SIONNACH
FOX
Vulpes vulpes
FOX
The little stars on this map
represent the distribution
of Foxes throughout Ireland.
Each square on the map is
equivalent to 100 kilometres
by 100 kilometres.
SIONNACH
Vulpes vulpes
The Fox has been with us for a long, long time. Throughout the years, he has been hunted by man,
but, because he is an intelligent animal, he has been able to survive all the trapping, hunting and
shooting. The fox is still very common all over this country. You may not have seen these handsome
animals because they usually spend the daylight hours sleeping, only coming out to hunt when it
gets dark. The fox has a thick red-brown coat with white underparts and a long white-tipped tail or
brush. He and the female fox (a vixen) live in an ‘earth’ or underground burrow. Sometimes they
occupy a badger’s ‘sett’ or a rabbit’s burrow. The badger’s neat home is soon turned into a bit of a
mess by the untidy fox family! In April, three to six cubs are born. Foxes are very good parents. Unlike
some other wild animals, the dog-fox is an excellent father. He provides food for the vixen and her
cubs and helps his mate to rear the family. The cubs begin to leave home in the late summer. They
soon go their own separate ways, for foxes are solitary animals and prefer to be on their own. Foxes
do a very important job of controlling the numbers of pests like rats and mice.
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ENFO
17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Tel: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.enfo.ie
INFORMATION ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
ENFO
17 Sráid San Aindrias, Baile Átha Cliath 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Teil: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
R.phost: [email protected]
Gréasán: www.enfo.ie
IORA RUA
RED SQUIRREL
Sciurus vulgaris
RED SQUIRREL
The little stars on this map represent
the distribution
of Red Squirrels throughout Ireland.
Each square on the map is
equivalent to 100 kilometres by 100
kilometres.
IORA RUA
Sciurus vulgaris
INFORMATION ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
Everyone loves the Red Squirrel because of the colour of its coat and beautiful big tail. These pretty
acorns, pine seeds, fungi and berries. During the autumn, this food is stored away for winter use,
little creatures like to live in coniferous (or cone-bearing) woodlands. Squirrels are wonderful
carefully hidden in holes or hollows. But the forgetful creatures often can’t remember where they
acrobats, scampering up and down the tree and jumping from branch to branch. The male squirrel
put the hidden food!
builds a big nest or drey in the tree and it is a cosy home for his family. The drey is made of twigs,
There are also a large number of Grey Squirrels in this country. They were originally brought over
leaves, mosses and bark. Squirrels do not hibernate in the winter but they avoid the cold and wet
here from North America. Grey squirrels are bigger than our native red squirrels and can eat more
weather. They like a good sleep but they wake up if the weather improves. A squirrel eats nuts,
types of food and so are replacing reds in many areas.
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ENFO
17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Tel: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.enfo.ie
ENFO
17 Sráid San Aindrias, Baile Átha Cliath 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Teil: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
R.phost: [email protected]
Gréasán: www.enfo.ie
DOBHARCHÚ
OTTER
Lutra lutra
OTTER
The little stars on this map
represent the distribution
of Otters throughout Ireland.
Each square on the map is
equivalent to 100 kilometres
by 100 kilometres.
DOBHARCHÚ
Not very many people have seen an otter. This is a pity, for it is one of our most graceful and attractive animals. Looking
like an overgrown stoat, the otter has a long body and tail and short legs. It is a semi-aquatic creature, equally at home
on land or in the water. The otter is a wonderful swimmer with a body perfectly suited to underwater activity. Its coat
is waterproof and with webbed toes and a long tail for a rudder, it can swim effortlessly in search of prey, such as coarse
fish, eels and frogs, etc. Large lungs enable it to take a deep breath which keeps it going under the water for three
minutes or more. Out of the water, an otter will hunt for rabbits, mice, voles and birds. Otters live near water, beside
lakes, rivers and streams. They make a home called a “holt” in a bank with the entrance under the water or it may be in
an old rotten tree-stump. The mother otter has a litter of one to three “whelps” which are born blind. the babies remain
in the holt for about eight weeks after birth and both parents hunt to feed them. After this period, the whelps are
taught to swim. The strange thing is that they are not too keen to take to the water. They have to be coaxed to follow
the mother otter across shallow water. Sometimes the babies have to pushed down the river bank. Once in the water,
they soon become expert at catching their own food. Otters are very playful and even when they are fully grown, they
love to slide down muddy banks into the water. Otters are a protected animal but are often harmed by water pollution,
so make sure to never pollute water.
