Fauna of Great Britain

The island of Great Britain, along with the rest of the archipelago known as the British Isles, has a largely temperate climate. It contains a relatively small fraction of the world's wildlife. The biota was severely diminished in the last ice age, and shortly (in geological terms) thereafter was separated from the continent by the English Channel's formation. Since then, humans have hunted the most dangerous forms (the wolf, the brown bear and the wild boar) to extinction, though domesticated forms such as the dog and the pig remain. The wild boar has subsequently been reintroduced as a meat animal.

Overview

In most of Great Britain there is a temperate climate, with high levels of precipitation and medium levels of sunlight. Further northwards, the climate becomes colder and coniferous forests appear, replacing the largely deciduous forests of the south. There are a few variations in the generally temperate British climate, with some areas of subarctic conditions, such as the Scottish Highlands and Teesdale, and even sub-tropical in the Isles of Scilly. Animals have to cope with seasonal changes across the British Isles, such as in levels of sunlight, rainfall and temperature, as well as the risk of snow and frost during the winter.

Since the mid 18th century, Great Britain has gone through industrialisation and increasing urbanisation.