Sutton Park Records
Vertebrates other than Birds (Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles and Mammals)

Content last updated: 26 Nov 2021

NOTES

When the recorder is given as "S. Bodnar (VSP)" rather than just "S. Bodnar", this indicates a statement of a record in S. Bodnar's unpublished account of the vertebrates of Sutton Park, mostly written around 1995, rather than a specific record by him.

For information on the symbols and abbreviations used here, see .
The column headings are also linked to the relevant part of the Key.

Show records for each species (or other recording unit, such as subspecies).

Checklist
				Notes on the Species
			Location(s)		Comment on the Record
CLASS PETROMYZONTI
ORDER PETROMYZONTIFORMES
Family Petromyzontidae   northern lamphreys
Lampetra planeri   Brook Lamprey				Said in 1896 to be once numerous in Longmoor Stream but now absent. Considered extinct.		L 1954
	M.S. Holliday	1954	SP0996 Longmoor Stream between Rowton's Well and Longmoor Pool		One, det. by K.M. Lightfoot.
CLASS ACTINOPTERYGII   bony fish
ORDER SALMONIFORMES
Family Salmonidae   salmon, trout and relatives
Salmo trutta trutta   Brown Trout				Fairly common.		P 1995
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995
ORDER ESOCIFORMES
Family Esocidae   pikes and pickerels
Esox lucius   Pike				Very common.		P 1995
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Numerous.
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-			A few.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1991-1995
ORDER CYPRINIFORMES
Family Cobitidae   true loaches
Cobitis taenia   Spined Loach				Doubtful.		D
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
Family Cyprinidae   carps, minnows and relatives
Abramis brama   Bream				Common.		P 1998-
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			In decline.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~			Found in all the pools.
	N. Walker	1997/1998	SP0998 Little Bracebridge
Cyprinus carpio   Carp				Common.		P 1998-
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Common.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~
	N. Walker	1997/1998	SP0998 Little Bracebridge
Gobio gobio   Gudgeon				Uncommon.		P 1995~
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~			Introduced.
Leuciscus cephalus   Chub				Common, but localised.		P 1995~
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~			Introduced.
Phoxinus phoxinus   Minnow				Extinct.		L 1965-
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-			Very rare.
Rutilus rutilus   Roach				Very common.		P 1998-
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Common in all the pools.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~			Very common.
	N. Walker	1997/1998	SP0998 Little Bracebridge
Scardinius erythrophthalmus   Rudd				500 stocked in Blackroot Pool in 1974. Now rare.		P 1995~
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~
Tinca tinca   Tench				Common.		P 1995
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Infrequent.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995
ORDER ANGUILLIFORMES
Family Anguillidae   freshwater eels
Anguilla anguilla   Eel				Not common.		P 1995~
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			In all of the pools.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~
ORDER GASTEROSTEIFORMES
Family Gasterosteidae   sticklebacks and relatives
Gasterosteus aculeatus   Three-spined Stickleback				Common.		P 2013
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Numerous.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~			Widespread and common.
	N. Walker	1997/1998	SP0998 Little Bracebridge
	E. Pisolkar	2013-05-25	SP1113995893
ORDER PERCIFORMES
Family Percidae
Gymnocephalus cernua   Ruffe				Very rare.		P 1993
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-	Powells Pool		Good numbers.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1993	Blackroot Pool		One caught.
Perca fluviatilis   Perch				Population crashed in the early 1970s due to a nationwide epidemic affecting this species. Now fairly common.		P 1995~
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Common in all pools.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~
ORDER SCORPAENIFORMES
Family Cottidae
Cottus gobio   Bullhead				Common.		P 2013
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Numerous in the streams.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~
	A. Noon	2013-05-24	SP1148196464
CLASS AMPHIBIA
ORDER CAUDATA   tailed amphibians
Family Salamandridae   salamanders and newts
Lissotriton helveticus (Triturus helveticus)   Palmate Newt				Doubtful.		D
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
Lissotriton vulgaris (Triturus vulgaris)   Smooth Newt				Common.		P 2013
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~
	T. Jenkins	2013-05-24
Triturus cristatus   Great Crested Newt				Not common.		P 1995
