Indigenous or Introduced?

THERE IS A RICH AND VARIED FAUNA IN FRANCE, AS IN ENGLAND, AND IT IS TEMPTING TO LOOK AT THE CREATURES WE ENCOUNTER AND ASSUME THAT THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A FIXTURE OF OUR LANDSCAPE

But this is by no means the case. Many that seem as familiar as our own family may have been with us for only a few generations, while some that went back to the end of the last ice age have been lost, perhaps quite recently.

Wolves

The wolf, that bogey of fairy-tales and also of more adult fiction, has been a fact of life over all of history. Wolves were an ever-present danger to travellers right into recent history in some parts of Europe. One can even find folk-songs warning of the dangers of wolves, though in some of these, the “wolf” may have two legs! However, the fourlegged variety was finally declared extinct in France in 1937. For several hundred

The wolves seem to have taken matters into their own paws years, the State had been trying to eliminate the hapless creatures. In the 18th and 19th centuries there was even a paramilitary unit dedicated to the destruction of wolves. The eradication was not, however, complete. There was a small population remaining in the wilds of South-east France. And now, with the added cover of European protected status, they are spreading into mainland France again. The population is small – possibly only 6700 individuals – but sightings and statistical analysis of reports suggests that by 2019 they had reached New Aquitaine. The wolves seem to have taken matters into their own paws. Fairly recently a dead wolf was discovered in the

By Mike George

Mike George is our regular contributor on wildlife and the countryside in France. He is a geologist and naturalist, living in the Jurassic area of the Charente

Montmorillon/Lathus St Remy area (86 Vienne) and the experts remarked that, yes, cubs of the second year can leave the family group and travel a hundred kilometres or more looking for a new territory. Plus ça change … Better find your old copy of Little Red Riding Hood and start swatting-up!

Bears

Another surprisingly large creature that has been around since the glaciers retreated, but then almost made it to extinction, was the Eurasian Brown Bear. This animal stands about as tall as a man, and is admittedly a dangerous adversary, and it was nearly eliminated from France in the 20th century. All that remained were a few bears in the Pyrenees, on the France/Spain border. Now they are protected, and the population has increased to some 70 individuals, which is still a perilously low number. There are a couple of sub-populations in the Cantabrian Mountains in Spain, totalling some 250 individuals.

Beavers

The Eurasian Beaver was hunted almost to extinction. Hatters wanted its fur, and perfumiers wanted its Castoreum secretion, which added a leathery note to perfumes.

Increasing scarceness meant that prices rose; beaver hats went out of fashion, and the few remaining beavers were given something of a respite. However, by the late 19th century, there were only 100 beavers left in France, living in the lower Rhone valley. The introduction of protection measures in 1968 and a number of reintroduction projects allowed the French beaver population to grow to 14,000 individuals by 2011, living along 10,500 km of watercourses.

Rabbits and hares

Rabbits and hares have always been a bit of a talking-point. Was it the Romans that brought them? They certainly enjoyed the convenience of rabbits being always available to supplement the diet, and a good jugged hare has always been popular with those that could catch a hare. In fact, it is likely that the British populations of these two animals were introduced, and the Romans are the likely culprits. The population of rabbits and hares probably lived out the last ice-age in the south of Europe (Italy, perhaps, and Spain) and spread northwards later, following agriculture as it opened up the sort of landscape the creatures favoured. The Channel, though, which would have established itself by the time they got that far north, would have been an impassable barrier.

Of course, humanity in its constant quest for an easy meal, has spread the rabbit virtually world-wide, with terrible consequences in some areas. Mutter the word “rabbit” to an Australian farmer, and see what reaction you get!

Squirrels

Squirrels. Now there’s a classic example. Everyone knows that the lovable Red Squirrel is the native variety, and the Grey Squirrel is the gangster that has taken over in Britain. A native of the Eastern United States, Grey Squirrels were introduced to Britain in the 1870s as a decorative addition to country estates. Even the Zoological Society of London released some to breed in Regent’s Park. Now it has virtually displaced the Red Squirrel. It has not gained much of a foothold in France yet, and the EU has put a blanket ban on introducing, releasing, encouraging, importing, and breeding Grey Squirrels. There are some Grey Squirrels in Italy, and it is feared that they will inevitably cross into France. Eradication measures were blocked by Animal Rights groups. For the moment, though, if you see a squirrel in France, it is a red one. Of course, having said that, the Red Squirrel can range in colour to absolutely black on the uppersides, so look for ear-tufts (which the Grey Squirrel lacks).

