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        Mull's mammalsmap
Red Deer stag
  
Red Deer 
– Found on Mull all year this is the largest wild mammal living in Britain, they live for 10 to 15 years with hinds usually living longer than stags. Red Deer antlers are made of bone and not horn as is the case in cattle and sheep. The hinds start breeding at between 2 and 3 years old although woodland Deer can be earlier depending on forage. The rut is from mid September to mid November and gestation is approximately 33 weeks, with each hind only producing a single calf between mid May and Early July. Red Deer calves are 6 to 7 kgs or 13 to16 lbs at birth and stay with their mother for 2 years.
 
Otter
- Found on Mull all year this endearing mammal is larger than people think with dog Otters reaching about 4 feet or 1.2 metres long, its nearest relative is the Badger. Otters mature at 2 years old and live for between 10 and 15 years, but cubs suffer a very high mortality rate. Otters breed at all times of the year with gestation about 9 weeks, with 2 cubs being the average litter size. The cubs eyes open at about 4 to 5 weeks old and they learn to swim at about 3 months old; they stay with their mother for about 18 months.
Otter by David Mitchell
Common Seals by Nic Davies
  
Common Seals
– Found on Mull all year these are the smaller of the two types of seals found around the coast of Mull about 1.5 metres or just under 5 feet in length, Bulls are larger than cows. They have attractive mottled coats ranging from dark brown to pale grey/white, the calves are usually black. Common Seals calve in late June or July and there calves can swim within a few hours of being born. In more crowded colonies calf deaths can be high from either getting lost or being trampled, but seals can live for over 30 years. Common seals can swim at up to 25 miles per hour and dive to 200 meters or 650 feet and can stay under water for 15 minutes.
Grey Seals
– Found on Mull all year this is the larger of our seals with the roman nosed, dog like faces, they can reach up to 2.3 meters or 7.5 feet, they are more uniform in colour, bulls can be almost black, with cows much lighter, both are paler underneath. The calves are born with silky white fur a throwback to the ice age; they helplessly rely on their mothers for up to 4 weeks after being born. There are about 100,000 Grey seals around the coast of Great Britain which is 1/3 of the world’s population and so is very precious.
In the waters around Mull are Minke Whales, Killer Whale, Bottle Nosed Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Risso’s Dolphins, Harbour Porpoise and worth a mention although not a mammal the magnificent Basking Shark.
Grey Seal by Nic Davies
Fallow Deer stags
Fallow Deer including albino female
Other Mammals to be found on Mull at all times of the year are Fallow deer, Mountain Hares, Rabbits, Polecat, Mink, Stoats, Feral Goats, Feral Cats, Basking Sharks and of course Highland Cattle and Hebridean Sheep.
Rabbit by Arthur
Mink by Nic Davies
Hare taken by David Mitchell
Basking Shark by Nic Davies
Highland Cow by Tony Budell
Hebridean Ewes and lambs
Highland Bull
Mull is a naturalists' heaven with several ecologies wrapped in one small island, but we wouldn't have seen a quarter of what's on offer without Pam & Arthur's insider knowledge. You get a class act when you hire them for a whole day, along with some comical patter and Pam's homemade veg soup, sarnies, flapjacks and cake.Sharon Ring,    Sainsbury's Magazine March 2007
Pam & Arthur Brown
Ardrioch Farm, Dervaig
Isle of Mull
Argyll PA75 6QR
[email protected]
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This is the web site of Pam & Arthur Brown, Ardrioch Farm, Dervaig, Isle of Mull. PA75  6QR