The Badger
You’ll never
guess…
• The scientific name for the Badger is Meles meles.
• Badgers are the only predators of hedgehogs!
• Badgers are closely related to otters, stoats, weasels, polecats and
pine martens.
• Badgers keep their setts very clean. They do not
poo in them and they do not take food into them.
• A male badger is called a boar, a female is called a sow and a young
badger is a cub. A group of badgers is called a cete, or a clan.
• Although both the badger and its sett are protected
by law, this does not prevent the death of many
badgers killed by road traffic every year. Badgers
follow the same paths all their lives, so if a road is
built across their path they will continue
to use it. On some new roads where
an established badger path is known
to exist, special badger tunnels have
been built.
• The badgers dig out and live in a maze of underground tunnels and
chambers called a sett, they like to build their setts into sloping ground
in woodlands.
• The Badgers in Great Britain and Ireland are European badgers, but
there are a variety of badger species around the world.
• Their favourite foods are earthworms, insects, roots, fruits and berries.
They may even catch a young rabbit or a frog occasionally.
• Badgers are rarely seen during the day, they are nocturnal and prefer
to do their hunting at night.
• Badgers do not hibernate, but will stay in their setts to wait out the
colder weather.
• The Irish word for badger is Broc.
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The Brown Rat
• The scientific name for the Brown Rat is Rattus norvegicus.
• The Irish for brown rat is Francach Donn.
• Male rats are called bucks, females are called does, mother rats are
dams and young are called kittens or pups.
• Brown rats can generally be found anywhere there are humans.
• They are most active at dawn and dusk so you may not be aware that
they are around.
You’ll never
guess…
• Brown rats will share food and take care of sick and
injured rats in the group.
• When brown rats are happy they make a burring
or clicking noise by grinding their teeth. They also
make happy ‘laughter’ sounds when they play.
• They will eat almost anything, even other rats. However, they much
prefer to eat cereals.
Fantastic Fact!
• Brown rats are a source of food for predators such as foxes, stoats
and birds of prey.
• Rats use their tails for balance and to regulate their
body temperature.
• Rats are very intelligent which makes it difficult to catch them in traps.
• Rats carry over 70 diseases including salmonella but brown rats did
not and do not carry plague.
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The Grey Squirrel
• The scientific name for a grey squirrel is Sciurus carolinensis.
• The name ‘squirrel’ comes from two Greek words meaning ‘Shadow
Tail’, referring to the way its tail sits up behind it like a shadow.
• Grey squirrels are an invasive species – they are native to North
America.
• They were first introduced to Ireland in 1911, apparently after a
wedding party in Co. Longford.
You’ll never
guess…
• Squirrels belong to the same family as mice and
rats!
• Both grey and red squirrels are surprisingly good
swimmers.
• Grey squirrels love eating acorns but red squirrels
are not able to digest them.
• Grey squirrels eat acorns, nuts, cereals, fruit and flowers but
sometimes will take eggs and young birds from nests.
• Grey squirrels carry the squirrel pox virus which
infects and kills red squirrels.
• They are active during the day in trees but will often come down to
ground for food.
• Grey squirrels strip the bark of trees to get
at the soft layers and sap underneath.
This can kill the tree.
• Grey squirrels do not hibernate but they like to prepare for winter by
burying food, or hiding it in hole in trees during the autumn.
• Nuts and seeds which are not found can germinate and grow into new
trees and plants.
• The Irish for grey squirrel is Iora Glas.
Pesky Facts!
• Grey squirrels do not attack and kill red squirrels but they do compete
for food and habitat.
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The Hedgehog
• The scientific name for the hedgehog is Erinaceus europaeus.
• Hedgehogs have existed for far longer than humans, at least 10
million years! Humans as we know them have only been existed for
around 200,000 years.
• Hedgehogs are insectivores and eat mainly slugs, caterpillars, beetles
and insect larvae. They will also eat eggs and even young rabbits if
they encounter them.
• They spend most of the day in spring and summer resting, before
emerging at dusk to forage for food. They can cover anywhere up to 4
kilometres in a single night.
You’ll never
guess…
• Hedgehogs can be useful for gardeners as they
naturally prey on insects and bugs commonly seen
as pests.