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1990-1995
ORDER SALIENTIA   tail-less amphibians
Family Bufonidae   toads
Bufo bufo   Common Toad				Numerous.		P 2013
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Common.
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~
	N. Walker	1997/1998	SP0998 Little Bracebridge
	S. Bodnar	2002			1 adult found by a child adjacent to Park House.
	M. Barker	2013-05-24	SP1089297052
Family Ranidae   frogs
Rana temporaria   Common Frog				Common.		P 2017
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Common.
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~
	N. Walker	1997/1998	SP0998 Little Bracebridge
	S. Bodnar	2002			Huge numbers of small frogs seen adjacent to pools.
	T. Jenkins	2013-05-24	SP0954495805
	P. Coxhead	2017-06-16	SP113964 Park House Meadow		Collected by schoolchildren at Bioblitz.
CLASS REPTILIA
ORDER TESTUDINES   terrapins, tortoises, and turtles
Family Emydidae
Pseudemys scripta   Red-eared Terrapin				Released pets; not present?		M 1999
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1985~	Keeper's Pool		Two had been released.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1998	Powell's Pool		One, 17 July.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1999	Longmoor		One, 17 July.
ORDER SQUAMATA   lizards and snakes
Family Lacertidae   true lizards
Lacerta agilis   Sand Lizard				Not present.		L 1975-
	P. Hillcox	1975-	SP0998 Near Little Bracebridge		Thought to be a liberated pet.
Zootoca vivipara (Lacerta vivipara)   Common or Viviparous Lizard				Seen every year since at least 2006.		P 2019
	Guide to Sutton Park	1922-			Rare.
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995-
	I. Vaughan	1999
	M. Phelps	2019-07-17	SP092982
Family Anguidae
Anguis fragilis   Slow-worm				Rare.		P 1993
	Anon.	1959	Keeper's Pool		One under a log.
	P. Hilcox	1985~	Park House		One.
	S. Bodnar	1991	Longmoor Valley
	S. Bodnar	1993	Longmoor Valley
Family Colubridae
Natrix helvetica   Barred Grass Snake				Previously included in Natrix natrix which does not occur in Great Britain. Rare.		P 1993
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-			Common in the damper areas.
	P. Hillcox	1993	SP0998 Little Bracebridge
Family Viperidae   vipers
Vipera berus berus   Adder				Not present.		L 1940~
	J. Steele Elliott	1894			Last known record as persecution was rapidly denuding the site.
	Anon.	1940~			Specimens in Birmingham Natural History Museum.
	R. Gotheridge	1998	Park House		Dub.
CLASS MAMMALIA
ORDER EULIPOTYPHLA   hedgehogs, shrews, moles and relatives
Family Talpidae
Talpa europaea   Mole				Rare.		P 1995~
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Common.
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-			Rare.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995~			Occasional on pastureland.
Family Erinaceidae
Erinaceus europaeus   Hedgehog				Not common.		P 1998
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-			Common.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1990-1998
Family Soricidae   true shrews
Neomys fodiens   Water Shrew				Rare and localised.		P 1998
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-	Brook below Wyndley Pool		One.
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1956-			Said to be fairly common, but S. Bodnar regards this as dubious.
	P. Hillcox	1975-	Little Bracebridge area		Caught in Longworth traps.
	N. Walker & S. Bodnar	1998	Wyndley Wood		Analysis of droppings in bait traps.
Sorex araneus   Common Shrew				Common.		P 1996
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	Guide to Sutton Park	1922-
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
	S. Bodnar	1991-1996	Park House Reserve		Longworth traps.
Sorex minutus   Pygmy Shrew				Probably present.		M 1965-
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-			Said to be "quite common", but this is considered dubious by S. Bodnar.
ORDER CHIROPTERA   bats
Family Vespertilionidae
Myotis mystacinus   Whiskered Bat				Probably extinct.		M 1965
	Guide to Sutton Park	1922-
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
Myotis daubentonii   Daubenton's Bat				Common.		P 2013
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	Guide to Sutton Park	1922-
	S. Bodnar	2002	SP106970		Blackroot, 5 seen and heard on a bat detector.
	M. Barker	2013-05-24
Nyctalus leisleri   Leisler's Bat						D
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1989			Unconfirmed.
Nyctalus noctula   Noctule				Common, but not gregarious.		P 2013
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1985+
	C. Sherlock	2013-05-24
Pipistrellus pipistrellus s.l.   Pipistrelle				Very common; now divided into the following two species.		P 2002
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	Guide to Sutton Park	1922-
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
	S. Bodnar	2002	SP106970		Heard on bat detector.
