Fauna of Ireland bear mtDNA. The closest surviving brown bear is Ursus arctos middendorffi in Alaska. Only one land reptile is native to the country, the viviparous lizard. It is common in national parks, particularly in the Wicklow Mountains. Slowworms are common in parts of The Burren area in County Clare, but they are not a native species and were probably introduced in the 1970s. Five marine turtle species appear regularly off the west coast, the leatherback, green, hawksbill, loggerhead, and Kemp's ridley, but they very rarely come ashore. Legend attributes the absence of snakes in Ireland to Saint Patrick, who is said
Loggerhead shrike wild when they'd naturally disperse from their parents. Since 2004, over 90 young have been released annually and between 2% and 6.5% of young released have successfully migrated and returned to breed in the subsequent year. Loggerhead shrike The loggerhead shrike ("Lanius ludovicianus") is a passerine bird in the family Laniidae. It is the only member of the shrike family endemic to North America; the related northern shrike ("L. borealis") occurs north of its range but also in the eastern Palearctic. It is nicknamed the butcherbird after its carnivorous tendencies, as it consumes prey such as amphibians, insects, lizards, small