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ENFO
17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Tel: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.enfo.ie
INFORMATION ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
ENFO
17 Sráid San Aindrias, Baile Átha Cliath 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Teil: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
R.phost: [email protected]
Gréasán: www.enfo.ie
LUCH FHÉIR
FIELD MOUSE
Apodemus sylvaticus
FIELD MOUSE
The little stars on this map
represent the distribution of
Field Mice throughout Ireland.
Each square on the map is
equivalent to 100 kilometres
by 100 kilometres.
LUCH FHÉIR
Apodemus sylvaticus
The Field Mouse is one of our prettiest little animals. It has a coat of brown and white fur with an
orange spot on the chest. This tiny, timid creature has a long tail, large oval ears and huge shortsighted eyes. In spite of its name, it can also be found in hedgerows, scrub, woods and even sanddunes. Field Mice sleep during the day and move around at night. They are very active animals,
running, hopping and climbing, always on the look-out for seeds, berries, nuts and insects. They like
to save food and sometimes they scramble up a tree to use an old bird’s nest as a food store. The
Field Mouse makes a burrow about three feet below the surface. This burrow has three entrances.
The breeding nest is made of shredded grass and is found at the end of the burrow. The mother Field
Mouse produces a litter of four to eight babies and she may have three or more litters in one year.
The young are born blind and they open their eyes in about a fortnight. They remain in the family
burrow even when they are fully-grown, sharing it with brothers and sisters and other relatives. Field
Mice have good reason to be nervous for they have many enemies such as cats, dogs, stoats, foxes
and crows. Field Mice do not hibernate although they are less active in the winter. They have the food
which they stored in burrows or holes during Autumn.
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ENFO
17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Tel: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.enfo.ie
INFORMATION ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
ENFO
17 Sráid San Aindrias, Baile Átha Cliath 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Teil: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
R.phost: [email protected]
Gréasán: www.enfo.ie
EASÓG
STOAT
Mustela erminea
STOAT
The little stars on this map
represent the distribution
of Stoats throughout Ireland.
Each square on the map is
equivalent to 100 kilometres
by 100 kilometres.
EASÓG
Mustela erminea
The Irish stoat is an elegant little animal with a long slender body and neck, short legs and a black-tipped tail.
Many people call it a weasel but there are not weasels in Ireland. Its coat is reddish-brown above with white or
yellowish underparts. Stoats live in woods, high moorland, mountains and open country where there are walls,
hedges and ditches. Like other furry animals, stoats spend a lot of daylight hours sleeping, emerging at night to
hunt. However, they can sometimes be seen frolicking in the sunshine, jumping dancing, turning somersaults and
wriggling like a snake. Although stoats are so playful, they are very skilled and fierce killers! They will attack rats,
mice, birds, leverets and animals such as rabbits which are much bigger than themselves. When confronted by a
stoat, a rabbit is often so terrified that it becomes paralysed with fear and may even die of fright! Because they
destroy huge numbers of rodents in this way, stoats are much more beneficial than harmful. The stoat itself has
enemies such as owls, foxes, cats, dogs and people who tend poultry and game. Stoats breed once a year, mother
stoat producing a litter in March/April. The stoat nursery may be a hold in a bank, a hollow tree trunk, a rock
crevice or a rabbit’s burrow. There may be up to ten babies in a litter, blind for the first nine days. They develop
very quickly and, in no time at all, they can follow their mother when she goes hunting. Stoats are very inquisitive
animals and, if anything catches their attention, they will stand upright folding their paws over their chests.
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ENFO
17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Tel: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.enfo.ie
INFORMATION ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
ENFO
17 Sráid San Aindrias, Baile Átha Cliath 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Teil: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
R.phost: [email protected]
Gréasán: www.enfo.ie
GRÁINNEOG
HEDGEHOG
Erinaceus europaeus
HEDGEHOG
The little stars on this map
represent the distribution of
Hedgehogs throughout Ireland.
Each square on the map is
equivalent to 100 kilometres
by 100 kilometres.
