This gallery displays many different kinds of mammals. Here you can see animals currently found in Scotland, along with some that were formerly found here, but are now extinct. Taxidermy allows you to see what these mammals look like up close, something that’s difficult to do in the wild. Look for the Red Deer stag. This is the largest surviving native land mammal in Scotland. It can weigh close to 150 kilos. During the rutting season in autumn, the deer uses its antlers to intimidate other stags, when males compete for female red deer for breeding. Large predators, such as the Brown Bear, Wolf and Lynx, were hunted to extinction in Scotland, because they were thought to be dangerous to livestock, and potentially a risk to humans as well. These mammals were in competition with man, for the same prey. In contrast, deer and hares have survived. As game animals, they’re hunted for sport and food. As you move around the display, you can also see a European beaver. By the 16th century, humans had hunted beavers in Scotland to extinction. They used the animals for food and fur. They also used an oily excretion from beavers, called castoreum, for medicine. As a result of official reintroduction trials, and escaped captive animals, beavers can now be seen in the Scottish landscape once again. After you’re finished exploring this Landscape and Lives gallery, please continue through to the next gallery, called Landscapes and Lives 2.