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Animals - Mammals

Mammals

The class Mammalia have about 4500 species of vertebrate animals, which are:

Adult females have mammary glands which from them they nourish the young with milk. Mammals have a bony skeleton and a relatively large brain.

The class Mammalia is sub divided into 19 orders, with most primitive being the Monotremata, in which its two species lay eggs. Than the other are live-bearers. Some mammals live solitary and others live in groups.

Mammals of the Maltese Islands:

 

Vagrant Hedgehog (Qanfud) Erinaceus algirus

    20-25cm. Head with pointed snout, small round ears and a body covering of rigid, spiny hairs parted over the head. Acute sense of hearing and smell. Nocturnal. Feeds on snails, slugs, insects, worms and small vertebrates such as frogs and lizards. Does not hibernate but not active at temperatures below 20°C. Gestation last just over a month. Litter of 2-4 young between May and October. Commonly seen on the Maltese Islands especially at night although it is threatened by insecticides and by cars.

Pigmy White-toothed Shrew (Gurdien Geddumu Twil) Suncus etruscus 

    3.5-5.2cm. Smallest mammal in the worlds Greyish brown tending to dirty green ventrally. Teeth white. Has a few bristle like hairs on the snout and tail. Ears rather large and prominent. Hides under logs and stones, in open country and woodland, often in rubble walls. Mostly nocturnal, feeding on small invertebrates. Litter of 2-5 young in spring or autumn, following gestation of 4 weeks. Becomes inactive when temperatures drops considerably and food is scarce. Not known from Gozo. Frequent.

Sicilian Shrew (Gurdien Geddumu Twil ta' Ghawdex) Crocidura sicula

    5-7cm. Dark grey dorsally, becoming white ventrally. In young,  the dark grey changes to white abruptly. Identified in 1989, having formerly been mistaken for another species. Found only on Gozo and Sicily, and known from Malta since Pleistocene. Formerly present also on the island of Malta. Females already pregnant in March and give birth to 5 young. The sub-species calypso occurs only in Gozo and is endemic. Frequent. 

Lesser Horseshoe Bat (Farfett il-Lejl tan-Naghla Zghira)  Rhinolophus hipposideros

    4-5cm (wingspan of 19-25cm) Smallest species in this family. Sets out about one hour after sunset, and flies through most of the night. Found all year round, generally singly, sometimes in small colonies. Remains dormant in deep caves during winter;  may be found in abandoned buildings during the warmer months. Feeds on moths, mosquitoes, beetles and spiders. Frequent.

Lesser Mouse-eared Bat (Farfett il-Lejl Widnet il-Gurdien) Myotis blythi

    6-7.5cm (wingspan 20-40cm). One of the largest species. Found all year round in certain deep caves, singly or in small colonies numbering about 20. Colonies with about 100 individuals occur in two localities. Flies out at dusk, frequenting cultivated land, edges of woodland and areas around open water reservoirs. Catches insects in the air, also on the ground. Formerly common. Frequent.

Grey Long-eared Bat (Farfett il_Lejl Widnejh Kbar) Plecotus austriacus

    4.5cm-5cm (wingspan 25-30cm). Ears very long. Found mostly near cultivated land and in inhabited areas. Sleeps in cracks in walls and rock faces and in winter is dormant in caves and tunnels. Catches insects in flight. Females reach maturity in two years and in late June congregate in groups of about 10 to give birth. The single young is tended for 6-7 weeks. Some individuals are probably migrants. Frequent.

Pipistrelle (Pipistrell) Pipistrellus pipistrellus

    3.5-5cm (wingspan 18-24cm). Smallest and mst widespread bat in Europe. Ears short and rounded. Tragus short and blunt. Tail short and wings slender. Fond ini inhabited areas, valleys, cliffs and woodland. Roosts in small groups in crevices in trees, walls, old houses and bastions. Flies out soon after sunset, catching small insects on the wing. Can consume up to 3500 mosquites in one night. Females congregate in late spring to give birth. Litter generally one, occasionally two, every two years. Young fly at about 20 days Each male mates up with up to 10 females. Common.

