Please note: We have mainly written about England, as that is the country within the UK where our students live. We would be very happy for schools and visitors to send us information we can add to our website on Wales and Scotland.

Pets (tame animals)

Britain is famous for being a nation of animal lovers, and many people in Britain keep pets. More than 50 per cent of British families own a pet. We keep some 7.7 million cats, 6.6 million dogs, one million budgerigars and 18 million goldfish. And we are increasingly adopting exotic creatures such as small farm animals, snakes, tropical fish, and spiders; an estimated 2,000 households now have reptiles.

My Pet Rabbit

My name is Nina Francis and I am in class 3B. I have a Netherland Dwarf rabbit called Fluffy who is three years old. The main characteristics which make him a dwarf rabbit are, that he doesn’t grow very big and he has tiny ears.

He lives in a hutch in my garden and goes down a ramp to play in his run underneath. In the summer he plays on the grass and in the winter I bring him indoors in the warm to watch tv in my bedroom with me.

He is very tame, he doesn’t bite and loves being stroked. I loved bringing him into school for show and tell, so all my friends could meet him.

By Nina Francis

Wild Animals

We have a varied wildlife. Our largest mammal is the red deer. In the wild, foxes and rabbits are often seen, and if you're lucky, you may even see a badger, weasel or a hedgehog. Our only poisonous snake, the adder, is rare and protected. Our smallest mammal is the pygmy shrew.We do not have animals like elephants or tigers but we can see them in the zoo.

Birds

Birdwatching is a popular pastime in Britain. England is home to nearly 230 kinds of birds and a temporary home to 200 migrating birds. A common bird in England is the red robin. The migrant cuckoo stops in England during spring. The tit family, chaffinch, blackbird, and thrush are other common birds.

ANIMALS NATIVE to ENGLAND

Mammals

• European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
• Red Deer
• Roe deer
• Red Squirlel (Sciurus vulgaris)
• Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra)
• Polecat (Mustella putorius L)
• Hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius )
  

Rabbits are not native to England, they were probably introduced by the Normans as a food source during the early part of the last millennium (1066).

Amphibians

• Common frog
• Common toad (Bufo bufo)
• Natterjack toad (Bufo calamita)
• Palmate newt
• Smooth newt
• Great crested newt
  

Reptiles

• Common (or viviparous) lizard
• Sand lizard
• Slow-worm
• Adder (or viper)
• Grass snake
• Smooth snake
  

Birds

• Swans
• Sparrow
• The Tawny owl
• Robin

Explore four UK habitats: freshwater, heathland, mountain and urban in a series of 360° panoramas and discover the animals and plant species that lives there.

Information about wildlife in Britain. Birds and other wildlife of the UK England

Official Animal of England (National Animal)