New study reveals Burnley has over 2,000 different species of animals and almost 600 of these are spiders and insects

A new study has revealed that Burnley has a total of 2,087 distinct species and almost 600 of these are insects and spiders!
By Susan Plunkett
Published 6th Dec 2019, 15:36 BST
Updated 6th Dec 2019, 15:38 BST

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A study has found that Eastern grey squirrels are among the most common animals found in Burnley.A study has found that Eastern grey squirrels are among the most common animals found in Burnley.
A study has found that Eastern grey squirrels are among the most common animals found in Burnley.

The statistics, which are part of a celebration of the UK's biodiversity, which is the variety and variability of life on earth, have been produced by Holidaycottages.co.uk to encourage more people to go out and experience the natural world.

An interactive map revealing the most biodiverse areas in Great Britain, has been drawn up showcasing the number of distinct species such as mammals, birds, fish and crustaceans, insects and arachnids, plants, mushrooms and fungi and bacteria.

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Using data from the National Biodiversity Network Atlas, the team visualised the most and least biodiverse areas in Great Britain which can be explored by typing in an area to see the total number of species in a selected location.

The map lists 381 different areas ranging from the most biodiverse, which is the highlands of Scotland with 16, 273 different types of species to the least, which is inner London which has just 159.

Burrnley has 49 different species of animals across 42.7 square miles. The most common ones found were Eastern grey squirrels, feral cats, roe deer and foxes.

There are 28 mammals and 178 birds. Fish, crustaceans and molluscs number 90 and there are 593 different kinds of insects, spiders and myriapods which are centipedes and millipedes.

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Other types of animals number 17 and there are 1,113 different types of plants including Himalayan balsam, common nettle, hawthorne and ash.

Sixty eight different kinds of mushroom and funghi can also be found in the borough.

Bird lovers will want to visit North Norfolk as it has the highest number of different species (434) than any other.

If you’re trying to avoid insects and creepy crawlies, you’ll love the City of London with only 49 different species, but arachnophobes beware of East Cambridgeshire as this area has the most insect and arachnid species with 7,611.

A trip to the Highlands is recommended for those wanting to see the most varied plants (2,956) and mammal (67) species in Great Britain.

Related topics:BurnleyLondonGreat BritainScotland