Pets (tame animals)

Britain is famous for being a nation of animal lovers, and many people in Britain keep pets. More than 50 per cent of British families own a pet. We keep some 7.7 million cats, 6.6 million dogs, one million budgerigars and 18 million goldfish. And we are increasingly adopting exotic creatures such as small farm animals, snakes, tropical fish, and spiders; an e stimated 2,000 households now have reptiles.

My Pet Rabbit

My name is Nina Francis and I am in class 3B. I have a Netherland Dwarf rabbit called Fluffy who is three years old. The main characteristics which make him a dwarf rabbit are: he doesn’t grow very big and he has tiny ears.

He lives in a hutch in my garden. In summer he plays on the grass and in winter I bring him indoors in the warm to watch TV in my bedroom with me.

He is very tame; he doesn’t bite and loves being stroked. I loved bringing him into school for show and tell, so all my friends could meet him.

By Nina Francis

Wild Animals of England

We have a varied wildlife. Our largest mammal is the red deer. In the wild, foxes and rabbits are often seen, and if you're lucky, you may even see a badger, weasel or a hedgehog. Our only poisonous snake, the adder, is rare and protected. Our smallest mammal is the pygmy shrew. We do not have animals like elephants or tigers but we can see them in the zoo.

B irds

Bird-watching is a popular pastime in Britain. England is home to nearly 230 kinds of birds and a temporary home to 200 migrating birds. A common bird in England is the red robin. The migrant cuckoo stops in England during spring. The tit family, chaffinch, blackbird, and thrush are other common birds.

Animals native to England

Mammals

• European hedgehog

• Red Deer

• Roedeer

• Red Squirrel

• Eurasian otter

• Polecat

• Hazel dormouse

Rabbits are not native to England; they were probably introduced by the Normans as a food source during the early part of the last millennium (1066).

Amphibians

• Common frog

• Common toad (Bufobufo)

• Natterjack toad (Bufocalamita)

• Palmate newt

• Smooth newt

• Crested newt

Reptiles

• Common lizard

• Sand lizard

• Slow-worm

• Adder

• Grass snake

• Smooth snake

Birds

• Swans

• Sparrow

• The Tawny owl

• Robin

badger – барсук weasel – ласка (иногда и др. животные из семейства куньих: горностай, куница) hedgehog – еж poisonous snake – ядовитая змея adder – гадюка pygmy shrew – малая бурозубка robin – зарянка; малиновка cuckoo – кукушка tit – синица chaffinch – зяблик blackbird – черный дрозд thrush – дрозд red deer – благородный олень, марал roedeer – косуля red squirrel – рыжая белка; американская красная белка Eurasian otter – обыкновенная выдра polecat – хорек черный или лесной hazel dormouse – мушловка, орешниковая соня common frog – травяная / плоскомордая лягушка common toad – серая / обыкновенная жаба natterjack toad – камышовая жаба palmate newt – нитеносный / перепончатоногий тритон smooth newt – обыкновенный тритон crested newt – гребенчатый тритон common lizard – живородящая ящерица sand lizard – южноафриканская /дюнная ящерица slow-worm – медяница; слепозмейка grass snake – уж smooth snake – медянка; гладкий полоз swan – лебедь sparrow – воробей the Tawny owl – неясыть обыкновенная

Which of these birds and animals are familiar to the Russians too?

What birds and animals can you see in the wild in your country?