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Mammals by thehedge.org Continuing this section, some interesting information about mammals, that is the animals that you might find in hedges and similar areas. |
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| These animals are listed in alphabetical order: |
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Mammals by thehedge.org Continuing this section, some interesting information about mammals, that is the animals that you might find in hedges and similar areas. |
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| These animals are listed in alphabetical order: |
| Toad - Natterjack Toad |
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| About the Natterjack
Toad: The Natterjack Toad is the only toad found in Ireland and the rarest amphibian. It occurs in just one small area in Kerry where it lives in coastal sand dunes and breeds in lakes, pools and drains containing water which ranges from fresh to brackish. It is now considered to be seriously endangered and facing the prospect of extinction, unless immediate conservation action is taken. The Natterjack Toad is protected under the Wildlife Act but many of the habitats of the remaining viable colonies are not protected by existing legislation. |
| Wild Cat |
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| About the Wild Cat: The Wild Cat is now extinct but present in Irish placenames like Lisnagat or 'the fort of the wild cats'. The early Irish word 'catt' is Celtic and probably applied first to the wild cat. Feral cats are domestic cats living wild, mainly due to being abandoned by people. They can be tamed if they are caught as kittens usually up to the first six weeks thereafter it becomes harder. It all depends if the kittens were born to an abandoned female who has gone wild, or are from several generations of feral cats - the latter can only be tamed if caught when very young. |
| Wild Pig |
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| About the Wild Pig: Now extinct in Ireland but there used be a lot of them from their frequent mentioning in place-names: Muckinish 'pig island', Muckno 'swimming place of the pigs' , Muckross 'pig peninsula' and Ballynamuch 'town of the pigs'. Hair color is variable from brown to black. The body shape of the Wild Pig is similar to that of domestic pigs, with a few differences which make them distinct. The Wild Pig is generally thinner, has coarser hair, and has longer canine teeth, called tusks, than domestic pigs do. A Wild Pig will eat almost anything that has nutritional value, including tubers, roots, shoots, acorns, fruits, berries, earthworms, amphibians, reptiles, rodents. |
| Vole - Bank Vole |
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| About the Bank Vole: Bank Vole's are newcomers to Ireland where it was first seen in 1964 in Kerry and it probably came as a stowaway on ships sailing up the River Shannon. They like to live in bramble, scrub and hedges. They eat berries, seeds, fungi and bark but also enjoy the odd insect. It has reddish-brown fur and it has a greyish long underbelly. It has short legs and long toes which is very useful for gripping when it climbs. They make high-pitched sounds which we cannot hear as well as squeaks. They use hedges as corridors and are very active at dawn and dusk. |
| Wolf |
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| About Wolves: Extinct since the 18th century. Place-names like Breaghva or 'plain of the wolves'. An Irish tribe actually claimed ancestry from the wolf and Cormac, a King of Ireland, was reputed to have been suckled by a she-wolf. Wolves as carrion eaters were also linked in many cultures with death - the night and the moon adding to the image. Among the ancient Irish, two dogs were said to guard the gates of death that led to Emaina - 'Moonland'. Wolves were a common feature of the Irish landscape until 1786 when the last one was killed. |