Life
Natural history of the British Isles
-
Coastal habitats of the British Isles
The British Isles have more than 34,000 kilometres (21,000 miles) of coastline, where the land meets the sea. Coastal habitats include estuaries with their shallow waters, mudflats...
view -
Woodland habitats of the British Isles
Thousands of years ago, nearly every part of the British Isles was covered by woodlands, made up of native trees such as oak, ash, birch and Scots pine. Today, many of these...
view -
Farmland and city habitats of the British Isles
Nearly every habitat in the British Isles has been shaped in some way by human activity, but some have actually been created by humans. These manmade habitats include arable land...
view -
Freshwater habitats of the British Isles
Lakes, ponds, rivers and streams are all types of freshwater habitat. Their waters are home to hundreds of insect, plant and fish species that rely upon one another for survival...
view -
Grassland habitats of the British Isles
Grasslands are areas in which grasses are the main type of vegetation. The British Isles' oldest grasslands have been created and shaped over many centuries by a combination of...
view -
Upland habitats of the British Isles
The uplands of the British Isles are mostly located in the north and west. They include the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District of northwestern England, Snowdonia in North Wales...
view -
Birds of the British Isles A-Z
There are more than 600 species of bird in the British Isles, including about 250 species regularly recorded and another 350 that are observed, but remain quite rare. They include...
view -
Butterflies and moths of the British Isles A-Z
Moths and butterflies are closely related insects in the order Lepidoptera, a Greek word meaning "scaly wings". The British Isles have 59 species of butterfly. These include 57...
view -
Freshwater fish of the British Isles A-Z
Freshwater fish live in canals, rivers, lakes, ponds and streams throughout the British Isles. Some, including the Atlantic salmon and European eel, spend part of their lives in...
view -
Insects of the British Isles A-Z
There are some 27,000 types of insect in the British Isles. A single mature oak tree is home to as many as 350 species of insect alone, and mixed, native woodlands support even...
view -
Mammals of the British Isles A-Z
The native mammals of the British Isles are those species that colonized Britain and Ireland before they became separated from mainland Europe after sea levels rose at the end of...
view -
Marine mammals of the British Isles A-Z
Eight marine mammal species are known to occur regularly in the seas around the British Isles: grey seal, harbour seal, harbour porpoise, white-beaked dolphin, bottlenose dolphin...
view -
Reptiles and amphibians of the British Isles A-Z
The British Isles have 13 native species of reptiles and amphibians, alongside several non-native species. They include three snakes (grass snake, adder, smooth snake), three...
view -
Sea birds of the British Isles A-Z
Britain and Ireland are home to important breeding populations of sea birds. There are believed to be over 8 million birds of 25 species—eight in Ireland and 18 in Britain. But...
view -
Trees of the British Isles A-Z
Native trees colonized the land from the warmer south when the glaciers melted after the last Ice Age 11,700 years ago, and before the British Isles became separated from mainland...
view