Weasel (Ballotra) Mustela nivalis

    20-31.5cm (male); 17.5-18cm (female). Smallest carnivore. Long and slender, with short limbs, long neck and small head. Found in all rural habits. Hunts by day and night, feeding mainly on rodents, rabbits and nestlings. Solitary. Gves birth in April-May and when food is plentiful, again in July-August. Gestation 34-37 days, with litters of 4-6. Young tended by the mother. Females smaller than males. Not found on Gozo and Comino. Very scarce.

Common Dolphin (Denfil) Delphinus delphis

    200-250cm. Snout pointed and streamlined, dark with a whitish tip. Flanks bear yellowish-brown patches. Seen in small schools, frequently breaking surface. Often swims near ships. Mating in July-October. Gestation 10 months. Young born the following summer. Males longer than females. Frequently.

Bottle-nosed Dolphin (Denfil Geddumu Qasir) Tursiops truncatus

    250-410cm. Back dark grey underside light grey. Snout short, lower jaw protruding further than upper. Vertebral column curved backwards. Seen in schools which often number 100. Mates in summer. Gestetation 1 year. Young reaches full maturity after 12 years. Frequent.

Wood Mouse (Gurdien tar-Raba') Apodemus sylvaticus

    9.5-11cm (+tail 7-11.5cm) Very similar to House Mouse, but has larger eyes and ears. Tail long and thin, hind legs pale, long and slender and larger than those of House Mouse. Yellowish-brown, tinged with grey above and silvery-grey below. Prefers woodland habitats, also found in gardens and inhabited areas. Hearing and vison acute. Nocturnal. Feeds on seeds, snails and insects. Produces up to four litters annually, each numbering 4-7 young. Gestation 19-20 days. Young born in March-October, but mostly in July-August. Scarce.

Brown Rat (Far tal-Kampanja) Rattus norvegicus

    21-29cm (+tail 17-23cm). Like black rat, but ears are shorter, thicker and more furry. Tail shorter and thicker. Eyes small. Lives in urban habitats: in rubbish dumps, drains, farms and food stores. Mostly nocturnal, but often seen by day. Lives in social groups, communicating with the other members by sound. Gestation 3 weeks. Up to fie litters annually, with a maximum of 15 young. Very common

Black Rat (Far Iswed) Rattus rattus

    15-24cm (+tail 11.5-26cm). Eyes larger than those of brown rat. Ears and tail virtually hairless. Tail long and slender. Lives in inhabited areas, in holes and tunnels, also among trees and reeds. Nocturnal and omnivorous, preferring fruit and vegetables. Gestation 3 wees. 3-5 litters annually, each with up to 16 young. Sexually mature at 3-4 months. Very Common.

House Mouse (Gurdien ta' l-Imramma) Mus musculus

    7.5-9cm (+tail 5.5-10cm). Found in houses, farms, warehouses, fields and groves. Omnivorous. Offspring produced all year round. Gestation 19-20 days. When food is abundant, produces up to 1- litters annually, each with 5-6 young. Sexually mature at 6 weeks. lives up to 3 years. Mostly nocturnal. Can squeeze through apertures as little as 1cm in diameter. Territorial. Hearing and smell good, but vison less acute. Very common.

Wild Rabbit (Fenek Salvagg) Oryctolagus cuniculus

    34-35cm (ears 6-7cm). Eyes large and prominent, hind legs long. Tail short curved upwards, dark above and pale below. Tail is very visible when the animal runs. Female smaller than male. Generally pale sandy brown or greyish with white underparts. Comes out to graze at daybreak and dusk. Incisors chisel-like. Feeds on grass and also digs for roots. Stamps its hind legs as a sign of alarm. Found in open countryside, in garigue and in screes, living in colonies. Excavates deep burrows in which it builds its nest. Male mates with more than one female. Gestation 28-33 days. More than three litters annually with 3-12 young in each. Young emerge from burrow after 3 weeks. Common.

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