Fauna of Scotland

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Scottish red grouse
Gray seal
Puffin

The fauna of Scotland basically has a species composition that is characteristic of the European northwest of the Palearctic. Some of the typical large mammals of these biogeographical region, however, were wiped out in the last centuries and several other species by humans introduced .

In Scotland today, 62 species are native mammals. These include wild cats , a large population of gray seals and harbor seals, and the world's northernmost herd of bottlenose dolphins . The bird population includes numerous rare species such as black grouse and Scottish red grouse . Scotland is also an internationally important breeding area for seabirds such as the northern gannet and birds of prey such as the golden eagle . Ospreys and white-tailed eagles have returned to Scotland's breeding population for several years. The Scottish crossbill is the only vertebrate species endemic to the British Isles .

The marine areas bordering Scotland were among the most biologically productive in the world. The number of species living there is estimated at over 40,000. The Darwin Mounds , which were only discovered in 1998, are one of the important coral reefs found in the deep water zone of the temperate climate zone. 400 clearly genetically distinct populations of Atlantic salmon spawn in Scottish rivers . Of the 42 species of fish that are found in Scottish fresh waters today, half are native to this area. The other species were introduced or reached Scottish fresh waters on their own.

Only six amphibians and four terrestrial reptiles are native to Scotland's fauna. However, Scotland has a large number of invertebrates that are rare in the rest of the UK. Their number is estimated to be 14,000 species. These include a number of rare bees and butterflies . Environmental protection groups in the UK are concerned that climate change will have a negative impact on Scotland's mountain and marine fauna in particular.

Habitats

The river Dochart in Scotland

Scotland has a wide variety of habitats typical of the temperate climate zone. These include deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests, large bog areas, mountain regions, estuaries, freshwater bodies of water, coastal areas and marine areas as well as tundra steppe . Today about 14 percent of Scotland is forested. Most of this is afforestation. Before large parts of the original forests of Scotland were cleared by humans, Scotland had a dense population of boreal coniferous forests , which, due to the oceanic climate, had a large proportion of deciduous trees such as birch , rowan , oak and aspens, which is uncharacteristically large for this type of forest . There are still large stands of Scots pine , which were once characteristic of Scotland. 17 percent of the land area of ​​Scotland consists of heather and bog or is covered with peat. Caithness and Sutherland have one of the world's largest areas of ceiling bog, a special form of raised bog . Such overhead bogs are characterized by a specific fauna. Today 75 percent of Scotland is used for agriculture. Urban areas make up only 3 percent of the area of ​​Scotland. The coastline is 11,803 kilometers long. The number of offshore islands is nearly 800. 600 of them are off the western coast of Scotland. Ninety percent of all UK freshwater is found in Scotland. There are more than 30,000 so-called lochs that have fresh water and 6,600 rivers.

Thanks to the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive (FFH), a nature conservation directive of the European Union , more than 8,750 square kilometers of Scotland are FFH area in which interventions may only be carried out after compatibility assessments. 24 of the FFH areas are marine areas and a further nine are protected areas in coastal regions. The FFH areas also include the Darwin Mounds , which is considered to be the first FFH area outside coastal waters and covers 100 square kilometers.

Mammals

During the Pleistocene, apart from the Atlantic coastline of St. Kildas , Scotland was completely covered with ice. In the post-glacial warming phase, a number of mammals expanded their range to the north. Mainland Great Britain was populated by only about two-thirds of the mammal species that reached Scandinavia. The Hebrides off Scotland's west coast have half the number of mammals native to Great Britain. A total of 62 different mammal species are found in the wild in Scotland or its coastal waters. 13 of the species are bound to salt water.

Red deer
Young seal

A third of the land mammals are considered to be threatened in their population. Factors causing the population decline include pollution, habitat fragmentation, changes in agricultural use such as increased use of land for grazing, and the impact of introduced species. None of the mammal species that are included in the fauna of Scotland are limited in their distribution to Scotland. However, at least two subspecies of mammals are unique to Scotland. This is Apodemus sylvaticus hirtensi , a subspecies of the wood mouse endemic to St. Kilda , which is twice as large as the mainland subspecies and the field mouse subspecies Microtus arvalis orcadensis , which is only found on the Orkney Islands. The latter cannot be ruled out that it was introduced by early settlers more than 4,000 years ago.

