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 shrikes may eat or discard their bodies or else feed them to their remaining young. The oldest recorded age of a loggerhead shrike was 12 years and 6 months. Loggerhead shrike populations have been decreasing in North America since the 1960s. Reasons behind the decline remain unclear, although suggestions include habitat loss, pesticide contamination, climate change and human disturbance. The eastern loggerhead shrike ("L.l. migrans") is critically endangered in Canada, with fewer than 35 known breeding pairs in Canada. The San Clemente Island shrike, "L. l. mearnsi", is critically endangered, with a population as low as 5-10 individuals during 1983-1988.