But today, ancient woods make up just two percent of the United Kingdom's land area. They are also devoid of some of their most important predators. European brown bears have been extinct in Britain since at least the early Middle Ages—and possibly even earlier.
After the Ice Age
From the Ice Age onwards, Dr O'Regan found evidence of bears (alive or dead) at 85 places in England and Scotland, from the Stone Age to post-Medieval times. Bears were scarce in Scotland, Wales and the East Midlands, but more frequently found in Yorkshire, the east, the south and London.
Ancient woodland
Bears are thought to have become extinct in the UK in the early Medieval period, around 1,500 years ago. Wolves continued to roam the woodlands of England and Wales until the turn of the 16th Century and could be found wild in Scotland for up to 200 years after that time.
There are no bears living in the United Kingdom today, other than in zoos and wildlife parks. European brown bears in Scotland can be found at: Camperdown Wildlife Centre, Dundee.
After a Millennium, Bears and Wolves Return to British Woodland—and You Can Watch. Bears and wolves haven't shared space in British woodlands for more than 1,000 years. Due to deforestation and overhunting, the European brown bear disappeared from England in the 11th century; gray wolves followed in the 17th.
Drop Bears can be found in the densely forested regions of the Great Dividing Range in South-eastern Australia. However there are also some reports of them from South-east South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges and Kangaroo Island.
Badgers are the UK's largest land predator and are one of the most well-known British species.
In the UK, apex predators include foxes, otters, owls and eagles. Other ecosystems around the world have even bigger ones, including lions, polar bears and great white sharks.
United Kingdom at a glance
No gray wolves currently live in the United Kingdom. Private organizations have discussed the potential reintroduction of wolves into Scotland, but official discussions have not yet occurred.
Wolves were the last of Britain's top predators to be hunted to extinction. It's believed they disappeared sometime in the 18 th century, following centuries of persecution.
The answer is we did, until really very recently. Cave lions died out in the UK around 12 to 14,000 years ago, a relative blink of the eye in evolutionary terms and their extinction coincides with the point humans were getting into farming as the ice retreated from northern hemispheres.
Distribution. In Japan, there are two kinds of bears-the Asian black bear and the brown bear. The Asian black bears in Oku Nikko are distributed throughout Honshu and the Shikoku Islands (extinct on Kyushu Island). *The brown bear lives only in Hokkaido in Japan.
Bears can still be found in Scotland but only in captivity. Blair Drummond Safari Park has European brown bears, the Highland Wildlife Park two male polar bears while Edinburgh Zoo has giant pandas and sun bears.
Bears were once common in Ireland but are now extinct on the island, having died out in the 1st millennium BC.
But today, ancient woods make up just two percent of the United Kingdom's land area. They are also devoid of some of their most important predators. European brown bears have been extinct in Britain since at least the early Middle Ages—and possibly even earlier.
The elk (or moose) was a common sight across Britain before disappearing 8,000 years ago, Sharing forests and woodland clearings with roe deer, aurochs, wolves and wild cats.
The only big cat species known to be living wild in the UK is the European Wildcat, which is found in the Scottish Highlands.
The wildcat is one of our rarest and most endangered mammals, and the only wild member of the cat family in the UK. Wildcats are restricted to small parts of the Scottish Highlands, where they feed on rabbits and ground-nesting birds on moorland and in woodlands.
HUNDREDS of big cats including black panthers and mountain lions exist in the UK, Britain's leading tracker has warned.
There are three species of snake native to Britain plus a fourth, non-native species. Three of these are completely harmless - only the adder (Vipera berus), a native reptile, is venomous.
The brown bear, Europe's largest carnivore, lives in Scandinavia, Italy, Iberia, Central Europe and the Balkans. There are 17,000 bears in 10 distinct populations spread over 22 countries. Numbers are increasing in most areas. The species was in Ireland up to 3,000 years ago.
Sperm whales are the world's largest predator, with males reaching lengths of up to 67 feet (20.5 meters) and weights of up to 90 tons (81 metric tons). Females are slightly smaller, reaching lengths of up to 33 feet (10 meters).
If you're tiger mad, it's likely you will have seen everyone's favourite stripy friends in a local zoo. But have you ever found yourself wondering if tigers have ever roamed the UK? Well, while there are, of course, no wild tigers stalking through our forests today, there were once huge lions roaming across Britain.