Predatory mammals

Almost all species of marten that are also found in the rest of the British Isles can be found in Scotland. While it lacks the Iltis , it has pine marten in Scotland its distribution area. However, it is increasingly intermingling with the spruce marten , which is actually native to North America and has been released in the north of England. Scotland is also home to the only UK population of wild cats. The population is estimated at 400 to 2,000 individuals. The Scottish wildcat population is threatened, however, due to the lack of adequate protective measures.

The red fox is represented in Scotland with the subspecies Vulpes vulpes vulpes . This subspecies is slightly larger than the more common subspecies V. v. crucigera .

Apart from a few wanderers , the only seal species on the Scottish coast are common seals and gray seals , both of which are dog seals . The population of both species is very high here. The Scottish gray seal population was estimated at 120,600 adult animals in 2002. This corresponds to 36 percent of the world's population and more than 90 percent of the population living in British waters. The proportion for seals is similar. 90 percent of the British and therefore 36 percent of the European population lives on the coasts of Scotland.

Rodents, insectivores and rabbits

75 percent of the red squirrels still living in the British Isles live in Scottish territory. The species is threatened by the North American gray squirrel , which was first released in large numbers in the English county of Bedfordshire in 1889 and has since spread very widely on the British Isles. The larger and stronger gray squirrel has spread mainly in the deciduous forests of the lowlands. The squirrels' retreats are the climatically cooler mountain regions and coniferous forests. The long-term preservation of this species is to be ensured through the Scottish Strategy for Red Squirrel Conservation , among other things . According to studies from 2007, the increasing population of spruce martens supports the preservation of the squirrel, as the spruce martens prefer to chase after the gray squirrels. It is not yet entirely clear why squirrels benefit from the increase in the number of also introduced spruce martens. Behavioral differences may contribute to this. Gray squirrels spend more time on the ground than squirrels. Apparently for this reason they are struck by pine martens more often than squirrels.

squirrel

There are no populations of dormice , hazel or yellow-necked mice in Scotland . The harvest mouse, one of the smallest rodents , is only found in the south of Scotland. House rats are found only on Inchcolm Island in the Firth of Forth and on the Shiant Isles . Apart from the two endemic subspecies of the field mouse and the wood mouse, the rodent composition is otherwise the same as that which is characteristic of the rest of the British Isles.

The species composition of insectivores is identical to that of the British Isles, at least on the Scottish mainland. In 2004, an initiative by Scottish authorities in collaboration with the Scottish Natural Heritage and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds removed the brown-breasted hedgehogs introduced in the Outer Hebrides . This was intended to protect the breeding populations of birds such as dunlins , ringed plovers and redshanks . The measure was discussed very controversially and hedgehogs have not been killed since 2007. Captured animals are now being released on the mainland. Overall, however, the program was very successful. In 2007 only two hedgehogs were caught.

Of the hare-like order , only hares and rabbits are found in Scotland. The mountain hare is the only species that is originally native to Scotland. It is slightly smaller than the brown hare , which can now also be found in Scotland. In the highlands of Scotland, however, the mountain hare is the dominant species. The wild rabbit was introduced to Scotland by the Romans . It did not become widespread in Scotland until the 19th century.

Soay lambs on the Scottish island of Hirta

Artifacts

Scotland's largest wild land mammal is the red deer , with an estimated population of 40,000 individuals. High stocks of red deer can be found in the heather and mountain regions of Scotland. Scottish red deer are slightly smaller than their Central European counterparts. Since introduced sika deer also live in Scotland , the population is threatened by hybridization with this species. Deer are more likely to be found in the Scottish lowlands. The deer species such as the water deer and the muntjac , originally native to Asia like the sika deer and introduced in Great Britain in the course of the 20th century, are either completely absent or have so far only been represented by a few individuals.

