Mammals and cold-blooded Vertebrates

Thorne Moors

	Thirty-six mammals are listed for Thorne Moors, including species both naturalized and alien in Britain, and also Domestic Cat. Two of these are square-bracketed as unconfirmed. For each of the species listed below, the span of years quoted before its statement of status (except Brown Long-eared Bat, Fallow Deer and Elk) gives the range for which records exist. <1972> denotes the first evidence for that species is from Barn Owl pellets collected in that year. A bracketed year indicates the date of publication of a record, not a dated occurrence.
Photo K Heywood		Photo Christine Wilmot

Hedgehog	Erinaceus europaeus	1972-2002	Occurs peripherally and synanthropically, but with a recorded penetration of Thorne Moors along Shoulder o' Mutton Tram.
Mole	Talpa europaea	1877-2007	Widespread and relatively frequent on and about Thorne Moors, but does not occur in the peat, being associated with routeways.
Common Shrew	Sorex araneus	1969-2007	The commonest shrew on Thorne Moors, living in a range of habitats.
Pygmy Shrew	S. minutes	1969-2003	Apparently widespread on Thorne Moors, and possibly favouring wetter peat areas more than Common Shrew.
Water Shrew	Neomys fodiens	<1972>-2007	Encountered widely on Thorne Moors, but very infrequently.
Whiskered Bat /Brandt's Bat	Myotis mystacinus /M. brandtii	1999-2000	Visits Thorne Moors to feed.
Daubenton's Bat	M. daubentoni	2000	Visits Thorne Moors to feed.
Noctule	Nyctalus noctula	2000	Apparently visits Thorne Moors to feed, and may have summer roosts.
Pipistrelle	Pipistrellus pipistrellus	1999-2000	Visits Thorne Moors to feed.
[Brown Long-eared Bat	Plecotus auritus		Unconfirmed].
Rabbit	Oryctolagus cuniculus	1877-2007	Widely present on and around Thorne Moors, though less frequent on peat areas. Population fluctuations are at least partly due to disease, with current numbers being the highest on record.
Brown Hare	Lepus capensis	Mid-18th century-2007	Widely present on and around Thorne Moors, except in woodland and in the wettest, thickly vegetated parts of the peat.
Red Squirrel	Sciurus vulgaris	1930s-40s	A former denizen of marginal woodland on Thorne Moors.
Grey Squirrel	S. carolinensis	Early 1960s-2007	An infrequent but increasing visitor to Thorne Moors, seen almost invariably in wooded or scrubby areas. Breeding was reported in 1977 from Whitaker's Plantation.
Bank Vole	Clethrionomys glareolus	1972-2004	A little-known species on Thorne Moors. Occasionally encountered on uncultivated warpland and at the interface with the peat, but with little evidence of the vole inhabiting more interior areas.
Field Vole	Microtus agrestis	1973-94	Apparently widespread on Thorne Moors, but probably only occurring on the peat areas along routeways.
Water Vole	Arvicola terrestris	1877-2007	Widely reported along watercourses on and around Thorne Moors, but numbers are in decline.
Wood Mouse	Apodemus sylvaticus	<1972>-2003	Widespread on Thorne Moors, including the wetter vegetated peat.
Harvest Mouse	Micromys minutus	1930s-89	Apparently mostly associated with peripheral parts of Thorne Moors, but with occasional records from the peat.
House Mouse	Mus domesticus	First half of 20th century	Evidence suggests that this species has been a denizen of habitations surrounding Thorne Moors, and may still persist.
Brown Rat	Rattus norvegicus	1877-2007.	On Thorne Moors, recorded peripherally and synanthropically, but with at least marginal penetration on to the edge of the peat.
Fox	Vulpes vulpes	Mid-18th century-2007	Widespread and frequent on Thorne Moors.
Stoat	Mustela erminea	(1895)-2007	Apparently present in all parts of Thorne Moors, except possibly the wetter vegetated peat.
Weasel	M. nivalis	1877-2007	Apparently present in all parts of Thorne Moors, except possibly the wetter vegetated peat. Records have declined since modern documentation began.
Mink	M. vison	1994-2007	A recent arrival on Thorne Moors, with breeding proved in 2003.
Badger	Meles meles	(1907)-2007	Resident in several parts of Thorne Moors, both peripherally and in man-made banks in surrounding agricultural land.
Otter	Lutra lutra	1906-72	There were occasional records from Thorne Moors up to 1972.
Red Deer	Cervus elaphus	Sub-fossil and mid-1960s-2007	Has increased on Thorne Moors during the period of modern documentation (probably based on animals from deer farms), and breeding has been proved.
Fallow Deer	Dama dama		Sub-fossil
Roe Deer	Capreolus capreolus	1959-2007	Has increased greatly on Thorne Moors during the period of modern documentation, with a significant breeding population.
Muntjac	Muntiacus reevesi	2000-04	A recent arrival on Thorne Moors, apparently centred at Will Pits.
[Elk	Alces alces		Unconfirmed sub-fossil].
Mongolian Gerbil	Meriones unguiculatus	1971	Escape.
Muskrat	Ondatra zibethicus	Early 1930s	Escape, reported from Swinefleet Warping Drain.
Feral Ferret	M. furo	1952-2000	Escape, occasionally seen on the edges of Thorne Moors.
Domestic Cat	Felis catus	c.1969-98	Occurs on the edges of Thorne Moors.

