HEREFORDSHIRE ARTIODACTYLA ATLAS 1960 to 2016

Produced by David Lee and Denise Foster

Herefordshire Mammal Group Version 1 (March 2018) CONTENTS

Item Page

Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) 3

All Deer Species 4

Fallow Deer (Dama dama) 5

Muntjac Deer (Muntiacus reevesi) 6

Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) 7

Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) 8

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Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Feeding Habitat and Diet: A variety of habitats are utilised; woodland is their preferred location but wild boar will also frequent marshland, agricultural land, and riparian environments. They are omnivorous and will consume a large variety of food items such as roots, bulbs, tubers, acorns, beech mast, and chestnuts, which account for 90% of their diet. Animal matter, such as mice, birds’ eggs, snakes, worms, beetles, centipedes and carrion account for the remaining 10%.

Habitat: Wild boar is nocturnal although they can be seen during the day in times of food shortage. The daytime is spent sleeping in areas of thick cover, which are saucer shaped depressions in the ground, Photo: Courtesy Johnny Birks sometimes lined with leaves. Wild boars prefer to live

in small social groups referred to as 'sounders'. Sounders are organised around a core of two or three mature females with their most recent litters, plus the surviving young from previous litters. Group size varies between 6 and 30 animals. Mature males tend to be found in the vicinity of the group only during the breeding season. Outside the breeding season, the males are mainly solitary.

Photo: Courtesy Johnny Birks

Distribution: Wild boar is indigenous to Western Europe and numbers have increased throughout their range which is most likely due to the lack of predation. There are several confirmed breeding populations of wild boar in the south of England including Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. Animals from the Forest of Dean have crossed into Wales and become established in Monmouthshire and in parts of south Herefordshire.

Identification: Thick bristly coat with underlying brown pelage. Coat colour brown, red-brown, dark grey or black and the bristles brindled with white or tan tips. Piglets have brown and cream longitudinal Distribution of Sus scrofa from 2000 to 2016 in stripes which disappear at 3-4 months old. The wild Herefordshire boar's head is very large as is their body mass but the legs are short. They have small eyes which are high up on the head.

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ALL DEER SPECIES

Distribution of All Deer Species from 1960 to 2000. Distribution of All Deer Species from 2000 to 2016 in Herefordshire (pre-2000 records are shown as red squares)

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FALLOW DEER (Dama dama)

Distribution of Dama dama from 1960 to 2000. Distribution of Dama dama from 2000 to 2016 in Herefordshire (pre-2000 records are shown as red squares)

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MUNTJAC DEER (Muntiacus reevesi)

Distribution of Muntiacus reevesi from 1960 to 2000. Distribution of Muntiacus reevesi from 2000 to 2016 in Herefordshire (pre-2000 records are shown as red squares)

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RED DEER (Cervus elaphus)

Distribution of Cervus elaphus from 1960 to 2000. Distribution of Cervus elaphus from 2000 to 2016 in Herefordshire (pre-2000 records are shown as red squares)

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ROE DEER (Capreolus capreolus)

Distribution of Capreolus capreolus from 1960 to 2000 Distribution of Capreolus capreolus from 2000 to 2016 in Herefordshire (pre-2000 records are shown as red squares)

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