• To encourage hedgehogs to stay, some even
leave out bread and milk for the hedgehogs. This
is actually very bad for them, and can make the
hedgehogs very sick! Cat or dog food is better.
• Hedgehogs are protected by law. If you find an
injured hedgehog you must take it to someone who
has a licence for looking after them.
• Hedgehogs hibernate in winter. They will store up fat in their bodies
and when the colder weather sets in, they will curl up in a nest called
a hibernacula. They don’t sleep right through the winter however,
they will often wake up and forage before moving to a different nest.
• An adult hedgehog has around 3000-5000 spines. Each one last
about a year before it falls out and is replaced.
• The Irish for hedgehog is Grainneóg.
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You’ll never
guess…
The House Mouse
• The scientific name for the house mouse is Mus musculus.
• The house mouse is common in people’s homes and also anywhere
they can seek shelter. This includes farms and industrial buildings.
They are also common in hedgerows and in the countryside.
• The house mouse will eat anything, even soap, plaster and plastics
but their favourite foods are cereals .
• A male mouse is called a buck, a female a doe and their young are
called pinkies.
• They are most active at night but have poor eyesight. They do have a
great sense of hearing and smell and can also use their whiskers to
help orient themselves.
• The house mouse can slip through any space that a
pencil will fit through.
• The house mouse can carry as many as 200
human pathogens (that’s germs which make you
sick!)
Crazy Fact!
• A female house mouse can give birth to 10 litters a
year, each with 10 ‘pinkies’. That’s 100 young per
year!
• The house mouse can visit up to 30 feeding sites in one night, and if
they are using just one site, they can visit up to 200 times!
• The Irish for house mouse is An Luch.
Stinky Fact!
A house mouse produces
between 40 and 100 droppings
a day! This makes them a big
problem in corn mills, as they
will ruin more food
than they eat!
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You’ll never
guess…
The Irish Hare
• The scientific name for the Irish Hare is Lepus timidus hibernicus.
• The Irish hare (Giorria, in Irish), is unique to Ireland, but is a subspecies of the more common mountain hare.
• They are larger than rabbits.
• Unlike rabbits, hares do not dig warrens. Instead they scrape out
shallow nests in grasses. These are called forms.
• Hares are rarely found near houses or in built-up areas. They can be
seen during the day but are most active at night.
• They are herbivores and will eat different grasses, plants and berries,
and will even eat seaweed if they are in coastal areas.
• Young hares are called leverets, females are called
does and male hares are called bucks or jacks.
• The babies are born covered in fur with their eyes
open. They can run shortly after birth.
• Young hares are often mistaken for rabbits.
• Foxes and birds of prey are the hare’s greatest
predators, stoats kill many leverets.
• Hares can make faint ‘purring’ noises but will
scream when
frightened.
• Irish hares can run very fast and change direction quickly which helps
them to outwit predators.
• Irish hares will forage in large groups when there is lots of food.
• The Irish hare can live for up to 9 years but large numbers die at a
very young age.
• The Irish hare is a protected species. Special protection
orders make it illegal to kill them by any method.
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Hares eat their poo! This
is normal as all the food
is not fully digested first
time. Poo still contains
lots of nutrients.
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The Mink
• The scientific name for the Mink is Mustela vison.
They are known as American mink as they originally come from North
America and Canada.
• Mink like to live close to water – slow, shallow rivers and lakes, but
they can sometimes be found in coastal areas.
• They are very fast hunters and will eat anything they can catch and
kill.
• Their diet consists largely of birds, young rabbits, rats, frogs and
insects but they will also eat shellfish if they can find them.
You’ll never
guess…
• Mink belong to the same family as otters, badgers
and stoats.
• Mink were first brought to Ireland in the 1950s to be
farmed for their fur, but some managed to escape
into the wild. They hunt and kill many native species.
• Mink farming was banned in Northern Ireland in 2003.
• Mink do not hibernate, their thick fur keeps them
warm over winter.
• The Irish for mink is Minc Mheiriceanach.
• They are largely nocturnal, doing their hunting and feeding at night
but they can be seen during the day.
• They spend the day in their dens, which are often hollow trees, gaps
in rocks or spaces between tree roots. They line these with fur, grass
and feathers for warmth.
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The Otter
• The scientific name for the otter is Lutra lutra.
• They are found living on river banks, lake shores and along coastlines
in holts or dens.
