Endangered species in the UK

1. Endangered species in the UK Bottlenose Dolphin European Otter Skylark Grass Snake Sand lizard

2. Bottlenose Dolphin • These dolphins are found mainly off the south and west coasts of the UK, swimming close to bays and estuaries. A lot of these places are highly polluted and this coupled with fishing may be the reason of this species becoming extinct. • They work together in groups to capture shoals of fish but mostly enjoy eating cod and haddock as their diets. • These types of dolphins grow up to approximately 3.5 metres in length and weigh up to 400 kilograms as a fully grown adult. • The average lifespan is 20 years but the oldest dolphins can be 45-50 years with only 1-2% of the population reaching this. • A way to stop bottlenose dolphins dying at a rapid pace is to set up captive breeding programmes and try to reduce the amount of pollution put into the waters.

3. European Otter • Otters are spread around the main parts of Europe and even in some places in Asia and Africa. 12% of the breeding population is located in Great Britain but they are believed to be extinct in Switzerland and Liechenstein. • They mainly eat fish nut in the winter they tend to eat birds, insects and frogs as they are easier to find than fish in the winter months. If there is no sign of these things they may even resort to having small mammals such as young beavers. • Otters mainly grow up to an average size of 57 to 93cm long, not including a tail length of 35 to 45cm . The average body weight is 7 to 12kg but in larger males can reach 17kg. Lifespan of 9-10years. • To increase amounts of otters in the UK we can rescue more from the oceans were it is polluted and put them into zoo’s or safari’s to keep them in a life of safety and can breed.

4. Skylark • Skylarks live in woodlands and where vegetation tends to occur as it provides the covering for nests. They are mostly seen in upland grasslands of forests and woods or on coastal dunes and marshes as it is damp and provides a source of water and food. • Their diet mainly consists of seeds and insects as they are quite small so are near the bottom of the food chain making them ideal prey for bigger predators. • They are on average 18cm long and have a wingspan of 33cm . Males weigh 42kilograms and females weigh 35kilograms as an average weight. • The lifespan is 2 years so they have to reproduce after their first year.