There are several but isolated populations of feral domestic goats and domestic sheep . Of particular interest is the Soay sheep , a very primitive type of domestic sheep that represents the breeding status of farm sheep from the Neolithic period . It was brought to Soay Island in the St. Kilda Archipelago off the west coast of Scotland , either by early settlers or later by Vikings , and overgrown there. Because of the inaccessibility of the island and the low usefulness of these animals, they were spared from human influence for a long time and were thus able to preserve their original type. The herd on St. Kilda consists of about 1,000 individuals. A second herd has now also been established on the Scottish island of Hirta . A herd of semi-domesticated reindeer has lived in the Cairngorms National Park since 1952 . There is evidence that reindeer were hunted on Orkney in the 12th century .

Other mammals

Sixteen or seventeen species of bats live in the British Isles . Only nine of them are also found in Scotland. In many Scottish areas the pipebat , which is basically the most widespread European bat, the mosquito bat , which is a twin species of the pipistrelle, the brown long-eared bat , the water bat, which prefers to strike its prey at a short distance above the surface of water , and the fringed bat . The whiskered bat , the Large and Small Noctule and the Pipistrelle have compared with these types a much smaller area of distribution. On the other hand, the great and lesser horseshoe bat , the great mouse-eared bat and the Bechstein's bat , which are quite common in other areas of the British Isles, are missing .

Pipistrelle

Twenty-one species of whale have been observed in Scottish waters over the past 100 years . These include the Cuvier-beaked whale , the great killer whale , the sperm whale , minke whales , the common dolphin , the white-beaked dolphin and the round-headed dolphin . In the Moray Firth , an estuary on the North Sea coast of the Scottish Highlands, a group of 100 live  bottlenose dolphins . According to the current state of knowledge, this is the farthest north living association of this dolphin species . The preferred prey of these dolphins are common porpoises . A third of the porpoise remains examined showed evidence of bottlenose dolphin attacks. Bottlenose dolphins living in the Moray Firth are considered to be threatened, however, as the British government has decided that oil and gas may be drilled in the Moray Firth. Numerous nature conservation organizations such as WWF , the Wildlife Trust , the Marine Conservation Society and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds have objected to this project.

The Scottish fauna now also includes marsupials. In 1975 two pairs of red-necked wallabies were released on the island of Inchconachan in Loch Lomond , and they have successfully reproduced there.

Extinct mammals and planned reintroductions

During the warm periods of the Pleistocene , the Scottish fauna also included the woolly rhinoceros , an Ice Age rhinoceros species that was distributed in the cold steppes between Western Europe and East Asia, mammoths and representatives of the genus of the giant deer ( Megaloceros ) that lived during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene lived in Eurasia and northern Africa. All of these species have long been extinct. During this time, Scotland was also home to animal species such as polar bears , lemmings and arctic foxes , which are still part of the Arctic fauna today .

Walruses are rare wanderers in Scottish coastal waters

Mammals that were extinct in historical times include the Eurasian lynx , which was found in the British Isles around 1500 years ago, and Ursus arctos caledoniensis , a subspecies of the brown bear . Brown bears of Scottish origin were still used in animal baiting in the Roman Empire . The last Scottish brown bears became extinct in the 9th or 10th centuries. Elk were found in Scotland until around 1300. The last wild boars and aurochs, however, disappeared in the two centuries that followed. On the Shetland Islands were the Grice until the late 19th century a primitive domestic pig race , which was very close to the boar.

The last Scottish wolf was probably shot in Invernesshire in 1743 , and the walrus is now a rare stray on the Scottish coasts. On the St. Kilda Archipelago there was originally a subspecies of the house mouse that was only found there . It differed from the mainland subspecies, among other things, by a greater body length, denser hair, a different coat color and a slightly different skull shape. The subspecies became extinct in 1938 after the last human settlements on the island of Hirta were abandoned in 1930 . The Scottish Natural Heritage is currently planning to reintroduce the European beaver to Scotland. The first parents of a new Scottish population are said to come from Norway. Although beavers were found in the Scottish highlands until the 15th century, the Scottish government was initially opposed to this plan. According to current plans, the first animals are to be released on a trial basis in Knapdale . The reintroduction of wolves has already been discussed. An owner of a large country estate north of Inverness wanted to reintroduce these animals as part of a safari park.

