The fauna of Scotland is generally typical of the north-west European
part of the Palearctic ecozone, although several of the country's
larger mammals were hunted to extinction in historic times and human
activity has also led to various species of wildlife being introduced.
Scotland's diverse temperate environments support 62 species of wild
mammals, including a population of Wild Cats, important numbers of Grey
and Harbour Seals and the most northerly colony of Bottlenose Dolphins
in the world. Many populations of moorland birds, including Blackcock
and the Red Grouse, live here, and the country has internationally
significant nesting grounds for seabirds such as the Northern Gannet.
The Golden Eagle has become a national icon, and White-tailed Eagles
and Ospreys have recently re-colonised the land. The Scottish Crossbill
is the only endemic vertebrate species in the British Isles. Scotland's
seas are among the most biologically productive in the world; it is
estimated that the total number of Scottish marine species exceeds
40,000. An estimated 14,000 species of insect, including rare bees and
butterflies protected by conservation action plans, inhabit Scotland.
Conservation agencies in the UK are concerned that climate change,
especially its potential effects on mountain plateaus and marine life,
threaten much of the fauna of Scotland.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauna_of_Scotland>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1415:
The Council of Constance executed Jan Hus , founder of the Christian
Hussite reform movement, for committing heresy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussite>
1887:
King Kalākaua of Hawai'i was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution,
stripping the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority as well as
disfranchising all Asians, most native Hawaiians, and the poor.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1887_Constitution_of_the_Kingdom_of_Hawaii>
1957:
At a concert by The Quarrymen at the St. Peter's Church Woolton Garden
fête, band member John Lennon met Paul McCartney, triggering a series
of events that led to the forming of The Beatles.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quarrymen>
1966:
Hastings Banda became the first president of Malawi, exactly two years
after the country was granted independence from the United Kingdom.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Banda>
2006:
Nathu La, a mountain pass in the Himalayas connecting between India and
China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opened for trade after
more than 40 years.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_La>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
gurgle (v):
1. To flow with a bubbling sound.
2. To make such a sound
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gurgle>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for
I intend to go in harm's way.
--John Paul Jones
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Paul_Jones>
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