Wild Nature

Introduction

What are mammals?

Mammal populations in France

What this book is about

1 Arboreal acrobats

The wood elf

A life in the trees

Poorly understood demographic factors

A squirrel's appetite

Too beloved, but unloved?

The elegant pine marten, cousin of the weasel

Keeping a low profile

Diapause and sarabande

2 The hedgehog and the fox

A multi-purpose coat of quills!

A distribution resulting from the retreat of the ice

Severe constraints on reproduction

A home range under heavy pressure

A victim of modern life

A pretty carnivore

A vast distribution

A highly adaptable ecology

From the medieval novel to the Rural Code

3 Field voles and their hunters

Field voles, small but numerous

Did you say “outbreak”?

What status for voles?

Ermine and little beauty

Disparate distribution

Direct or delayed gestation

4 Other small rodents

Murids of the field, field mice

On the trail of field mice

Small but very lively

City rats, highly adaptable species

A busy past... and tomorrow?

A trio of Gliridae in France

Nocturnal, talkative and hibernating

5 Eulipotyphles in my garden!

Two shrew winter strategies

The world of tiny mammals

How to keep out the cold?

Two very different types of mole

Living underground

Moles and men

6 Badgers and groundhogs, champions in their fields

Where do badgers hide?

Why so aggressive?

The Alpine marmot, a souvenir of the Ice Age

Marmot seasons

7 Amphibious carnivores

The European otter, a Eurasian species

An animal adapted to the freshwater environment

A certain comeback

The European polecat, a generalist species in decline

A small carnivore in need of rehabilitation

The European mink, on the brink of extinction

A fragile species

8 Between two worlds, three large amphibious rodents

The European beaver, a large rodent

A waterside habitat

Successful reintroductions

From the north, the muskrat

From the south, the coypu

Invasive exotic species

9 Lagomorphs, a fragile future in our countryside

The European hare, well known to Lewis Carroll

A special digestive system

Release is not reintroduction!

The mountain hare, a climatic refugee

The wild rabbit, a long history

Wild, pet, farmed or laboratory

Introduced exotic lagomorphs

10 Cervidae with large antlers

The Cervidae family

The red deer, well established in France

A growing population

The roe deer, a continental Cervidae

A delayed gestation period

11 Montagnards with sure feet

Chamois and isard, what are the differences?

A well-exploited geography

Mountain antelopes

Alpine ibex, Pyrenean ibex

Horn games

Near extinction

Impact of disease

12 Wild boar and company

The wild boar, a well-known silhouette

Wild boar and pig, back and forth

A sedentary animal

Ambiguous repopulation practices

From pest to ESOD

13 Félins de France

The boreal lynx, Europe's big cat

A modest comeback

At last, a national action plan!

The forest cat, a true European wildcat

A forest cat's life

14 Great carnivores, myths and realities

The brown bear, a real forester

An omnivorous, even vegetarian carnivore

Favouring the survival of bear cubs

Friction zones...

The gray wolf, an ancient history

An interesting mammal to study

What cohabitation for the future of the wolf?

15 Mammals with wings!

The chiropteran order

Bats in France

Separate feeding and roosting habitats

Skilful hunters

Pre-hibernation activities

Sites vulnerable to disturbance

Living together?

Conclusion

The pine marten to the red squirrel's rescue

The hedgehog and the fox at the end

The eulipotyphles in my garden

The marmot and the badger

Those from here and elsewhere

The same country for all

References