Colony of fulmars on Orkney

Birds

In mammals, three phases can be distinguished, even if they partly overlap strongly: a natural settlement after the Ice Age, an extinction caused by humans and a phase in which species were and are being settled in Scotland that were not originally native to Scotland. Due to the greater mobility of birds, a comparable classification cannot be made. Although the bird of prey population declined sharply in Scotland as a result of human action, natural changes are also being superimposed on populations. The fulmar, for example, was native to Skara Brae during the Neolithic . However, during the Middle Ages, its breeding abundance was limited to the St. Kilda Archipelago. Since then this species has spread throughout the British Isles. Most of the 250 species of birds that regularly breed in the British Isles are also found in Scotland. Another 300 species are observed in Scotland with varying frequencies. 40 species of the regular breeding birds are considered threatened. 121 species show population declines. Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis, a subspecies of the wren , occurs in the St. Kilda Archipelago , which has larger feet than the mainland subspecies as the most striking distinguishing feature. The subspecies is overall somewhat larger, has a longer beak, a larger color band width of the plumage and can also be distinguished from mainland subspecies by the song. It was recognized as an independent subspecies in 1884 and placed under protection through special legislation in 1904.

Birds of prey

Almost all of the 600 golden eagles that breed in the British Isles are found in Scotland. The same applies to the breeding population of the peregrine falcon . The tree hawk , the reed harrier and the Montagu's Harrier are part of the breeding bird population in England and Wales, but they are usually absent in Scotland.

Red kite
Osprey

In 1916, an English vicar stole the eggs of the last breeding pair of sea ​​eagles to breed on Skye , and two years later the last adult sea eagle was shot in the Shetland Islands. In 1975 birds of this species were released for the first time on the Scottish island of Rum . The sea eagles spread to neighboring islands in the following years and in 2006 30 breeding pairs brooded again in Scotland. Although farmers have expressed some concerns, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) plans to release up to 100 young sea eagles on the Scottish east coast. The center of the suspension should be the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay . Some authors are of the opinion that white-tailed eagles were still breeding there occasionally in the 1960s.

The red kite was extinct in Scotland by 1879 and the RSPB began a release program in the 1980s. Although a population has established itself, the RSPB assumes that 38 percent of fledgling kites were poisoned between 1999 and 2003 and a further 9 percent were shot or otherwise killed by humans. In a 2006 publication, the RSPB suggested that prison sentences will probably put an end to this form of poaching.

After they had been missing for almost 40 years, populated osprey from the early 1950s Scotland again on its own. In 1899 they had bred near Aviemore and at Loch Arkaig there was a breeding pair until 1908. In 1952 a breeding pair settled at Loch Garten . The stock recovery was initially very slow. In 1976 there were still only 14 breeding pairs. The slow recovery was due to high levels of pesticides from prey and egg theft. The guarding of the nests meant that there were 71 breeding pairs again in 1991. The Loch Garten Osprey Center , founded by the RSPB at Loch Garten , in whose area there is also a mating ground for capercaillie , has become one of the most famous nature reserves in Great Britain. There visitors have the opportunity to watch the rearing of the young birds via cameras. Since 1959, more than two million visitors have visited this nature reserve. Scotland now has 150 breeding pairs again.

Common kestrel , hen harrier , goshawk , sparrowhawk , tawny owl and barn owl are widespread in Scotland . The little owl is only found in the south of Scotland. The common buzzard has always been able to survive in Scotland despite many years of persecution by humans. The population fell sharply in the 1950s when a myxomatosis epidemic led to a decline in prey. Between 1978 and 1998 its numbers tripled again. A very rare breeding bird in Scotland is the snowy owl . Between 1967 and 1975 a single pair was breeding on Fetlar , one of the northern islands of the Shetlands.

Northern gannet with nesting material
Bass Rock is so densely populated with gannets that the dark gray stone can no longer be seen in places

Sea birds

Scotland is the breeding area for almost half of all seabirds breeding in the European Union . For breeding population counts more than half of the world stock of gannets and a third of the world stock of Atlantic shearwaters . For four other seabird species, the Scottish population makes up 95 percent of the British Isles population, and for another 14 the proportion is more than 50 percent.

The archipelago of St. Kilda, the most remote archipelago in the United Kingdom , is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The decisive factor for this status was, among other things, the great importance that this archipelago has for a number of sea birds. Around 60,000 northern gannets and thus more than 24 percent of the world population, more than 49,000 breeding pairs of wave walkers - which corresponds to 90 percent of the European breeding population -, more than 136,000 breeding pairs of puffins and 67,000 breeding pairs of fulmars breed on it.

