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The simple answer is no. Just like its climate, Ireland's flora and fauna is incredibly mild.
The red fox is the only species of wild canid in Ireland and is the country's most common predator, being found in both rural and urban areas. The native red squirrel is an iconic mammal in Ireland but is rarer and smaller than the common grey squirrel.
Extant | Portuguese Man-War
The Portuguese man o' war (Physalia physalis), also known as the man-of-war, bluebottle, or blue bottle jellyfish, is one of the most venomous marine hydrozoans found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. As one of the most venomous marine species in Ireland.
Red deer are currently the largest land animal in Ireland. Red deer that are not protected in the national parks have been bred with silka, another species of deer imported from Japan, making the red deer of Kerry even more special.
The European lynx was long thought to have never reached our shores as it was mainly absent from our fossil records. In 1934 a mandible of a young lynx turned up amongst the animal remains excavated from a cave in County Waterford. It was then confirmed that the lynx was in fact a native Irish big cat.
Grey wolves used to live in the wild in Ireland but unfortunately they went extinct due to habitat loss of their native forests. The last grey wolf sighting in Ireland was recorded in 1786.
Wild Ireland focuses on animals that were once native to Ireland so they are perfectly adapted to the environment. Brown bears, European wolves and lynx all now live among other animals in large natural habitats back together in the Irish forest for the first time in thousands of years.
West-African crocodiles are native to Ireland. Crocodile are fast swimmers and can swim up to 32km/ph. West-African crocodiles are native to west and central Africa where they live in lagoons in coastal regions and wetlands in forest regions.
Unfortunately for Irish snake enthusiasts, there are no snakes in Ireland and never have been. Temperatures in Ireland never get quite warm enough to sustain a healthy snake population. Irish snake enthusiasts are in luck because although there are no native snakes living in Ireland, pet snakes are completely legal.
Dinosaur discoveries
Only two dinosaur fossil bones have been found in Ireland, both from the same location on the Country Antrim coast. The bones are from the hind legs of two animals that lived around 200 million years ago: a herbivore called Scelidosaurus and a carnivorous Megalosaurus.
On land. Of the thirty-five mammals present in Ireland the majority are based on land. The most common of these are the red fox, hedgehog, stoat, badger and otter. Others like the Irish hare and pine marten are plentiful but are seen less often.
St. Patrick's Day, which is celebrated worldwide on March 17, honors St. Patrick, the Christian missionary who supposedly rid Ireland of snakes during the fifth century A.D.
Badgers are the UK's largest land predator and are one of the most well-known British species.
The brown bear is the largest predator still living on the continent of Europe. They can reach a weight of between 150 and 370 kg depending on age, sex and season.
Not only is the polar bear the biggest bear species, it is also the world's largest land carnivore.
The marsupials found in Ireland are Red-necked Wallabies and they are confined to Lambay Island lying 4km off Portrane on the north coast of Co Dublin. The 600-acre island is privately owned by a trust of members of the Baring banking family and is managed by the current Baron Revelstoke.
Contrary to popular belief, sharks do live in the seas around Northern Ireland. In fact, we have more than 20 species! Including some of the fastest, rarest and largest in the world!
All along the shoreline are amazing places to take a dip in the sea, from welcoming beaches to epic cliff diving spots. Pack your towel and head to the coast for a spectacular sea swim — and remember to swim safely. Here are 28 great sea swims around the country to get you started.
There are no bear species in Australia but this is easily explainable; in fact, mammal fauna in Australia is unique.
Irish elk and moose are some of the largest members of the deer family to ever exist. While Irish elk are extinct and moose are still around, there are a lot of similarities between the two. Irish elk, an ice-age relic, are truly magnificent animals to imagine, although they didn't exclusively live in Ireland.
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes), also known as madra rua or sionnach, is possibly the most distinctive native Irish mammal, with its orange fur, bushy white-tipped tail, and dog-like appearance.
Distribution. The fox is found throughout Ireland, although the density of fox populations is highly variable. They are most abundant in areas that offer a wide variety of food and cover.
Lynx have been extinct in Ireland for many thousands of years. They were our only native big cat. They most likely preyed on hares, birds and small rodents. There are plans to reintroduce lynx in Scotland.