Deer

Roe deer are long-term inhabitants. There is no sign of their having been introduced. Again, undoubtedly they lived through the last ice-age in the Mediterranean region, and moved north as the climate warmed. Strangely, in those regions where they formerly lived, they now prefer the higher altitudes, whereas we know them as lowland creatures. Their spread seems to have been natural, whereas Fallow Deer, also native to the Mediterranean, have been spread more by introduction.

Wild Boar

The Wild Boar is the ancestor of domestic pigs. They have, however, far more aggression than their domesticated descendants. Males tend to be solitary, while females form groups. Piglets are striped for camouflage.

Their origin seems to have been Southeast Asia, from where they spread into Europe and North Africa. They seem to have naturalised themselves in Britain after the last Ice Age, but were getting scarce by the 1100s and seem to have been eradicated by the 13th century. In the 1990s, several escapes occurred from specialist farms where wild boar were raised for meat, and now a few colonies have established themselves. In France, of course, there seems always to have been a wild population. (If you missed my article on Wild Boar in September's edition, you can read the digital version here: www.etceteraonline.org - ‘Read Online’.)

Coypu and Muskrat

These two species have never been indigenous to France, or even Europe. The Coypu is native to South America and the Muskrat to North America. Both were brought to Europe to further the fur trade; the muskrat gave the fur musquash and the coypu gave nutria. Both were popular for the cheaper end of the fur market, and farming them was the economical way to guarantee supplies. Of course, escapes occurred, and wild populations established themselves. The Muskrat seems not to have thrived in Britain, but established itself in France. Coypu settled in both countries, finding the fens and East Anglia most congenial. There, in the late 20th century, a concerted effort was made to eradicate them, which proved successful by 1989. In France, however, they can still be found. They are waterloving, and swim well, and are usually to be seen in streams and ponds.

Some people mistake them for beavers. This is understandable, as all three are rodents, and much the same size, though the beaver is slightly larger. The easiest way to tell them apart is by the tails. A coypu has a furry tail, round in crosssection, while a muskrat has a furry tail that is flattened vertically, which it uses as a rudder to steer when it swims. The beaver, of course, has a horizontally flattened tail which is scaly for most of its length.

Both the coypu and the muskrat, like the Grey Squirrel, are on the European Union schedule of invasive species (the Union List), which means that they cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialised, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union.

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD RELAX, LET ME REMIND YOU THAT WE DO HAVE SOME VENOMOUS CREATURES ON OUR PATCH

We have nothing as dangerous to life and health as do the more tropical regions of the World, but still, we should know what to avoid, and what to do if we get too involved. Let’s have a look at them.

Snakes

Venomous snakes are rarely seen. Most people go through their whole lives and never see one. I have only seen two adders in the wild in my life so far. Deaths from adder-bite happen at the rate of about ten per century in Britain; these days it is more like 1 per century. Over the whole of West and Central Europe only 5 or 6 snake-bite deaths are reported annually. Statistically, your pets may be in more peril than you.

There are four venomous snakes in France, but only two, the familiar Adder Vipera berus (Fr: Vipère péliade) and the Asp Vipera aspis (Fr: Vipère aspic), are widespread, and only the asp occurs in our part of France. They look much the same – varying shades of brown with darker brown markings. There is usually (but not always) an inverted “V” on the back of the head, but to look for a dark zig-zag all along the back is misleading – this patterning can be absent or form blobs rather than a continuous mark. The distinguishing feature between the two species is the asp’s rather cute tip-tilted nose.

The way to confirm that you are dealing with a viper is to examine its head. Most non-venomous snakes have oval-shaped heads with relatively large scales on the top, and the eyes have round pupils. The two vipers, however, have triangular heads, the scales on the top are relatively small, and the eye-pupils are vertical slits. Of the two, I am afraid that it is the Asp that is considered the more dangerous. In spite of this it is probably not a descendant of Queen Cleopatra’s bosom-biting Asp (see Shakespeare), which was an altogether more deadly species, probably an Egyptian Cobra Naja haje. This has a more lethal bite than a viper, but the pain of the venom is less.

