This document provides information about various bird and mammal species found in Scotland. It describes the golden eagle, red kite, osprey, Arctic fox, Atlantic salmon, basking shark, bottlenose dolphin, common seal, grey seal, harbour porpoise, minke whale and orca whale. For each species it highlights key identifying physical characteristics and habitat information.

1. S c o t la n d
B ir d s

2. G o ld e n E a g le
The golden eagle belongs to the family
Accipitridae.
This eagle is brown with some golden feathers on
its neck an head.
Females lay from one to four eggs, and both
parents incubate them for 40 to 45 days.
The eagle belongs to the Northern Hemisphere.

3. R e d K it e
It belongs to the family of the Accipitridae.
The Red Kite is 60–66 cm long.
Adults are overall more deeply rufous, compared
with the more washed out colour of juveniles

4. O s pre y
Osprey eats fish and it's a raptor.
The Osprey breeds by freshwater lakes.
It lengths more than 60 cm (24 in) and 180 cm
(71 in) across the wings.

5. mammals

6. Most of the mammals are indeed meat-eaters, some
are omnivorous, and the giant panda is largely
vegetarian.

7. Arctic foxes live in some of the planet's most extreme
conditions. Lemmings are such an important part of their diet
that arctic fox populations can be greatly affected by their
availablity.

8. Despite being named bear dogs, members of this family were
neither bears nor dogs, but a group of their own that was
related to both..

9. Britain has an incredible selection of animals that have evolved to
cope with our mild damp climate, producing many animals that
struggle to live anywhere else in the world.

10. Atlantic Salmon
Atlantic Salmon picture 1 The Atlantic salmon
begins its life in fresh water as an egg, an
alevin, a fry and finally a parr before making its
way towards the ocean as a smolt where it will
feed up and grow to full size. The young
salmon may spend up to four years at sea
before returning to the river where it hatched.
However, for a variety of reasons many young
salmon never make it back. Those that do
return to the river require clean water and a
gravel bed to ensure successful breeding.

12. Basking Shark
Basking Shark picture 1 This huge fish is the
second largest in the world, reaching 11 metres
long and weighing up to 7 tonnes. The species
is usually seen slowly swimming close to the
surface with the huge fin, up to two metres
high, breaking the water along with the tip of
the tail fin and the tip of its nose. As it swims it
opens its mouth, which is itself over one metre
wide, allowing hundreds of litres of seawater,
equivalent to a swimming pool-full an hour, to

14. Bottenose Dolphing
Bottlenose Dolphin picture 1 While the Moray
Firth colony is perhaps the most renowned,
bottlenose dolphins may be seen all around the
coast of Scotland. The dolphin's body is
beautifully streamlined and extremely well
suited to its life in the marine environment. A
single nostril or blowhole allows the dolphin to
take in air when it comes to the surface. Their
bulging forehead contains an organ called the
melon, which holds a mass of fat and oily
tissue. The melon is important as it allows

16. Common Seal
The common seal is roughly 1.5 to 2 metres long
with the male (bull) weighing up to 250
kilograms and the female (cow) half that. The
sexes are similarly coloured, with a dark grey
back and a lighter, mottled underside. Common
seals are often found around shallow inland
waters, hauled up on sandbanks and around
estuaries, but they will use rocky outcrops on
the west coast. They fish over wide area,
feeding on anything from shrimps to whole
herring, and breed between June and July.

18. The Grey Seal by Wildlife Scotland
Grey Seal picture 1 The grey seal is around 2
metres long with the bull weighing in at up to
300 kilograms, and the cow a third less. The
sexes are distinguishable in that the bull has a
heavier muzzle and enlarged 'Roman nose'.
The fur of both sexes ranges from dark brown
to grey with light spots, though the cow is
generally paler. Grey seals are most
widespread on Scotland's rockier west coast.
They feed on all types of fish, plus crabs, squid
and sandeels, and breed in the autumn. The

20. Harbour Porpoise
The harbour porpoise is the most common
cetacean in Scottish waters. It may be found
anywhere there are shallow seas but
particularly around the Hebrides and Northern
Isles. The animals tend to gather together in
pods of 2 to 5. They are possibly the shortest-
lived cetacean and rarely live for longer than 12
years. Their body length averages 1.4-1.9m
and weight is 55-65kg. Harbour porpoises are a
greyish colour. They have a low, triangular
dorsal fin and lack a beak. They have spade-

22. Minke Whale
Minke Whale picture 1 The smallest of the rorqual
family, minke whales are currently the only
whales still openly being commercially hunted,
though not in Scottish waters. Their body length
averages 7 to 10 metres and they weigh in at
up to 10 tonnes. Minke whales are largely dark
in colour with white undersides and have
pointed heads. They may have a white band on
the flippers and the dorsal fin is high and
curved. Minke whales feed on fish and krill,
travelling singly or in groups of 2 to 4

24. Orca Whales
Orcas are among the fastest animals in the sea.
They are also one of the most widespread
mammals on Earth. Male orcas can grow
between 7-8m and weigh over 5,000kg.
Females grow between 5-7m and weigh over
3,000kg. Orcas are distinctively coloured. The
dorsal surface is mostly black except for a grey
saddle behind the dorsal fin. The underside of
the body is white and there is a white eyespot
behind each eye. They have a huge dorsal fin -
1.8m (6ft) high. Orcas are the top predators in