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Exploring your animal instincts in wild Ireland
You don’t have to travel to exotic lands to see some of the most awe-inspiring, interesting and beautiful wild animals nature has to offer.
You can see many of them in or around Ireland. Ten of Ireland’s most impressive animals, can, with a bit of patience, insider knowledge and luck, be spotted on a regular basis.
Basking sharks
Strangely enough, if you came up against a basking shark, the world’s second-largest fish, it wouldn’t do you much harm. Because it would probably be doing what it says on the tin — basking.
Or more exactly, drifting along, mouth open, feeding on plankton. It seems odd that this harmless behemoth, over 30 feet in length and weighing as much as a double-decker bus, should feed on something as seemingly insubstantial as the micro-organisms which float in the ocean.
But then I’m always surprised when I remember that the fiercest of bulls is also a vegetarian. Your chances of seeing a shark off any of the headlands of Ireland’s shores are probably slim — but always keep a lookout for the dorsal fin which may stand a metre or more above the water’s surface.
If, however, you go on a shark watch, chances are very good. Telephone the Marine Conservation Society (01989 566017) www.mcsuk.org, or the European Basking Shark Identification Project (01326 373360).
Whales
Ireland lies near the migratory routes of several species of whale. Stand long enough on top of any of Ireland’s headlands — although particularly on the north and westerly coasts — and you stand a chance of seeing killer whales, fin and sperm whale. However, the most common is the 10 tonne minke.
Your first intimation that a whale is present will be the familiar spouting: “Thar she blows!” But if you’re lucky you might see one of these magnificent specimens emerging from the ocean to frisk about in the water.
The sheer size of these beasts will probably come as something of a surprise: you’re unlikely to see the world’s largest animal, the blue whale, whose heart is the size of car and along whose arteries you could comfortably swim.
But to see any of the species of whale which inhabit Irish waters is an impressive sight.
Dolphins
With their streamline, distinctive art-deco look, combined with a personality which makes the average pet mongrel dog seem stand-offish, the dolphin is one of Ireland’s truly fascinating mammals.
Fungie is the country’s best known dolphin. Resident in Dingle Bay, Fungie is a fully-grown, possibly middle-aged, male bottle-nose, Tursiops
Trun-catus, who weighs in at around one-quarter tonne (500 lbs.) and measures in the region of four metres (13 feet).
Fungie was first noticed in 1984 when Paddy Ferriter, the Dingle Harbour lighthouse keeper, began watching a lone wild dolphin escort the town's fishing boats to and from port.
Later that year, local Ministry of Marine manager Kevin Flannery was able to officially record the dolphin as a “perm-anent”
resid-ent of the en-trance channel and self-appoint-ed “pilot” of the fleet.
Over the years Fungie has developed from a timid but inquisitive observer of the human visitors into a playful, though mischievous, companion.
From observation of body scarring it seems he does 'interact' with other whales, dolphins or porpoises, proving perhaps he is neither hermit nor outcast from his own kind, but rather that he is simply content with his current circumstances. For further details Tel: 00 353 66-9151967.
For information on other resident dolphin populations in Ireland contact the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation, Kilrush, Co. Clare, 00 353 65 905
2326;info@shannondolphins.ie
Deer
Deer abound in Ireland — there are Sika, Muntjac, roe, fallow and red.
However, it is only the red deer which is native to these shores. This is Ireland’s largest land mammal, and it occurs throughout the island. However, the most satisfying place to see the red deer is the Killarney National Park.
Killarney’s red deer herd is particularly ancient, and unlike most herds elsewhere in Ireland, is probably pure Irish, having no introduced specimens.
And we’re talking big bucks here — a fully-grown, mature buck can weigh 225kg, with antlers more than a metre wide. An impressive sight.
Badgers
Ireland’s largest land carnivores dig vast networks of tunnels — the largest found in these islands was almost two miles long and had 180 entrances. This was a badger metropolis.
Badgers are a wonderful sight, but the bad news is, although they are widespread throughout Ireland, they’re difficult to see. Being mainly nocturnal, you’re best bet is to sit near a badger sett towards dusk and wait.
If you’re quiet enough, hidden enough and patient enough, you’ll be rewarded with one of the finest free sights nature has to offer.
Stoat
The Irish Stoat, or in Irish the éasóg, is a distinct sub species — some zoologists even argue it should be classified as a separate species. The Irish animal is smaller than other European stoats, and unlike all other stoat populations does not turn white in winter.
There are no weasels in Ireland — only stoats. And how do you tell the difference? Oh, go on then — a weasel is weaselly recognised, and a stoat is stoatally different.
The Irish stoat, the smallest of our flesh-eating mammals, is about a foot long, and like the badger, is nocturnal.
Your chances of seeing one on a casual walk are not great — however, if you are determined, evening is the time, and suitable terrain might be the broad-leafed forests in Castlewellan, Co. Down, the heathland in the Wicklow Hills, or out in the middle of the Burren.
Hare
The Irish hare — in Irish giorria Éireannach — is one of Ireland’s oldest inhabitants, and like the stoat, there is a an Irish sub-species of hare — Lepus timidus hibernicus.
Irish hares occur in a wide range of habitats, including lowland raised bogs, blanket bog, grasslands and sand dunes. Although numbers have been declining over the last decade, hares occur in every county in Ireland.
Therefore your chances of seeing a hare on a tramp through the country is probably quite good. Hares eat grass — and one of the disadvantages of being a vegetarian is that you have to stay awake all day eating.
If you’re a carnivore you can spend most of your time asleep. Therefore, it’s always going to be easier to spot a herbivore — and a hare is particularly easy to spot because of its size and unmistakable gait. It’s much larger than a rabbit, and its speed across the ground, in excess of 30mph, is an astonishing sight to see.
The saying “as mad as a March hare” refers to the antics of the male hare during the breeding seasons. Mountain regions such as the Connemara hills are ideal for trying to spot this odd-seeming behaviour.
Otters
The Irish for otter is ‘dobharchú’ or ‘madra uisce’, which translates respectively as dark hound or water dog or more poetically “the hound of the flowing water”.
Beautifully graceful in the water, the otter has made something of comeback in most parts of Ireland, and should you have the time to sit by a lough, river or stream for a reasonable length of time, chances are you might see one of these enchanting animals.
The best way of deciding where to sit is by looking for signs of otter presence. The best tell-tale signs are spraint heaps — grassy mounds with spraints (or droppings) which can be bright green because of the enrichment of bogland nutrients.
However, the best sign with regards the spraints is the presence of fish bones, feathers and beetle wing in the droppings. You’ll know this is the place to set up shop for the day — especially if you see slides leading down to the water through the mud or peat.
Seals
Half of the world’s grey seals live in Irish and British waters.
They can way a hefty 260 kg, about twice the size of our other native species the common seal — which is, funnily enough, not nearly as common as the grey. Seals are found in almost all coastal waters around Ireland, but for a tour of some of Europe’s most important colonies contact Seafari Cruises.
Aboard their boats you can explore the prolific wildlife of Kenmare Bay. This is home to one of the largest seal colonies in Ireland — and you might just spot otters on the way. Tel 00 353 (0)64-42059
The pine marten
The pine marten, in Irish ‘cat Crainn’ is one of Ireland’s rarest mammals.
The size of a domestic cat, it resembles a very large red squirrel. Sightings are rare, but their geographical distribution suggests that the mammal might be more wide-spread than once thought.
Over the years there have been reports of sightings in the Mournes, in the north east of the country, and regular reports in the Burren, in the south west.
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