Both snakes are rather small (up to 70 cm) and tend to avoid people. Snakes possess an inner ear structure linked to the jaw which detects ground-transmitted vibrations, and there is evidence that they also have a limited ability to detect airborne sounds through the skin. They will quietly make themselves scarce if they detect your approach. Of course, all snakes will defend themselves if they are cornered or attacked.

The two other venomous snakes in France are both confined to the southern coastal

Snakes possess an inner ear structure linked to the jaw which detects groundtransmitted vibrations region. They are the Montpellier Snake Malpolon monspessularius ( Fr: Couleuvre de Montpellier) and the Meadow Viper or Orsini’s Viper Vipera orsinii (Fr: Vipère d’Orsini). Of these, the latter, while a true viper, is so rare as to be discountable. The Montpellier Snake is unlike the others in that, as its French name suggests, it is not a viper. It is in fact our sole representative of the opisthoglyphous (or back-fanged) snakes, which deliver their venom through their hind teeth. Thus, to envenomate their prey, they must hold it in their teeth and inflict wounds, then allow the venom to seep into those wounds. No quick injection. A human is unlikely to stand around and let that happen!

Should you receive a bite from any snake, check it immediately. If there is any sign of a puncture, you may have been injected with venom. STAY CALM. Any excitement or rushing about will speed the distribution of the venom around the body. DON’T use a tourniquet or slit open the wound to suck out the venom – you will only make things worse. The venom will not take serious effect (apart from the local pain!) for an hour or two; plenty of time to get to hospital. Try to remember what the snake looked like (don’t try to catch or kill it or you might get another bite). Remember, unless you suffer a rare allergic reaction, you are very unlikely to die, especially if you get prompt treatment. Even if untreated, death results from asp-bite in only 4% of cases. The best advice is to leave all snakes alone. Don’t bother them, and they will not bother you. If you find one in your house or shed, give it freedom to leave – it certainly doesn’t want to share your home! And don’t poke at it to identify it - take a photograph if you are interested. But remember – the snake is even more frightened of you than you are of it!

Spiders

All spiders are venomous, but few spiders have the strength or size to break the skin of a human and inject venom. I have heard reports of wolf-spiders and house-spiders managing to get a quick bite in on an incautious hand that disturbed them, but if it were true, little seemed to come of it. Any pain is transient, and no serious consequences have been noted. However, there are a few larger ones that can cause trouble.

The Brown Recluse, Loxoceles recluse, (Fr: La Recluse brune) and The Mediterranean Recluse Loxosceles rufescens, (Fr: L'araignée violoniste). Both these species are predominately to be found in the south of France although both species can extend to other regions of France. Neither is likely to cause death unless a serious health condition exists to complicate matters, but there is a high risk of necrosis (death of the affected tissues) and infection without treatment, which must be sought immediately. However, the spider’s name suggests its lifestyle. It just wants to hide. A friend of mine one autumn took down her coat to put on for the first time for some months, and was dismayed when a Brown Recluse Spider ran out of it, down her arm and across her hand, before disappearing under the furniture. We kept a close eye on her hand for some days, but nothing transpired; presumably the spider just ran for it! Biting would be a waste of escaping-time.

The Mediterranean black widow or the European black widow, Latrodectus tredecimguttatus (Fr; La Malmignatte or Veuve noire d’Europe). In France this red-blotched shiny black spider, about the size of a large pea, is found mainly in the south of the country and in Corsica, but it also goes up along the Atlantic coast of New Aquitaine to Brittany. Only the larger female is capable of biting a human, and only when feeling threatened. The venom in this case is a neurotoxin that affects the nervous system. The bite can lead to abdominal pain, muscle spasms and heavy sweating as well as a burning or prickling sensation of the affected area. Death is a very rare consequence of the bite, however without treatment patients can suffer unpleasant symptoms resulting from the bite for several weeks.

The Green-fanged tube web spider, Segestria florentina, (La Ségestrie Florentine) is usually hidden in its silken tube in cavities in walls or timbers, but if it does bite, the result is reportedly similar to a bee-sting, and complications usually do not follow. However, get it checked out medically.

Probably the most dangerous creatures in France, however, have no truck with venom. A quick check of safety websites seems to suggest that the two things to avoid are mosquitoes and wild boars. Opposite ends of the size spectrum, but both potentially deadly!