Fauna Of Ireland
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Fauna Of Ireland
The fauna of Ireland comprises all the animal species inhabiting the island of Ireland and its surrounding waters. Summary This table uses figures supplied by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Vertebrates by class Mammals Only 26 land mammal species (including bats, but not including marine mammals) are native to Ireland, because it has been isolated from the European mainland (by rising sea levels after the Midlandian Ice Age), since about 14,000 BC.Costello, M.J. and Kelly, K.S., 1993 ''Biogeography of Ireland: past, present and future'' Irish Biogeographic Society Occasional Publications Number 2Edwards, Robin & al.The Island of Ireland: Drowning the Myth of an Irish Land-bridge? Accessed 15 February 2013. Some species, such as the red fox, European hedgehog, stoat, otter, pygmy shrew, and badger are common, whereas others, like the Irish hare, red deer, and pine marten are less common and generally seen only in certain national parks and nature reserves aroun ...
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Red Deer
The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of western Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains of Northern Africa; its early ancestors are thought to have crossed over to Morocco, then to Algeria, Libya and Tunisia via the Strait of Gibraltar, becoming the only species of true deer (Cervidae) to inhabit Africa. Red deer have been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Peru, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. In many parts of the world, the meat (venison) from red deer is used as a food source. Red deer are ruminants, characterized by a four-chambered stomach. Genetics, Genetic evidence indicates that the red deer, as traditionally defined, is a species group, rather than a single species, though exactly how many species the group includes rem ...
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Chordate
A chordate () is an animal of the phylum Chordata (). All chordates possess, at some point during their larval or adult stages, five synapomorphies, or primary physical characteristics, that distinguish them from all the other taxa. These five synapomorphies include a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail. The name “chordate” comes from the first of these synapomorphies, the notochord, which plays a significant role in chordate structure and movement. Chordates are also Bilateral symmetry, bilaterally symmetric, have a coelom, possess a circulatory system, and exhibit Metameric, metameric segmentation. In addition to the morphological characteristics used to define chordates, analysis of genome sequences has identified two conserved signature indels (CSIs) in their proteins: cyclophilin-like protein and mitochondrial inner membrane protease ATP23, which are exclusively shared by all vertebrates, tunicates and cep ...
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List Of Reptiles Of Ireland
There is only one known land reptile species native to Ireland, the viviparous or common lizard. It appears to have a widespread distribution across the entire island with coastal, bogland and mountainous areas showing highest numbers of sightings. Five marine turtle species appear regularly off the west coast but do not come ashore. All are endangered, some critically. The pond turtle is introduced. Subclass: Diapsida Infraclass: Lepidosauromorpha Superorder: Lepidosauria =Order: Squamata (lizards, snakes)= ---- *Suborder: Lacertilia (lizards) **Family: Lacertidae ***Subfamily: Lacertinae ****Genus: '' Zootoca'' ***** Viviparous lizard, ''Zootoca vivipara'' **Family: Anguidae ***Subfamily: Anguinae ****Genus: ''Anguis'' ***** Slowworm, ''Anguis fragilis'' (believed to be a more recent introduction, with confirmed sightings only in The Burren) Order: Testudines (turtles) ---- *Suborder: Cryptodira **Superfamily: Chelonioidea (sea turtles) ***Family: Dermochelyidae *** ...
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Reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians (tuatara). As of March 2022, the Reptile Database includes about 11,700 species. In the traditional Linnaean classification system, birds are considered a separate class to reptiles. However, crocodilians are more closely related to birds than they are to other living reptiles, and so modern cladistic classification systems include birds within Reptilia, redefining the term as a clade. Other cladistic definitions abandon the term reptile altogether in favor of the clade Sauropsida, which refers to all amniotes more closely related to modern reptiles than to mammals. The study of the traditional reptile orders, historically combined with that of modern amphibians, is called herpetology. The earliest known proto-reptiles originated around ...
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List Of Amphibians Of Ireland
There are three species of amphibians native to Ireland. Subclass: Lissamphibia Superorder: Salientia Order: Anura *Suborder: Neobatrachia **Family: Ranidae ***Genus: '' Rana'' **** European common brown frog (''Rana temporaria'') **Family: Bufonidae ***Genus: ''Epidalea'' **** Natterjack toad (''Epidalea calamita'') Order: Caudata *Suborder: Salamandroidea **Family: Salamandridae ***Genus: '' Lissotriton'' **** Smooth newt (''Lissotriton vulgaris vulgaris'') External links"Republic of Ireland: Amphibians" Thomson Ecology. Archived 1 May 2005.King, J. L.; Marnell, F.; Kingston, N.; Rosell, R.; Boylan, P.; Caffrey, J. M.; FitzPatrick, Ú.; Gargan, P. G.; Kelly, F. L.; O'Grady, M. F.; Poole, R.; Roche, W. K. & Cassidy, D. (2011). ''Ireland Red List No. 5: Amphibians, Reptiles & Freshwater Fish''. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin, Ireland. {{Europe topic, List of amphibians of Ireland Amphibians Ireland ...
