The island nation is located in the northwestern part of Europe and is famous for its inconstant and partly harsh climate with rains, fogs and frequent winds. All this is directly interconnected with flora and fauna. Perhaps the flora and fauna of the UK is not as rich in species as in other countries of Europe or the world, but this does not lose its beauty, charm and uniqueness.
Landform
The territory belonging to the United Kingdom can be divided into two areas: High and Low Britain. The first region also includes Northern Ireland and is located in the west and north of the country. The area is characterized by stable ancient bedrock, it is a very disconnected hills and a small number of lowlands. Low Britain lies in the south and east of the country. It is characterized by a hilly landscape and small hills; young sedimentary rocks lie at the base. Together with the climate and soils, the terrain affects the characteristics of the animal and plant world of Great Britain.
UK Climate and Water
The Gulf Stream has a significant impact on climatic conditions in the country. It creates a moderate oceanic, high-humidity background. Winters are mild and summers are cool with frequent fogs and strong winds. The average annual temperature is +11 ° C in the south and approximately +9 ° C in the northeast. Precipitation falls a lot. The reason lies in the area of low pressure, which stretches east through the Atlantic Ocean, in the south-west winds that prevail throughout the year, and in the mountains located in the western part of the country.
The kingdom is rich in water resources. Due to the large amount of precipitation exceeding evaporation, over the whole territory of the country, full-flowing rivers are connected into a dense network. The largest lakes are in Northern Ireland (Loch Tay) and Scotland (Loch Lomond, Loch Ness in the photo above). The places are very picturesque, various species of animals live here.
Soil and vegetation
Great Britain is characterized by a predominance of brown forest and podzolic soils, on humus-calcareous rocks. Due to heavy precipitation, all of them are, as a rule, leached. Therefore, the flora of England is very scarce, forests occupy only about 10% of the region. So the animals of Great Britain are mainly inhabitants of plains, meadows and ponds. The forest area is slightly larger in Scotland, however moorlands, meadows and peat bogs dominate there . The predominant tree species are pine, larch, spruce and oak. In the lower mountains of Wales and England, hornbeam, elm, beech, and ash are also found. In the south of the country, some evergreen species characteristic of the Mediterranean grow. The flora and fauna of Great Britain determines its climate. Natural meadows in Wales and England are home to wild yellow daffodils (Welsh emblem), orchis and primrose. Above the mountainous areas, there are grassy areas with juniper, crowberry and blueberry. The Scottish Highlands are characterized by a predominance of sphagnum-bushy peat bogs with meadow rue and alpine highlander.
Some plants from picturesque meadows have long become symbols of both the English themselves and their neighbors. The shamrock, or ordinary clover, is probably familiar to many; it is associated with the name of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. And wild leek is the emblem of the inhabitants of Wales. Thorny weed thistle (pictured) for more than 500 years - a symbol of Scotland, embodying the same rebellious and proud character of the inhabitants of the region.
Great Britain
The fauna of the country is also not too diverse and is characteristic of northern Europe. At the moment, there are about 70 species from the class of mammals, while 13 of them are imported, not root, there are no endemic species. Birds (588 species) are very diverse. At the same time, they regularly live in the territory of about 250, and 300 are rarely observed or during flight. A cold climate does not contribute to the diversity of reptiles that are sensitive to temperature extremes. There are only six native terrestrial species, plus sea turtles (5) and reptiles brought to the island by humans (7).
Mammals class: animal species
The shores of Great Britain are washed by the Atlantic Ocean and this explains the large number of marine life. So, on sandy and pebble beaches you can find common and long-mouthed seals. The territorial waters are inhabited by blue and humpback whales, sailfish, finwal, minke whale, dolphins (gray, Atlantic white-sided, common grind, white-faced, striped, bottlenose dolphin, killer whale), as well as porpoise, high-necked bottlenose, common toothed, beak and sperm whales.
Some animals of Great Britain as a result of active hunting for centuries to date have become rare. There are not so many wild artiodactyls in the forests as before: European roe deer, red, spotted and aquatic (rare, vulnerable species) deer, fallow deer, fallow deer, Chinese muntzhak. Of the large predators, there are a fox, a wolf, a forest cat, a marten, an ermine, a weasel, a ferret, an otter, etc. The usual inhabitants are badgers, wild boars, and shrews. The order of the lagomorphs is represented by a sufficient number of species: roe, squirrel and wild rabbit, voles, dormouse, rats and mice, Caroline and common squirrels.
It is also worth noting the variety of representatives of the Bat family (a total of 20 species). Some names of animals are unusual, while others are familiar to many: large and small horseshoe, European wide-necked, late and two-tone leather, long-eared, watery, mustachioed, night and night Brandt's night, small and red evening, bat, brown and gray ushanka.
UK birds
Of more than five hundred species of birds, more than half in the country are only spans. Human activities have a huge impact on their natural habitats. This leads to fluctuations in the abundance of various species. So, as a result of draining the swamps, the number of waterfowl has noticeably decreased, but in cities sparrows and pigeons feel very well, whose populations are very large. The fauna of Great Britain is not very rich in terms of diversity, and birds are no exception. Of the indigenous inhabitants, it is worth noting finches, starlings, tits, robins, kingfishers (pictured), red-breasted zaryanka (symbol of the country), petrel, thrushes, etc. The number of game birds is small, but pheasants and partridges are still found.
What types of reptiles live?
Conditions for reptiles, to put it mildly, are not the best. Therefore, there are only 11 species, and five of them are marine inhabitants (turtles). The first three representatives are lizards: a fast, viviparous and fragile spindle (pictured). The latter species is more like a snake, since it has no legs. These are quite ordinary wild animals, ubiquitous. Of the snakes, there are three species: the common one, the copperfish and the viper. The indigenous inhabitants of the coast include sea turtles: loggerhead, Bissa, green and Atlantic ridley.
In addition to these reptiles, at least seven more species were brought into the country at different times. These include red-eared and European bog turtles, wall and green lizards, viper and water snakes, aesculapius snake. Some animals of Great Britain once lived on its territory, but became extinct, and were subsequently reintroduced.
Amphibians
There are few native species of amphibians, only eight (5 tailless and 3 tailed). In rivers and standing bodies of water, newts are found: nitrous, ordinary, and crested (pictured). Of the representatives of the tailless, gray and reed toads and frogs (pond, nimble and grassy) are common. At least eleven introduced species are known. Among them are newts (alpine, gray-spotted and harlequin), an edible frog, a fire salamander, a yellow-bellied toad, etc.
Invertebrates in the UK
These wild animals are hardly noticeable, but the most numerous both in total number and in species diversity. The type of mollusks is represented by terrestrial 220 species. The most common and numerous class is, of course, insects. In the UK there are more than 20 thousand species, including beetles, lepidoptera, orthoptera, and dragonflies.
British animals are characterized by a meager number of species and an overall low population. This is due not only to climate. Human activities, deforestation, drainage of swamps and the extermination, which lasted for centuries, certainly contributed.