British Wildlife 3- 'Which Family are We?' Quiz

Answer: Squirrel

Red squirrels are native to Britain but are now mostly confined to Scotland. The grey squirrel is an introduced species from North America, which has ousted the red squirrel from most of England and Wales.

Answer: Snake

Grass snakes are reasonably common especially around damp meadows and water features. They are non-venomous. Smooth snakes are extremely rare and are only found on heathland in southern parts of England, mostly in Hampshire and Dorset. They are also non-venomous.
Britain's only poisonous snake is the adder, which usually only attacks humans when provoked.

Answer: Seal

Grey (Atlantic) seals are mostly found along western coasts of Britain. The females give birth on deserted rocky beaches and offshore islands. Common seals are mostly, but not exclusively, found along North Sea coasts. Their young are usually raised on sandbanks.

Answer: Lizard

Common lizards are often seen in areas of upland moorland. They are very nervous and run away very quickly when disturbed.
Sand lizards are very scarce and are confined to very few sites in southern England.
The third lizard found in Britain is the slow-worm, which is legless and often mistaken for a snake. It is common in and around hedges and rough pastures.

Answer: Vole

Water voles were once a common sight along British waterways but their numbers have reduced drastically in recent years. The probable culprit for this decline is the mink, which predates on young water voles. Mink are not a native species but escaped and/or have been released from fur farms. They pose a serious threat to indigenous species.
Other vole species are fairly common and form an important part of some birds' diets, especially kestrel and some owls.

Answer: Deer

Red deer are Britain's largest native land mammal. They are chiefly found in the Scottish highlands and other remote hilly areas such as Exmoor.
Roe deer are much smaller and usually hide in woodland during the day, emerging at night to feed in meadows.
Other species of deer which have been introduced to Britain, either by design or accident, include fallow deer, sika and muntjac.

Answer: Newt

Great-crested newts are a protected species in Britain and are found in only a few places. Palmate newts are found mostly in Wales and other upland environments. Where conditions allow, they are not scarce. The common, or smooth, newt is much more widespread than the other two species.

Answer: Mouse

Harvest mice are the smallest species of mouse in Britain. They live and breed in cornfields.
Wood mice are not purely confined to woodland. They look similar to the more familiar house mouse but have much larger ears.

Answer: Owl

Little owls are a fairly common species of farmland, parkland and other open spaces. They are an introduced species, originally from North America.
The 'ears' of the long-eared owl are actually tufts of feathers and have no value as sensory organs.
Other British owls are tawny owl, barn owl and short-eared owl.

Answer: Hare

Common hares are found mainly on farmland but they can be very localised in distribution.
Mountain hares are confined to the highlands of Scotland. They are a favourite prey of golden eagles. These hares turn white during the winter months making them very hard to spot on the snowfields.