Mammals of the British Isles Trivia Quiz

Answer: Otter

Lutra lutra, the European otter, was at one time in serious decline throughout Britain, but in the last couple of decades it has made something of a comeback. Stricter regulations designed to improve the cleanliness of Britain's rivers have played a major part in this, making them more attractive not only to the otter itself but to the fish that form the major part of its diet.

Answer: Grey Seal

At the last census, in 2008, the grey seal colony numbered some 6,000. The Farne Islands, which have no full-time human inhabitants, are also an important breeding site for seabirds, especially guillemots and puffins.

Answer: Yes

There is one species of primate found throughout the British Isles - Homo sapiens, or humans. Sorry if you feel that was a trick question!

Answer: St Kilda

The St Kilda field-mouse is twice the size of the mainland species, and is believed to have been transported to the islands by Norse invaders in the 8th and 9th centuries AD. A similar subspecies, the St Kilda house-mouse, became extinct when the last human residents of St Kilda left the islands in the 1930s.

Answer: Water Vole

Despite his name, Ratty isn't a rat at all. Tragically, the species is now close to extinction in Britain, owing to a combination of habitat loss and the fact that it makes a tasty snack for American mink, large numbers of which have taken up residence in its habitat having been released into the wild from fur farms by animal rights activists. Some may wish to consider the irony in this.

Answer: Variety of blonde hedgehog found on the Isle of Alderney

There really is such a thing as a blonde hedgehog. There are around 1,000 of them on the Channel Island of Alderney that have a rare recessive gene, giving them blonde coloured spines and beady black eyes. They are not albinos, and are known locally as "Alderney Spike Girls".

Answer: Muntjac

An adult Muntjac deer measures between 43 and 52cm high at the shoulder (not much bigger than a German Shepherd dog). It is not native to the British Isles, coming originally from China and Taiwan. However, populations were introduced to a number of private parks during the early 20th century (notably Woburn Park in Bedfordshire). Enough of them escaped to establish viable wild breeding populations and hence became naturalised in the south of England and Wales.
The other options are also non-native to Britain, but have established wild breeding populations.

Answer: Kitten

Weasels usually have litters of 3-8 kittens, sometimes twice a year (in spring and summer). Once they are old enough to leave the nest, at 4-5 weeks, the kittens will be taught to hunt by their parents and left to fend for themselves by the time they are 12 weeks old. Those born early in the year may even have families of their own later in the summer.

Answer: Soprano Pipistrelle

Until recently, these two varieties of Pipistrelle were thought to be identical, and only in 1999 was the Soprano formally recognised as a separate species, on the basis of the different frequency of its call. Physically, they are pretty much impossible to tell apart, although subsequent studies have found that the Soprano tends to feed mainly over water.
Pipistrelle, incidentally, is Latin for "little squeaking beast".

Answer: Drey

The grey squirrel was introduced into Britain from America in the nineteenth century, and proceeded to displace the smaller native red squirrel to the extent that the red is now extremely rare throughout most of England and Wales. Both species build dreys, although they will also live in holes in trees.
Setts are lived in by badgers, holts by otters, and bungalows by humans.