Nature & Heritage

Mammals

From water voles to red deer, The Flow Country is home to some of Scotland’s most iconic mammal species. While herds of red deer are not easy to miss, many more elusive species can be found in this vast landscape.

Small Mammals

The most populous mammals in the Flow Country by some margin, these illusive species are not easily seen!

©Lorne Gill

The Flow Country may be a flat landscape, but it provides excellent cover for the small mammals which inhabit it.

Water Vole

Water voles are the largest voles found in the UK, around the same size as a guinea pig. They are found throughout the Flow Country but are particularly associated with areas of water. They are excellent swimmers making them perfectly adapted to the wet conditions of the Flow Country.

Field Vole

Field voles are the smaller cousin of the water vole, about the size of a mouse. Like water voles these are found throughout the Flow Country. It can be identified from the similar bank vole by its short tail which is about 30% the length of its body.

Water Shrew

Unlike the voles which are herbivores, the water shrew is an insectivore. It is an excellent swimmer and will hunt for its prey underwater. It's also the UK's only venomous mammal with saliva which can immobilise small fish!

©Andy Hay

Small mammals are an important part of the Flow Country's ecosystem. Many predatory species, like the hen harrier, rely on these small mammals as a source of food.

Did you know?

Unlike water voles in England and Wales which are brown, Scottish water voles tend to be black. They are genetically distinct populations. Scottish water voles are descended from populations in northern Iberia which colonised in the last ice age, while populations elsewhere in the UK are descended from southern European stock.

Did you know?

Water voles are some of the most threatened mammals in the UK. They have disappeared from 94% of their former range, due to habitat degradation, pollution, and the introduction of American mink, an invasive predator.

Did you know?

As their name suggests, water voles tend to be associated with areas of water, generally inhabiting banks of rivers, ditches and lakes. However, recently a population of terrestrial (fossorial) water voles has been discovered in Glasgow!

Carnivores

The Flow Country is home to several carnivorous mammals. Red foxes are incredible generalists, just as suited to bustling city streets to the vast wilderness of the Flow Country. Otters are also found here, the many rivers and lochs providing ample habitat for this aquatic mammal. The smallest of the mammalian carnivores in the Flow Country is the weasel. It may only be 20 centimetres in length, but it is a voracious predator and specialises in hunting small mammals.

Did you know?

In the late 1950s, otters suffered huge declines in the UK, likely due to a combination of pollution and habitat destruction. Nowadays, populations have largely recovered and otters are even expanding their ranges in some areas.

Deer

The largest of the mammals in The Flow Country. Two species of deer inhabit this area, both with different niches and life histories.

©Lorne Gill

Red Deer

The largest wild mammal in the Flow Country is the red deer. They roam the Flow Country, sometimes in large herds. For red deer, the males are known as stags, the females are called hinds and the young are calfs.

Roe deer

Smaller than the red deer, roe deer prefer sheltered woodland to open plains where they are better protected. They do not form large herds, instead living in small groups.

Antlers

For both red and roe deer, the males of the species have antlers, while the females do not. They are not horns, which are made from keratin. Antlers are made from bones and are shed and regrown once a year. Male deer use their antlers during the rut to compete with other males.

©Lorne Gill

Iconic, but controversial?

Despite being iconic species in the Highlands, deer numbers can cause issues for the environment due to overgrazing. With no remaining natural predators in the UK, deer numbers have to be carefully controlled to manage their impact.