Fun Facts Friday | Posted on February 19th, 2021 | return to news
Five fun facts about Dorset’s wildlife
With its mix of coastline and beaches, extensive heathlands and rural farmland, Dorset is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna.
1
The county’s heaths are home to all six of the UK’s native species of reptile: grass snake, smooth snake, adder, slow worm, sand lizard and common lizard. There are more smooth snakes and sand lizards found on the heaths’ in Dorset than anywhere else in the country.
2
More than 5,000 species of invertebrate can be found on Dorset’s heaths, including 55 species of moths and butterflies hatching caterpillars that feed on the heath’s plant life.
3
There is a population of red squirrels on Brownsea Island. These are very rare in the south of England and have only survived because the island is surrounded by water preventing the invading grey squirrels from getting there.
4
Dorset has the world’s only managed colony of nesting mute swans at Abbotsbury. There are around 600 swans that make the sanctuary their home.
5
Dolphins are regularly seen off the Dorset coast, with bottlenose dolphins often seen off Studland or Portland. Dorset’s most southerly population of dolphins can be found in Lyme Bay.
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