Brown hareMammals are a group of warm blooded vertebrate animals. Uniquely, their live young feed on milk produced from mammary glands. Most but not all animals in this group have hair or fur covering their bodies. Worldwide, there are thought to be more than 5,000 species of mammals. Examples include the platypus, echidnas, kangaroos, ant-eaters, rabbits, squirrels, bats, hedgehogs, bears, sheep, dolphins, the aardvark, horses, elephants and of course humans.
In Britain there are around 60 land-based species of wild mammals, including 14 species of bats. It is estimated that the total number of individuals in Britain is around 285 million, mainly comprising of shrews and mice. In addition to native mammals there are some species which have been introduced to Britain by humans. Sometimes introduced species impact upon native species or habitats. Notable examples involving mammals include, the mink predating on the water vole and the grey squirrel threatening the survival of the red squirrel through competition and the spread of the squirrel pox virus. Rabbits were originally introduced to Britain by humans and are now considered to be naturalised. Fragile wildlife habitats can be damaged due to over-grazing by rabbits. It is said that seven rabbits graze an equivalent area to one sheep.
In the Yorkshire Dales, there are thought to be about 30 wild mammal species, including 9 or 10 bat species. Small rodents such as the wood mouse and the field vole are widespread. The mole occurs where the soil is deep enough to burrow and where there are sufficient numbers of earthworms and insect larva on which to feed. The carnivorous badger occurs throughout the Dales but only in small numbers in any one location. Other carnivores such as the fox, the stoat and the weasel can also be found in the area. Herbivorous mammals in the Dales include relatively low numbers of roe deer, some sika deer and occasional reports of both muntjac deer and red deer.
In terms of habitats, whilst the upland areas of the Dales do not support either a wide range or a large number of mammals, the low lying areas of the National Park are home to a number of threatened species. The woodlands of the North West of the National Park still support populations of red squirrels, one of the priority species for conservation action in the area. The number of reports of otters along the rivers in the Dales continues to increase, suggesting that these animals are spreading into the National Park from adjacent areas. Unfortunately there have been no recent confirmed records of water vole in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
