Devon is special for Greater Horseshoe Bats, Otters, Dormice, and, more recently, wild Beavers. Please click on the profile photos below to find out more about these wonderful mammals or view this light-hearted summary :
In other county mammal news …
Badgers are common and can sometimes be seen in urban areas. Polecats are starting to colonise the county, with a high number of records of hybrids, and increasingly of true polecats.
Red Deer are an iconic sight on Exmoor and in north Devon, and there are melanistic Fallow Deer in the Teign Valley. Roe deer are very common. Muntjac and Sika are starting to colonise, but distributions are not known.
North Devon is an important stopping off point for Grey Seals moving between South Wales and North Cornwall.
Many species of dolphins and whales are seen in the seas around the county. North Devon has good populations of Harbour Porpoise, while Lyme Bay is important for White-beaked Dolphins.
Missing and mystery mammals
The current county status of Hedgehogs, Water Shrew, and Harvest Mouse are unknown. Devon Mammals Group’s Harvest Mouse survey project has tried to find out more.
Water voles are rare in Devon. They have been reintroduced to sites in East Devon and Teignbridge. Yellow-necked Mice have never been recorded and are absent from the county – so far as we know.
Secretive Wild Boar are suspected to be present, and there have been suggested, not fully confirmed, exceptional reports of Pine Marten.
Other mammals to look out for:
Reg charity number 1110056