• They are active late evening and early morning so they can live on a
stretch of river without being seen. If you look carefully, you may be
able to spot tracks where they enter the water and fish bones they
leave after they have eaten.
• They eat mainly fish, but also like worms, insects and they even eat
birds sometimes. Their absolute favourite food is eels.
• As you might expect, otters are fantastic swimmers and use their tails
and webbed feet to help them speed through the water. They are also
able to close off their nostrils to help them with diving.
You’ll never
guess…
• The Irish for otter is madra uisce or dobharcú, both
mean water dog or hound.
• In Ireland, otters which live and rivers and those
which live on the coast are the same species. Those
living at the coast need access to fresh water to rid
their coats of salt.
• In Celtic mythology there are many stories of otters
helping people, usually by bringing them fish.
• Although otter populations have declined elsewhere,
they have always remained stable in Ireland.
• One of the biggest dangers to otters is man. This is partly because
their habitat, dense cover along the edge of waterways, is often
cleared. Many also run into trouble on the roads.
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You’ll never
guess…
The Pine Marten
• The scientific name for the Pine Marten is Martes martes.
• The pine marten belongs to the same family as the mink, otter, badger
and stoat, known as the mustelid family.
• Young Pine Martens are called Kits.
• They live mostly in forests or woodland areas in tree hollows, old
squirrel dreys, badger setts and rock crevices. Sometimes, they have
even been known to nest in the attic spaces of houses!
• Pine martens were almost extinct in Ireland at the
end of the 20th century.
• Pine martens are very cat-like in appearance hence
the Irish name, Cat crainn, sometimes also called
marten cats.
• In one night a pine marten can travel up to 30km.
• The numbers of pine marten are increasing in Ireland and Scotland
but they are still rare in England and Wales. In Northern Ireland, the
largest numbers are found in counties Fermanagh and Tyrone but
they are now also becoming relatively common in parts of counties
Down and Armagh.
• Pine martens are largely carnivorous feeding mostly on small
mammals such as wood mice, rats, young rabbits and hares,
birds, frogs, beetles and earthworms.
• Pine martens do not hibernate – they find what food they
need to survive over the winter months, hunting largely
at night. They will store some food to use over the winter.
Stinky Fact!
By studying pine marten
faeces (poo!) scientists have
discovered that they eat
a lot of grey squirrel!
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The Pipistrelle Bat
• Pipestrelles are the most common bat species in Great Britain and
Ireland, and also the smallest. They would fit into a matchbox quite
comfortably.
• There are two species, they look very similar and can only be told
apart by the frequency of their echolocation.
• The Common Pipistrelle is Pipistrellus pipistrellus and the Soprano
pipestrelleis Pipistrellus pygmaeus (ialtóg fheascrach and ialtóg
shopránach).
• Pipistrelles do live in hedgerows and woodland areas, but prefer
to live in buildings, in the roof structure of houses, in the eaves or
sometimes in cavity walls.
• The Pipistrelle likes to eat small flies, as well as midges and
mosquitoes. One pipestrelle can eat around 3,500 insects in one
night.
• Nursery roosts of soprano pipistrelles can have around 1500 bats,
common pipestrelles slightly less. Only a few males are present in
nursery roosts. Babies are born late June or early July.
• They hibernate from October/November but if the weather gets very
cold they may be forced to move. This is why you may see them in
buildings in winter.
• In Ireland, the common pipestrelle can live for around 7 years.
The Pipistrelle weighs
3-8 Grams. A 1p coin weighs
3.56 grams!
You’ll never
guess…
• Houses in ancient times did not have glass windows
so people had to share their homes with bats!
• In Irish folklore, if a bat was seen near a house it
meant death for someone living there. Many people
happily share their attics with bats without any
problem!
• All bats are protected. It is against the law to injure
or kill any.
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The Pigmy Shrew
You’ll never
guess…
• The Pygmy Shrew is found throughout Great Britain and Ireland, its
larger relative, the Common Shrew is not found in Ireland at all.
• While the pygmy shrew is very small, it has an
interesting defences against attack. It has glands
that secrete a musky smelling substance when the
shrew is surprised or senses danger. It also makes
them taste bad. Cats kill many but never eat them.
• It is often mistaken for a mouse but it can be identified by its long,
flexible snout.
