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Environmental Records Centre
for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

 

 

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Checklist of mammal species for Cornwall

Available to download

An indication of those six species found on the Isles of Scilly is given in the notes column.

Terrestrial mammals (excluding bats):

English name
Scientific name
Notes
Badger Meles meles -
Bank Vole Clethrionomys glareolus -
Brown Hare Lepus europaeus -
Common Dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius -
Common Rat Rattus norvegicus Found on the Isles of Scilly.
Common Shrew Sorex araneus -
Fallow Deer Dama dama -
Feral Cat Felix catus There are numerous unconfirmed reports of big cats in Cornwall. Most descriptions refer to black ‘puma-like’ animals.
Ferret Mustela furo -
Field Vole Microtus agrestis -
Fox Vulpes vulpes -
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis -
Harvest Mouse Mycromys minutus -
Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus Found on the Isles of Scilly.
House Mouse Mus domesticus Found on the Isles of Scilly.
Lesser White-toothed Shrew Crocidura suaveolens Not found in mainland Cornwall; found on the Isles of Scilly
Mink Mustela vison -
Mole Talpa europaea -
Otter Lutra lutra -
Pygmy Shrew Sorex minutus -
Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus Found on the Isles of Scilly.
Red Deer Cervus elaphus -
Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus -
Stoat Mustela erminea -
Water Shrew Neomys fodiens -
Water Vole Arvicola terrestris Now very rare, possibly extinct, in Cornwall.
Weasel Mustela nivalis -
Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus Found on the Isles of Scilly.

Although not on the Cornish list at present, both Polecat Mustela putorius and Pine Marten Martes martes could colonise parts of Cornwall in the future. Polecats are slowly spreading into English counties by natural recolonisation from Wales. Pine Martens are being re-introduced to some southern counties (probably including Devon) by English Nature at some future date (Species Recovery Programme).

There are a number of unconfirmed “records” of Muntjak Deer Muntiacus reevesi referring to the Cornwall side of the River Tamar. Given that this species is established in Devon, and given its secretive nature, it is very possible that Muntjak are now resident in Cornwall.

Bat species:

English name
Scientific name
Notes
Barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus -
Brandt’s Bat Myotis brandti -
Brown Long-eared Bat Plecotus auritus -
Daubenton’s Bat Myotis daubentoni -
European Free-tailed Bat Tadarida teniotis Vagrant species - one record.
Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum -
Kuhl’s Pipistrelle Pipistrellus kuhlii Vagrant species – one record.
Leisler’s Bat Nyctalus leisleri One old record, no recent records
Lesser Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus hipposideros -
Nathusius’s Pipistrelle Pipistrellus nathusii Vagrant species – three records
Natterer’s Bat Myotis nattereri -
Noctule Nyctalus noctula -
Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus The Pipistrelle has been split into two species – Common Pipistrelle and Soprano Pipistrelle. Both species are found in Cornwall.
Serotine Eptesicus serotinus Only recently recorded on a bat recorder.
Whiskered Bat Myotis mystacinus -

Marine species:

English name
Scientific name
Notes
Atlantic Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus -
Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus One stranding known of this species (1843).
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus -
Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis -
Cuvier’s Beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris -
False Killer Whale Pseudorca crassidens One stranding in 1974.
Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalis A few recent records since 1996.
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae -
Killer Whale (Orca) Orcinus orca -
Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata -
Northern Right Whale Eubalena glacialis Reduced in numbers in recent years.
Pilot Whale Globicephala melas -
Porpoise Phocoena phocoena -
Risso’s or Grey Dolphin Grampus griseus -
Sei Whale Balaenoptera borealis One live stranding.
Sowerby’s Beaked Whale Mesoplodon bidens Three strandings – 1991 being the most recent.
Sperm Whale Physeter catodon -
Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba -
White-beaked Dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris -
White-sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus -

Available to download

 

 

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Wildlife information for wildlife conservation

ERCCIS
Five Acres, Allet, Truro, Cornwall, TR4 9DJ
Phone: (01872) 240777
Fax: (01872) 225476
Email: erccis@cornwt.demon.co.uk
Website: http://www.cornwallwildliferecords.co.uk