The island of Mingulay in the Outer Hebrides is also home to a very large population of sea birds. Among other things, razorbills breed on it . 60 percent of all great skuas, also known as skuas, nest in Scotland. Their preferred breeding grounds are the Orkneys and Shetlands, although, according to current knowledge, they did not settle in Scotland until the 18th century. In Scotland, 90 percent of all British Arctic Terns breed . The most important breeding colonies can be found on the Orkneys and the Shetlands. The black guillemot , a member of the alken family, also breeds for the most part in Scotland. Large breeding colonies can be found on the Scottish islands of Unst , Mingulay and Iona . Approximately 1000 breeding pairs of the Arctic Skua and 21,000 breeding pairs of the common crow breed in Scotland. The Scottish breeding population of the common crow represents around 40 percent of the world population.

Scotland has several areas known for their unusual densities of breeding seabirds. One of the largest breeding colonies of seabirds is in Fowlsheugh , a coastal nature reserve near Aberdeenshire . At the height of the breeding season, up to 130,000 breeding birds can be found on the cliffs. Among them are about 18,000 breeding pairs of kittiwakes , who build their nests in the steep rocky slopes and a large number of puffins, razorbill, Eissturmmöwen, silver and black-backed gulls . The Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth is home to more than 40,000 gannets and has thus reached its maximum density of breeding birds. It is considered by a number of authors to be the world's largest colony of this booby species .

Wood grouse
Dunlin

Hens, ducks and rail birds as well as plover species

The fauna of Scotland includes the capercaillie , which is the largest hen in Europe. It was exterminated in Scotland in 1785. In 1837 a new population was established with animals from Sweden. The capercaillie makes very high demands on its habitat and occurs only in coniferous, light forests with rich ground vegetation. Because of these high demands, stocks are falling across Europe. The Ptarmigan, a member of the pheasant family that is found in the tundra zone throughout the Holarctic , also breeds in Scotland . Scotland also has several other chicken birds. These include the black grouse, which has become very rare in Central Europe, and the Scottish red grouse , a subspecies of the red grouse, which is also tied to the tundra zone . Quail , partridge and pheasant are also found in Scotland. The pheasant is originally native to Asia. It was introduced as game hunting in Scotland, as in other parts of Europe. The red-legged partridge and the golden pheasant were naturalized for hunting purposes in the 18th century. However, the red-legged partridge is much rarer in Scotland than in southern and central England and the golden pheasant is a limited population living in south-west Scotland.

During the summer months , the shallow lakes of the Machair - a very fertile, mixed soil type near the coast with a high proportion of mussel sediments and organic substrates - provide a habitat for a very large number of plover species and duck birds . The ducks that can be observed here include shovelers , ear grebes , teal , eider and scoter . The Goldeneye , one actually native to northeastern Europe diving duck with bright yellow eyes, brooding since the 1970s in the Cairngorms National Park. There are now over 100 breeding pairs counted there. In addition, a large number of whooper swans overwinter in Scotland. The king eider also belongs to the winter guests. She stays irregularly on the coast of the Faroe Islands, Shetland and Orkney Islands.

Almost all of the 40,000  barnacle geese that breed in Greenland settle on Islay , an island in the Inner Hebrides , for a few days while migrating to their wintering areas . Most of these geese then move on to hibernate at the Scottish lochs. On their retreat to the breeding grounds, a similar number gathers in the vicinity of Montrose for a few days in October . The British breeding population of the rare black- throated divers and black-throated divers breed predominantly in the north and west of Scotland. While populations of the black lover are declining elsewhere, the Scottish population increased by 16 percent between 1995 and 2007, according to research by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Scottish Natural Heritage .

Other species of birds

The corn corn is also breeding in Scotland and great efforts have been made to stabilize the population. There are around 670 breeding pairs in Scotland in the summer. The wryneck is one of the very rare breeding birds in Scotland. Its population is estimated at only two to ten breeding pairs. Of the pigeon birds, the turtle dove occurs only occasionally in Scotland. The rock pigeon is limited in its range to the north and west coast of Scotland.