GRÁINNEOG
Erinaceus europaeus
The hedgehog is unlike any of our other small animals. Instead of being soft and furry, its head and body
are covered with hard pointed prickles which help to protect it from other animals which might want to
eat it. During the daylight hours, the hedgehog lies curled up asleep in a bed of leaves, grass and moss.
The prickly little creature usually emerges when the sun goes down, grunting and sniffing, hunting for
worms, snails, slugs, beetles and other insects. The hedgehog’s sight may be poor but its hearing and
sense of smell are very sensitive. The tread of paws on the soil alerts it of possible danger and it will roll
up into a ball to protect itself from attack. Hedgehogs are good climbers and good swimmers, too. When
hedgehogs are born, four or five to each litter, they are blind. Their short white spines soon become strong
and sharp. The family lives under bushes, in hollows or under tree roots. During autumn, hedgehogs eat as
much as possible to get fat for the winter. As the weather gets colder, the hedgehog’s food becomes
scarce and the animal becomes drowsy and slow-moving. It makes a bed, sometimes in a rabbit hole, and
curls up for a long winter’s sleep. A mild spell of weather sets in, the hedgehog goes into a deep sleep,
waking up in March thin and hungry. It begins to hunt for food at once in the spring sunshine. Hedgehogs
do an important job of controlling the number of slugs and snails in our fields and gardens.
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ENFO
17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Tel: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.enfo.ie
INFORMATION ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
ENFO
17 Sráid San Aindrias, Baile Átha Cliath 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Teil: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
R.phost: [email protected]
Gréasán: www.enfo.ie
COINÍN
RABBIT
Oryctolagus cuniculus
RABBIT
The little stars on this map
represent the distribution of
Rabbits throughout Ireland.
Each square on the map is
equivalent to 100 kilometres
by 100 kilometres.
COINÍN
Oryctolagus cuniculus
As can be seen on the map, rabbits are widespread throughout this country. They live in large colonies or warrens
and spend most of the time underground in tunnels called burrows, coming out at dawn and dusk to eat and
exercise. They make their burrows among grasslands, woods, sand-dunes and cultivated fields. Because they eat
only vegetable matter, rabbits can do great damage to agricultural crops with their chisel-like teeth or incisors. A
rabbit is a timid animal and is always looking out for warnings of danger. Its eyes are very wide apart and it can see
all around without turning its head. With such good eyesight, a keen sense of smell and sensitive long ears, a rabbit
soon detects enemies such as stoats, foxes, badgers dogs – and man! Male rabbits are called bucks and females
are called does. A doe usually has eight or more babies between January and June. Before the litter is born, she
digs a hole in the ground and makes a cosy nest of leaves and ferns, lining it with fur plucked from her own chest.
After the birth, the doe blocks the entrance to the breeding hole. The young rabbits are born naked, blind and
helpless, but very soon fur appears on their pink bodies and their big bright eyes open. After a couple of weeks, they
are able to run around and nibble the grass. It is believed that rabbits were introduced into Ireland by the Normans
in the thirteenth century. Although they are common now, rabbits are not as numerous as they were in the 1950’s.
At that time, a terrible disease called myxamatosis struck and hundreds of thousands of rabbits died.
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ENFO
17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Tel: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.enfo.ie
INFORMATION ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
ENFO
17 Sráid San Aindrias, Baile Átha Cliath 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Teil: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
R.phost: [email protected]
Gréasán: www.enfo.ie
RóN GLAS
GREY SEAL
Halichoerus grypus
*
GREY SEAL
The little stars on this map
represent the distribution of
Grey Seals throughout Ireland.
Each square on the map is
equivalent to 100 kilometres
by 100 kilometres.
