered with brown shaggy fur. Camels Camels are humped mammals native to the dry desert areas of western Asia and central and east Asia. Caracal Although the Caracal is considered a small cat compared to other wild cats, it is among the heaviest and fastest. Caribou The Caribou is a wild species of deer often called reindeer when domesticated. They belong to a large group of hoofed ungulate mammals called artiodactyls which also includes camels and giraffes. Cheetah The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is the fastest terrestrial animal in the world and is a unique member of the cat family ‘felidae’. Chickaree The Chickaree is a lively, noisy little squirrel that is quite human fearless. Chinchilla The name ‘Chinchilla‘ means ‘Little Chincha’, named after the Chincha people of the Andes. Chipmunk Chipmunks are lively little creatures that are found mostly in North and West America with one species (Asia’s Tamias sibiricus) native to Eurasia. Coyote The Coyote is also known as the Prairie Wolf and is found throughout North and Central America. Dingo Dingoes have features that resemble both dogs and wolves, although dingoes have a longer muzzle, longer canine teeth and a flatter skull. Elephant Most Elephants live in the grasslands of Africa and in the forests of Asia although elephants can live in nearly any habitat that has adequate quantities of food and water. Elk Elks are native to North America and East Asia although they have adapted well to countries where they have been introduced. Fennec Fox The Fennec Fox is a small canid which is native to the deserts of North Africa. Thomson's Gazelle The Thomson’s Gazelle is the smallest, daintiest and fastest of all gazelles and sometimes referred to as ‘Tommy’. Gemsbok Gemsbok are distributed around deserts, scrublands and brushlands in South Western Africa. Gerenuk Gerenuks have small heads in comparison to their body size, however, their eyes and ears are quite large. Giant Sable Antelope The Giant Sable Antelope is one of the larger antelopes and a rare sub-species of the Sable Antelope. These magnificent and graceful antelopes are found in South-Central Africa. Giraffe The Giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all land-living animal species. Gorillas Gorillas are generally quiet animals, however, they communicate with each other using many complicated sounds and gestures. Grizzly Bear Grizzly bears prefer dense boreal forest areas, alpine tundra regions and river valleys. Hippopotamus The Hippopotamus is a large, mostly plant-eating African mammal, one of only two extant, and three or four recently extinct, species in the family ‘Hippopotamidae’. Ibex Ibexes are found on craggy terrains between the timber and snow lines above the alpine forests of the European Alps. Impala The Impala is one of a number of antelopes that live on the African savanna and are found in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Zambia, Botswana, Southern Angola to northern South Africa. Jackal A Jackal is a small to medium sized canid found in Africa, Asia and southeastern Europe. Koala The Koala is an Australian arboreal marsupial which is native to parts of Australia. It spends most of its life up in eucalyptus trees eating the leaves and 18 hours a day resting. Komodo Dragon The komodo dragon is a member of the monitor lizard family and is the largest living species of lizard. Lemmings Lemmings migrate sporadically every few years when their is a population explosion. During mild winters when food is abundant, reproduction is fast resulting in a summer soaring of Lemming numbers. Lions The Lion is the second largest cat, after the tiger. Lions are unique in that they are the only cats to live in groups (prides). Lynx Lynx cats prefer cold, wilderness areas and high altitude forests with dense coverings of grass, reeds and shrubs. Markhor The Markhor is the largest of the goat family and is found in the rugged mountains of central Asia, from Southern Russia to the sparse woodland of the West Himalayas. Meerkat The Meerkat is a small member of the mongoose family whose range extends from South West Angola to South Africa. Mountain Goat The Mountain Goat resides at high elevations and is a sure-footed climber, often resting on rocky cliffs that predators cannot reach. Monkeys Monkeys are divided into two geographically separate groups – the New World Monkeys of South America and the Old World Monkeys, found in Africa and Asia. Moose Moose are the worlds largest deer species and are found in northern forests in North America, Europe, and Russia. Musk Ox The Musk Ox is a huge hoofed mammal with a heavy bony plate across the forehead. The Musk Ox, along with Yaks of Central Asia, have the longest fur of any other animal. Opossum Opossums have lived in the Americas for around 55 million years probably evolving from the basic South American marsupials of the late Cretaceous period. Oryx The Oryx prefers hot and arid environments such as steppes, deserts and semi deserts. They are well adapted to cope with the extremely hot climate. Pandas Pandas are easily recognized by their large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears and across their round body. Peccary Peccaries live in desert areas rich in vegetation or areas with canyons and cliffs where water is nearby. Peruvian Fox The Peruvian Fox is a desert dwelling animal and lives in dens dug into the ground. Other habitats that this fox inhabits are forests, scrub, plains, grasslands and Arctic snow. Polar Bear Polar Bears Have a thick fur coat either white or cream in colour, which helps them blend into their surroundings and stay hidden from prey although their black noses sometimes gives them away. Porcupine Porcupines are the third largest members of the rodent family that are covered with spines or quills. Puma The Puma has an extensive habitat range. It prefers habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking, but it can also live in open plains, coniferous and tropical forests, swamps and deserts. Quoll Quolls are generally ground-dwelling creatures, however, they have developed secondary arboreal characteristics. They are usually seen scuttling along the ground, but they also climb trees. Raccoon Raccoons have a very distinctive facial mask whereby they have an area of black fur around the eyes which contrasts with the surrounding white face colouring. Ratel Ratels can be found on arid grasslands, moist savannas, montane forests and semi-deserts. They are adapted to surviving in both wet and dry habitats. Red Kangaroo Red Kangaroos are marsupials, a type of mammal that gives birth to under-developed young (joeys). Rhinoceros The Rhinoceros, often called ‘rhino’ for short, is one of five surviving species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Snow Leopard Snow Leopards are opportunists when it comes to feeding. They are strictly carnivores and eat whatever meat they can find. Snowshoe Hare The Snowshoe Hare is found in alpine regions of North America, Alaska and Canada. Spectacled Bear The Spectacled Bear is the only living bear species native to South America. The Spectacled Bear is the closest living kin of the short-faced bears of the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene age. Striped Hyena The Striped Hyena is a medium sized, scavenging mammal found in Africa, the Middle East, West India and the Arabian Peninsula. Wallaby A Wallaby is a marsupial or pouched animal that is a member of the kangaroo family. Wildebeest Wildebeest are one of the most abundant large mammals in Africa and there is thought to be around 1.5 million migratory individuals in the Serengeti alone forming the greatest concentration of wild grazing animals on Earth. Wolves Wolves are very intelligent creatures whose upright ears, sharp teeth, pointed muzzles, inquiring eyes and other facial features instantly convey this quality. Wolverine The Wolverine is the largest and fiercest member of the weasel family. The wolverine is native to northern regions of North America, Europe and Asia. Wombat Wombats are small bear-like marsupials found throughout south eastern Australia and Tasmania. They are more closely related to the Koala Bear, however, they are unable to climb trees. Zebra Zebras are very courageous animals and are not afraid to confront predators. Zebras also have a powerful kick which can cause serious injury to a predator such as a lion, hyena or African wild dog.