Nomenclature source:- Arnold, H.R. (1993) Atlas of mammals in Britain. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology research publication No. 6. London: HMSO.

Twenty-one species of fish and herptiles are listed for Thorne Moors and adjoining parts, but two of these, both of them lizards, are square-bracketed as erroneously ascribed to the area. Additionally, five or six species of freshwater fish are only present due to artificial stocking for fishing, although their presence has to be acknowledged as a part of the local fauna. For each of the 19 correctly recorded species included below, the span of years quoted before its statement of status gives the range for which records exist. A bracketed year indicates the date of publication of a record, not a dated occurrence.

Freshwater fish
European Eel	Anguilla anguilla	(1895)-2002	Occurs in drains and waters surrounding Thorne Moors, and has been stocked on Inkle Moor.
Pike	Esox lucius	(1895)-2003	Occurs in drains and waters surrounding Thorne Moors, and has been encountered on the moorland.
Atlantic Salmon	Salmo salar	1912	A vagrant, the only record being of one stranded at New Zealand during warping operations.
Goldfish	Carassius auratus	Mid-late 1960s	Introduced into the Thorne Colliery cooling ponds, but did not persist.
Common Carp	Cyprinus carpio	1970s-2003	Stocked in waters on Inkle Moor.
Common Bream	Abramis brama	c.1930-1980s	Stocked in waters on Inkle Moor, and also formerly reported from the Thorne Waste peat canals. Current status uncertain.
Roach	Rutilus rutilus	Late 1920s-2004	Occurs in drains and waters surrounding Thorne Moors. Also some stocking of fishing ponds, and formerly reported from the Thorne Waste peat canals.
Rudd	Scardinius erythrophthalmus	1970s-2003	Stocked in waters on Inkle Moor. May include hybrids.
Tench	Tinca tinca	Early 1940s-2004	Stocked in Bell's Pond and in waters on Inkle Moor. Has included 'Golden' Tench.
Three-spined Stickleback	Gasterosteus aculeatus	1971-2006	Occurs in drains and waters surrounding Thorne Moors, and has exceptionally penetrated on to the margins of the moorland, with one record from nearer the interior. Said to have been introduced into waters on Inkle Moor to augment existing populations.
Ten-spined Stickleback	Pungitius pungitius	1972-87	Has occurred in some drains and waters surrounding Thorne Moors. Current status uncertain.
Eurasian Perch	Perca fluviatilis	1920s?-2004	Stocked in Bell's Pond, in waters on Inkle Moor, and in the Thorne Waste peat canals. Also reported from Swinefleet Warping Drain.
Amphibians
Common Frog	Rana temporaria	1895-2007	Widely reported on Thorne Moors, and also associated with peripheral waters and drains.
Common Toad	Bufo bufo	1895-2005	Widely reported on Thorne Moors, and also associated with peripheral waters and drains.
Smooth or Common Newt	Triturus vulgaris	(1898)-2004	Widely reported on Thorne Moors, and also associated with peripheral waters and drains.
Great Crested or Warty Newt	T. cristatus	Early 1950s-1990	Formerly occurred in some drains surrounding Thorne Moors. Now apparently extirpated.
Reptiles
Viviparous or Common Lizard	Lacerta vivipara	1865-2008	Frequent on Thorne Moors, and marginally present off the peat.
[Sand Lizard	L. agilis		Reported in error].
[Slow-worm or Blind-worm	Anguis fragilis		Reported in error].
Grass or Ringed Snake	Natrix natrix	1821-2008	Widely present, but generally infrequent on Thorne Moors away from the edges.
Adder or Northern Viper	Vipera berus	(1785)-2008	Frequent on Thorne Moors, and marginally present off the peat.

Nomenclature sources
Winfield, I.J., J.M. Fletcher and D. Cragg-Hine (1994) Status of Rare Fish. A Literature Review of Freshwater Fish in the UK. Institute of Freshwater Ecology R. & D. Report No. 18. National Rivers Authority, Bristol. London: HMSO.
T.J.C. Beebee and R.A. Griffiths (2000) Amphibians and Reptiles. A Natural History of the British Herpetofauna. The New Naturalist No. 87. London: HarperCollins Publishers.

Female adder
Photo Christine Wilmot

This data has been taken from the Technical Reports Mammals of Thorne Moors and Fish and Herptiles of Thorne Moors. These publications give an excellent summary of vertebrates recorded on Thorne Moors.

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