Wildlife on Exmoor

Exmoor National Park has an abundance of various wildlife within. If the appeal of the Exmoor Pony and the wild Red Deer with hundreds of native species of animals then Exmoor is a place for you.

There are many animals available to see in the wild although nothing is guaranteed! The Red Deer can be spotted occasionally along with the Exmoor Pony but some of the birds are just as precious but it depends on where you go. Dormouse are also breading on Exmoor with several site making nesting boxes to encourage their way of life. There are also many insects that are both rare and beautiful including the Elephant Hawk-Moth and the Heath Fritillary.

Rabbit on Treborough Common

Sheep have grazed on the moors for more than 3000 years, shaping much of the Exmoor landscape by feeding on moorland grasses and heather. Traditional breeds include Exmoor Horn (Exmoor Horn: the exmoor horn is a white faced, horned breed of sheep), Cheviot (Cheviot: Hardy hornless sheep of the Cheviot hills noted for its wool) and Whiteface Dartmoor and Greyface Dartmoor (Whiteface Dartmoor and Greyface Dartmoor) sheep. Devon red cattle are also farmed in the area. Exmoor ponies, the exmoor pony is the oldest and most primitive of the british native pony ponies,can be seen roaming freely on the moors, as can a few red deer. It is rumoured that they share their habitat with the Beast of Exmoor (Beast of Exmoor: the beast of exmoor is a cryptozoological cat that is rumored to roam the fields of devon, blamed for animal deaths on the moors.

The moorland habitat is also home to hundreds of species of birds and insects, meaning several areas have been declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Butterfly

Sheep have grazed on the moors for more than 3000 years, shaping much of the Exmoor landscape by feeding on moorland grasses and heather. Traditional breeds include Exmoor Horn, Cheviot and Whiteface Dartmoor and Greyface Dartmoor sheep. Devon red cattle are also farmed in the area. Exmoor ponies can be seen roaming freely on the moors, as can a few red deer. It is rumoured that they share their habitat with the Beast of Exmoor, blamed for animal deaths on the moors. The moorland habitat is also home to hundreds of species of birds and insects, meaning several areas have been declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Contributed by: Lisa Jenkins