• They are too small to store fat to hibernate so they
spend all winter eating constantly to keep warm.
• It can be found anywhere there is dense vegetation but it doesn’t like
dense forest.
• They are important prey for barn owls.
• The scientific name for the pygmy shrew is Sorex minutus.
• The pygmy shrew is Ireland’s smallest mammal.
• While most shrews are nocturnal, the pygmy shrew is a little more
active during the day.
• The Irish for pygmy shrew is Dollóg Fhraoigh.
• The pygmy shrew has quite poor eyesight, but a fantastic sense of
smell. This helps them hunt and forage both above and below ground.
• Their diet consists mostly of insects such as ants, flies, spiders,
earthworms, beetles, grubs, and caterpillars.
• A Pygmy Shrew will consume up to about 90% of its body weight in
food each day.
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You’ll never
guess…
The Rabbit
• The scientific name for the rabbit is Oryctolagus cuniculus.
• Rabbits are among the most common mammals in the UK and
Ireland, but they are not native to these lands. They were introduced
by the Normans for their meat and fur.
• Rabbits make their homes underground in tunnels called warrens or
burrows.
• Rabbits feed mainly on grass or hay, they don’t naturally eat carrots or
other vegetables.
• Rabbits do not hibernate in winter, but do reduce their activity to
conserve energy.
• There were many superstitions about rabbits right
up until the 20th century. To see a black rabbit was
considered unlucky as it may be the spirit of an
ancestor returning to earth. A white rabbit was no
better, as it could be a witch!
• To counter this, people would chant ‘Rabbits and
Hares’ first thing on the morning of the first day of
every month. • The Irish for
rabbit is Coinín.
• During the day the rabbits will mostly be found underground, before
they emerge in the evening to graze on grass and other plants.
• Rabbits play an important role in the food chain, as they are a vital
food source to foxes, stoats and buzzards.
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The Red Deer
• The scientific name for the red deer is Cervus elaphus.
• Red deer are the largest wild land mammal in the UK and Ireland.
• A male red deer is called a Stag, a female is called a Hind and a
young deer is called a calf.
• Red deer are herbivores and eat a wide variety of plants and grasses.
• Only the stags grow antlers. Every year, the antlers drop off and the
male will grow a new set the following year.
• Females often chew on the old antlers, even swallowing large chunks
of them, as they contain lots of calcium.
You’ll never
guess…
• Most of the year, red deer are generally silent.
However, during the breeding or rutting season
from late September to early November, they are
very noisy. Stags roar to show how strong they are
and to challenge other stags. They are easiest to see during this time.
• No two sets of antlers are the
same so they can be used to
identify individuals. The skin
covering antlers is called velvet.
• Most of the red deer in Ireland are descendants of those introduced
from Scotland. The only truly native red deer are found in Killarney.
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Spot the
Fox!
The Red Fox
• These are fox footprints. The print on the left
belongs to the back legs, the right is the front legs.
• The scientific name for the Red Fox is Vulpes vulpes.
• The Irish for fox is Sionnoch or Madra Rua.
• The red fox is Ireland’s only wild member of the dog family.
• Males are called dogs, females are called vixens and baby foxes can
be called cubs, kits or pups.
• See if you can spot these when you are next in
nature! • We usually think of foxes living in forests and woodlands. But they
also live in along coastlines, in mountains and even in cities!
• A Fox’s home is called an Earth. They will sometimes use old rabbit
warrens or badger setts, or even live under buildings or trees. During
the day they will use lie-up areas in grass or other vegetation.
• Foxes are omnivores. They eat a wide range of food type including
rabbits, hedgehogs, mice, frogs, beetles, berries and fungi.
They will even eat worms, caterpillars and grass or crabs
and fish at the coast! • In Irish folklore it was considered unlucky to meet a
red haired woman or a fox in the morning, especially
if you were a fisherman.
Stinky Fact!
Fox poo has a very distinctive
musky smell, it does not smell
bad like dog poo.
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The Red Squirrel
• The scientific name for the red squirrel is Sciuris vulgaris.
• Red squirrels were once common all over the UK and Ireland, but
since competition from the Grey squirrels arrived, they have been
virtually eliminated from southern regions.
• Red squirrels live in round dreys (nests) made from twigs and lined
with grass or moss. They usually put these high up in trees, where a
large branch meets the trunk.