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Amphibian
Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial animal, terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Thus amphibians typically start out as larvae living in water, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this. The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing form with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin. They are superficially similar to reptiles like lizards but, along with mammals and birds, reptiles are amniotes and do not require water bodies in which to breed. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators; in re ...
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Actinopterygii
Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines (rays), as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize the class Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish). These actinopterygian fin rays attach directly to the proximal or basal skeletal elements, the radials, which represent the link or connection between these fins and the internal skeleton (e.g., pelvic and pectoral girdles). By species count, actinopterygians dominate the vertebrates, and they constitute nearly 99% of the over 30,000 species of fish. They are ubiquitous throughout freshwater and marine environments from the deep sea to the highest mountain streams. Extant species can range in size from ''Paedocypris'', at , to the massive ocean sunfish, at , and the long-bodied oarfish, at . The vast majority of Actinopt ...
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Chondrichthyes
Chondrichthyes (; ) is a class that contains the cartilaginous fishes that have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage. They can be contrasted with the Osteichthyes or ''bony fishes'', which have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. Chondrichthyes are jawed vertebrates with paired fins, paired nares, scales, and a heart with its chambers in series. Extant chondrichthyes range in size from the 10 cm (3.9 in) finless sleeper ray to the 10 m (32 ft) whale shark. The class is divided into two subclasses: Elasmobranchii (sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish) and Holocephali ( chimaeras, sometimes called ghost sharks, which are sometimes separated into their own class). Within the infraphylum Gnathostomata, cartilaginous fishes are distinct from all other jawed vertebrates. Anatomy Skeleton The skeleton is cartilaginous. The notochord is gradually replaced by a vertebral column during development, except in Holocephali, where the notochord stays intact. In some deepwat ...
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List Of Fish Of Ireland
This article gives a list of all species of fish found in the waters of Ireland. A separate list of freshwater fish is given at the bottom. Class Myxini (hagfish) Order Myxiniformes Family Myxinidae * Atlantic hagfish, ''Myxine glutinosa'' * White-headed hagfish, ''Myxine ios'' Hyperoartia Order Petromyzontiformes (lampreys) Family Petromyzontidae *European river lamprey, ''Lampetra fluviatilis'' *European brook lamprey, ''Lampetra planeri'' *Sea lamprey, ''Petromyzon marinus'' Infraphylum Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) Class Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) Subclass Elasmobranchii =Superorder Selachimorpha (sharks and dogfish)= Order Squatiniformes (angelsharks) Family Squatinidae (angelsharks) *Angel shark, ''Squatina squatina'' Order Squaliformes (dogfishes and relatives) Family Centrophoridae (gulper sharks) *Leafscale gulper shark, ''Centrophorus squamosus'' *Birdbeak dogfish, ''Deania calcea'' Family Dalatiidae *Kitefin shark, ''Dalati ...
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Hyperoartia
Hyperoartia or Petromyzontida is a disputed group of vertebrates that includes the modern lampreys and their fossil relatives. Examples of hyperoartians from early in their fossil record are '' Endeiolepis'' and '' Euphanerops'' (which possessed a calcified branchial basket), fish-like animals with hypocercal tails that lived during the Late Devonian Period. Some paleontologists still place these forms among the "ostracoderms" (jawless armored fishes) of the class Anaspida, but this is increasingly considered an artificial arrangement based on ancestral traits. Placement of this group among the jawless vertebrates is a matter of dispute. While today enough fossil diversity is known to make a close relationship among the "ostracoderms" unlikely, this has muddied the issue of the Hyperoartia's closest relatives. Traditionally the group was placed in a superclass Cyclostomata together with the Myxini (hagfishes). More recently, it has been proposed that the Myxini are more basal ...
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Thaliacea
The Thaliacea comprise a class of marine animals within the subphylum Tunicata. Unlike their benthic relatives the ascidians, thaliaceans are free-floating (pelagic) for their entire lifespan. The group includes species with complex life cycles, with both solitary and colonial forms. Anatomy The three orders of thaliaceans are filter feeders. Pyrosomes are colonial animals, with multiple tiny ascidian-like zooids arranged in a cylinder closed at one end. All of the atrial siphons point inwards, emptying into a single, common cloaca in the centre of the cylinder. As the water exhaled by the zooids exits through a common opening, the water movement slowly propels the pyrosome through the sea. Salps and doliolids have a transparent barrel-shaped body through which they pump water, propelling them through the sea, and from which they extract food. The bulk of the body consists of the large pharynx. Water enters the pharynx through the large buccal siphon at the front end of the a ...
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