RÓN GLAS
Halichoerus grypus
There are two species of seals to be found around the coasts of Ireland, the Grey Seal and the
Common Seal. A seal is a fish-eating mammal whose body is perfectly adapted for life in the water. It
has a pair of webbed flippers which it uses as a fish uses its tail. A male Grey Seal (bull) can measure
from 210cm to 270cm. The female (cow) is smaller. A seal’s body is protected by a layer of fat called
blubber which is covered by a coat of close fur. When swimming underwater, a seal has a valve which it
can close to keep the water out of its nostrils. In the water, the seal is a graceful swimmer but ashore
its movements are awkward and clumsy. During the breeding season, Grey Seals gather in large
colonies on rocky coasts where there are cliffs and caves. The bull seal regards the females as his own
property and he will fight any young bull foolish enough to interfere. Baby seals (pups) are born in
September and October. With their coats of woolly white hair and big brown eyes, seal pups look like
big puppy dogs. At three weeks, the pup sheds its first coat and becomes darker. After about five or
six weeks it enters the sea. The mother seals play with their babies in the water and they guard them
fiercely against any intruder. Female seals have a strange singing ‘hoot’ and when they gather in large
numbers ashore they make a loud wailing chorus which can be heard a long distance away.
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ENFO
17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Tel: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.enfo.ie
INFORMATION ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
ENFO
17 Sráid San Aindrias, Baile Átha Cliath 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Teil: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
R.phost: [email protected]
Gréasán: www.enfo.ie
FIA RUA
RED DEER
Cervus elaphus
RED DEER
The little stars on this map
represent the distribution of
Red Deer throughout Ireland.
Each square on the map is
equivalent to 100 kilometres
by 100 kilometres.
FIA RUA
Cervus elaphus
The Red Deer is our biggest wild animal. The male deer is called a stag. He has large antlers which
begin to grow in April of his second year and are fully grown by August or September. The female deer
is called a hind. She does not have antlers. Stags and hinds usually keep apart in separate groups,
but when the mating season begins in October/November, a stag leaves his group and joins the hinds.
At this time, he will gather as many hinds as he can and will fight any other stag which tries to take
over the herd. Stags roar and bellow and try to lord it over the females but it is the hinds which are
the real leaders of the herds. Calves are born in June. They are brown with white spots. A calf will stay
with its mother for about a year. Red Deer herds are often large and may be seen on mountains and
moorlands. They used to live close to forests but, with the destruction by people of most of our trees,
Red Deer have retreated to open country. These deer are very cautious animals. They have exceptional
sight and hearing with a wonderful sense of smell which warns them of danger. Herds search for food
and water at dusk. They eat grass, heather and young tree shoots and if there are too many deer
they do a lot of damage to woodlands by eating the seedling and bark of trees. Red Deer were hunted
almost to extinction in the past but are a protected species in this country now.
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ENFO
17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Tel: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.enfo.ie
INFORMATION ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
ENFO
17 Sráid San Aindrias, Baile Átha Cliath 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Teil: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
R.phost: [email protected]
Gréasán: www.enfo.ie
BROC
BADGER
Meles meles
BADGER
The little stars on this map
represent the distribution of
Badgers throughout Ireland.
Each square on the map is
equivalent to 100 kilometres
by 100 kilometres.
BROC
Meles meles
The badger is a thick-set animal with a coarse grey coat and a handsome white, black striped head. With
its powerful limbs and bear-like claws, the badger is a great digger. Its home consists of tunnels which lead
underground to a main living chamber and smaller sleeping quarters. These tunnels are called “setts” and
they have large entrance holes. Setts are often dug in woodland on sloping ground and can be hundreds of
years old. Badgers are tidy housekeepers and they make their homes comfortable with grass, straw,
bracken and leaf mould. Cubs are born in early spring and they are blind at birth. The female (the sow) is a
very caring mother who keeps her babies clean and free from ticks. The male (the boar) has to live in a
separate chamber before the cubs are born and he cannot visit the babies until the sow gives him
permission! When the cubs are ready to come out of the sett, they do not hunt with their parents. They
play noisily around the entrance, running about and digging holes. The adult badgers are night creatures
and when dusk comes, they emerge cautiously after sniffing and listening to make sure it is safe to start
the search for food. A badger has a large appetite and will eat almost anything! Young rabbits, rats, mice
and frogs are caught and eaten. Earthworms, beetles, acorns and even bees’ and wasps’ nests are also
eaten sometimes. Be careful not to throw litter in the countryside where our wonderful wildlife lives!
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ENFO
17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Tel: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.enfo.ie
INFORMATION ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
ENFO
17 Sráid San Aindrias, Baile Átha Cliath 2.
LoCall: 1890 200 191
Teil: (01) 888 3911 / (01) 888 3933
R.phost: [email protected]
Gréasán: www.enfo.ie