You’ll never
guess…
• Red squirrels shed their coat twice a year. In the
spring they shed from the head to the tail, whereas
in the autumn they shed from the tail to the head no one knows why it happens like this. • The Irish for red squirrel is Easóg.
• Red squirrels eat the seeds of trees, fungi, berries and ripe fruits.
Their favourite food tends to be the hazelnut. It is very nutritious and
the tough outer shell helps sharpen the squirrel’s teeth.
• Squirrels are always planning for the winter. They bury nuts or store
them in trees to eat when they cannot find fresh supplies. They will
also store fungi in their drey to eat when it is too cold or wet to go
foraging.
• Female red squirrels can give birth up to 3 times a year. The average
litter is 3 kittens but they can give birth to up to 9!
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The Sika Deer
You’ll never
guess…
• The scientific name for the Sika deer is Cervus nippon.
• Sika is actually the Japanese word for deer.
• The Sika is originally from Japan and was brought to Ireland in 1860
by Viscount Powercourt. They were bred just south of Dublin, and
from there sold to landowners throughout the UK.
• The Irish for sika deer is Fia Seapánach.
• A male Sika is called a stag, the female a hind and young Sika, a
calf.
• Sika are herbivores, they eat grasses, heather, fruit, nuts, fungi and
leaves.
• Sika can cause problems in their habitats. They enjoy eating bark
from trees, but this damages the trees and can result in their
eventual death. They can also trample and eat crops.
• They can live for around 15 years in the wild.
• They are the smallest of the three species of deerrfound in Ireland.
• The stags shed their antlers in spring and start
growing new ones right away.
• The round white patch surrounded by black on the
rump is displayed as a warning signal.
• Sika have delicate hooves which are not suitable
for rough, mountainous ground. They prefer
lowland areas.
• Sika deer are also excellent swimmers, and have no problem
running into water to escape from their predators.
• Adult Sika deer keep the spots on their back so they also are known
as the spotted deer.
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You’ll never
guess…
The Stoat
• As its name suggests, the Irish stoat is only found in Ireland.
• Its scientific name is Mustela erminea hibernica.
• It is often mistaken for a weasel. Weasels are a separate species.
There are no wild weasels in Ireland.
• Stoats can be found in a variety of habitats including; hedgerows,
woodland, farms, along the coast and even on mountains. They are
quite common but seldom seen.
• Stoats mesmerise their prey by ‘mad’
behaviour in order to get close.
• At top speed, a stoat can reach 20mph.
That’s almost as fast as an Olympic runner in the
100 metres!
• Stoats mainly hunt at night but are often out during the day.
• The stoat is Ireland’s smallest carnivore.
• Stoats are skilled hunters. Their favourite food is rabbit which they kill
with a bite to the back of the neck. They will also eat rats, mice, birds,
eggs and insects .
• Foxes, pine martens and owls will prey on stoats.
• Young stoats are born in April and are adult size by September. • Stoats do not hibernate in winter and they only very rarely change to a
white winter coat.
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You’ll never
guess…
The Wood Mouse
• The scientific name for the wood mouse, also known as the longtailed field mouse, is Apodemus sylvaticus.
• The only other mouse species in Ireland is the house mouse.
• Its Irish name, ‘Luch féir’means ‘grass’ or ‘field’ mouse.
• The wood mouse is largely vegetarian and eats mainly seeds, nuts,
fruits and flower buds. It will also eat, at times, frogs, snails, worms
and insects.
• Farmers don’t like wood mice very much. Their
sense of smell is so acute, they can sniff out the
exact position of seeds that have been planted in a
row. Then they dig straight down to the seeds and
eat them!
• Wood mice don’t hibernate but in colder weather they become much
less active to conserve their energy.
• The wood mouse digs its own system of burrows where it makes an
area for storing food and a nesting chamber for the young.
• Wood mice spend the day resting in their burrows and emerge at
night to forage for food. A male mouse usually forages nightly over an
area about half the size of a football pitch.
• Most wood mice live for around a year.
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Word Sp-otter
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OTTER
RIVER
COAST
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EELS
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BONES
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NOSTRILS
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Batty Wordsearch
aaaa
aaa
ATTIC a
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MATCHBOX a
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