Crested tit

Ravens and crows can be found in Scotland both in the mountainous areas and along the coast. The hooded crow can be found here , which has been classified as a separate species since 2002. It was previously considered a subspecies of the carrion crow . Hooded crows are predominant in Scotland, although carrion crows are also found in the British Isles. According to a 2007 study, the number of hooded crows is falling sharply, while carrion crows remain stable. On the Scottish islands of Islay and Colonsay also breed also Choughs .

In addition to cross beaks found in the remaining fragments of the Caledonian Forest , and in some older plantations as the Culbin Forest and crested tits . The population is estimated at 2,400 breeding pairs. The ring thrush population has decreased to 7,000 breeding pairs. It is believed that the increase in tourism in the Scottish Highlands is the main cause. The number of breeding pairs of snow bunting is less than 100. In the winter half-year their population is larger because then there are also snow bunting that breed on the European continent. In addition, there has been a place near Dumfries since 1881 where the Eurasian dipper brood. 95 percent of the UK's mountain hangflies population is native to Scotland. The number is estimated at 64,000 breeding pairs. Mountain hangflings mainly use grass and moss tundra as breeding grounds. They are short-distance migrants who stay on fallow and stubble fields in the winter months and also use ruderal areas. In 1998, 6,000 individuals were still overwintering in the Caithness and Sutherland areas . According to a study by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the number of overwintering birds has fallen drastically: in 2006 only 300 overwintering mountain hangflies were found.

Whitethroat
Wood Warbler

Extinct birds and wanderers

Of the bird species originally native to Scotland, both the crane and the bittern are now extinct. Hunting and draining wetlands in the 18th century are to blame for the total disappearance in Scotland. The giant aalk , a flightless seabird, was originally found in large numbers on islands off Newfoundland, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland and Norway as well as in the North and Baltic Seas. But it was ultimately hunted to extinction. The last Scottish giant aalk to live on the Stac an Armin , a rock needle near St. Kilda, was killed in July 1840. The world's last two specimens that were still breeding on Eldey Island were killed by sailors four years later in order to sell their hides to Danish collectors.

Scotland's location ensures that random visitors come here again and again who have their natural range in another region. There are particularly many wanderings on the island of Fair Isle . These include the thick-billed reed warbler , the white-throated warbler , the crown warbler and the collared flycatcher . More than 345 different bird species have now been sighted on this island, which is only 7.68 square kilometers in size.

Fair Isle isn't the only place in Scotland to see bird species that are unusual for Scotland. In 2006 a yellow-billed diver was sighted near Gairloch, which was actually breeding in the high Arctic , a black- browed albatross appeared in the Outer Hebrides , an Aztec gull was found in the Shetlands and a grass creeper was sighted at Lossiemouth . Some of the most unusual guests include a North American bittern seen in 1888, a purple heron that arrived in Scotland that year, a Baikalente in 1958 and a black stork 19 years later.

The captive refugees include the Lanner falcons observed in 1976 , the Chile flamingos observed in 1976 and 1979, the black-necked swan from 1988 and the red-tailed buzzard that could be seen in Scotland a year later.

Fish and marine animals

Freshwater

Of the 42 species of fish found in Scottish freshwater waters, only half are native to the area. The native species include the allis shad , brown trout , European eel and river lamprey . Scottish rivers are spawning grounds for a large population of Atlantic salmon . Adult salmon return to the upper reaches of the rivers in late autumn. The juvenile fish migrate into the sea when they are around one year old. 400 rivers in Scotland are among these spawning waters. Genetically slightly different populations of the Atlantic salmon spawn in them.

pike

Five other fish species are considered late colonists of Scottish waters. They all colonized Scottish waters on their own before 1790. These include the pike , which likes to stay near the banks of rivers, but also colonizes lakes and ponds, the roach , the brook loach , the perch and the minnow . One of the rare native fish is the Powan , a fish from the Coregonus genus , which also includes the Lake Constance fleece and the now-extinct Gravenche . The powan is only found in two Scottish fresh waters. Its population has become rare because of the ruddy fish and the arctic char that have been introduced there. The arctic char, closely related to salmon and trout, may have been the first species to re-colonize fresh waters in Scotland after the Ice Age. It is well adapted to arctic temperatures and is the only species of fish found in the Arctic Hazensee , for example . There are a total of two hundred populations of this fish in Scotland.