Pipistrellus pipistrellus s.s.   Common Pipistrelle						P 2013
	C. Sherlock	2013-05-24
Pipistrellus pygmaeus   Soprano Pipistrelle						P 2013
	C. Sherlock	2013-05-24
Plecotus auritus   Long-eared Bat				Probably present.		M 1998
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	Guide to Sutton Park	1922-
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
	S. Bodnar	1998	Park House Pool		Likely sighting.
ORDER CARNIVORA
Family Canidae   dogs
Vulpes vulpes   Fox				Common, breeds in the park. The South Staffordshire hunt operated in the Park until 1953.		P 2013
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	Guide to Sutton Park	1922-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1998
	M. Barker	2013-05-24
Family Mustelidae
Lutra lutra   Otter				Unconfirmed.		D
	P. Buckley	1956	Wyndley Pool		Peter Buckley stated in 2009: "I also recorded in my diary an otter at Wyndley Pool on July 8th, 1956."
Meles meles   Badger				Extinct until recently.		P 2013
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1989
	M. Barker	2013-05-24
Mustela putoris   Polecat				Extinct.		L 1885-
	J. Steele Elliott	1885-
Mustela erminea   Stoat				Not common.		P 1998
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	Guide to Sutton Park	1922-
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1992-1998
Mustela nivalis   Weasel				Not common.		P 1999
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	Guide to Sutton Park	1922-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1990=1999
Mustela vison   American Mink						D
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1990			Unconfirmed.
ORDER LAGOMORPHA
Family Leporidae   rabbits and hares
Oryctolagus cuniculus   Rabbit				Numerous.		P 1998
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	Guide to Sutton Park	1922-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1991-1998
Lepus capensis   Common Hare				Probably extinct.		L 1970~
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1912			Recorded as damaging young trees.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1953			Increasing following rabbit population crash.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1970~			Verbal accounts.
ORDER RODENTIA
Family Muridae
Apodemus sylvaticus   Field Mouse				Numerous.		P 1997
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1995	Park House Reserve		Longworth traps.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1997	Rose Cottage area		Longworth traps.
Arvicola terrestris   Water Vole				Not numerous.		P 1994
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Numerous.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1991-1994
Clethrionomys glareolus   Bank Vole				Common.		P 1997
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1991-1997	Park House Reserve		Longworth traps.
Meriones unguiculatus   Mongolian Gerbil				Not present.		L 1990~
	P. Hillcox	1990~			Released pets, persisted for some weeks at least.
Micromys minutus   Harvest Mouse				Present.		P 2000
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	2000
Microtus agrestis   Field Vole				Numerous.		P 1997
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Not numerous.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1956			"Plague population" recorded.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1992-1997
Mus musculus   House Mouse				Probably present.		P 1896-
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
Rattus norvegicus   Brown Rat				Numerous.		P 1992
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1992
Family Sciuridae   squirrels
Sciurus vulgaris   Red Squirrel				Extinct.		L 1957
	J. Steele Elliott	1896-			Still a few.
	Guide to Sutton Park	1922-
	Douglas V. Jones	1954	Westwood Coppice
	P. Buckley	1957-11-23			Extract from his diary of the time: "in a Scots Pine at Bracebridge – near the dam – on Nov 23, 1957, eating cones and in full red coat with long ear fufts. It was only about 100 yards away from a grey squirrel."
Sciurus carolinensis   Grey Squirrel				Numerous. Established some time in the 1950s.		P 2013
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1956-
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1998
	M. Barker	2013-05-24
ORDER ARTIODACTYLA   even-toed ungulates
Family Cervidae   deer
Muntiacus reevesi   Muntjac				Present.		P 2000
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-			Possible.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	1988			First verified sighting.
	P. Hillcox	1990-10	Wyndley Wood		Plaster cast of footprints.
	S. Bodnar (VSP)	2000
Capreolus capreolus   Roe Deer				Highly Dubious.		D
	J.C.W. Field & P.W. James	1965-			Described as 'possible'.
Cervus elaphus   Red Deer				Not present. Assumed to enter the Park along the railway line.		L 2000
	S. Bodnar	1999
	S. Bodnar	2000

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Content last updated:	26 Nov 2021