The freshwater pearl mussel was once so common in Scottish waters that it was commercially harvested. Today Scotland still has the largest European populations. It still occurs in fifty rivers. Most of the freshwater pearl mussel is found in the Scottish highlands.

Salt water

The seas bordering Scotland's coast are some of the most biologically productive in the world. Almost a third of the world's whale and dolphin species are found here. Some species of red algae form an important marine habitat. There are also extensive mussel beds and seagrass meadows. The number of species found in Scottish marine waters is estimated to be over 40,000. This includes 250 species of fish. Among the most common species are cod . There are also dogfish , blue and herring sharks , sea ​​bass , halibut and some species of rays to be found here . Four species of sea turtle are also found here: the leatherback turtle , the Atlantic hybrid turtle , green turtle and loggerhead turtle , which live mainly in tropical waters, are occasionally found in Scottish waters during the summer months. While the last three species are to be classified as rare wanderers, leatherback turtles are more common. They evidently migrate here from their breeding grounds to eat jellyfish.

Amphibians and reptiles

Only six amphibians and four land reptiles are native to Scotland. These include three different types of newts : the northern crested newt , of which there are fewer than 1,000 individuals in Scotland; the pond newt and the thread newt . The other three amphibians are the common toad and the natterjack toad , both of which can only be found in four locations in southwest Scotland, and the common frog . The only introduced amphibian species is the mountain newt , which has only recently been found in the Edinburgh area .

The reptiles native to Scotland include the adder as well as the grass snake , the slow worm and the forest lizard . The smooth snake , which is otherwise found in many British regions, is absent in Scotland.

Web links

Commons : Fauna of Scotland  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ PM Thompson, Corkrey, R .; Lusseau, D .; Lusseau, SM; Quick, N.; Durban, JW; Parsons, KM & Hammond, PS: An assessment of the current condition of the Moray Firth bottlenose dolphin population . In: Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No. 175 . , Perth 2006.
  2. ^ Matthews (1968) p. 254.
  3. ↑ a b Mammals . Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original on December 30, 2006. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
  4. ↑ Fraser Darling and Boyd (1969) pp. 7, 98-102.
  5. ↑ Gooders (1994) p. 273.
  6. ^ A b Inshore Fisheries in Scotland . The Scottish Government. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
  7. ^ A b Protecting and Promoting Scotland's Freshwater Fish and Fisheries . Scottish Executive. Retrieved January 13, 2007.
  8. ^ Miles and Jackman (1991) p. 48.
  9. ↑ See, for example, I. (November 29, 2006) “Sea change as plankton head north”. Edinburgh. The Scotsman .
  10. ↑ a b Scottish wildlife habitats . Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original on December 22, 2006. Retrieved January 2, 2007.
  11. ^ CD Preston, Pearman, DA, & Dines, TD: New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora . Oxford University Press, 2002.
  12. ^ DA Ratcliffe: Flow Country: the Peatlands of Caithness and Sutherland . In: Joint Nature Conservation Committee . October 7, 1998.
  13. ↑ North Highland: Peatlands of Caithness & Sutherland . Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original on November 28, 2005. Retrieved January 2, 2007.
  14. ^ "SACs in Scotland" Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Call of August 23, 2008.
  15. ↑ a b c Trends: The Seas around Scotland . Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original on August 4, 2004. Retrieved December 28, 2010. Quoting the Scottish Office. (1998). People and nature. A new approach to SSSI designations in Scotland . The Scottish Office, Edinburgh.
  16. ↑ a b Knowledge of the Marine Environment (pdf; 1.3 MB) Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original on July 9, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  17. ^ Maclean, p. 20
  18. ^ Murray (1973) p. 72.
  19. ↑ a b National Heritage Trends (pdf) Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original on December 15, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
  20. ↑ Orkney vole (pdf; 850 kB) Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
  21. ↑ Corbet and Ovenden (1984) pp. 180-186.
  22. ↑ Benvie (2004) p. 48
  23. ↑ Scotland's Cat; 400 and counting… . Scottish Wildcat Association. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
  24. ↑ Benvie (2004) p. 18
  25. ↑ Hull (2007) pp. 184-189.
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