Search for Scotland’s most popular animal

First tournament of its kind sees 32 critters duke it out for right to claim honours in National Trust for Scotland event starting today

Scotland’s native species are set to compete for the first ever Scottish Animal World Cup – from the Highland cow to the Highland midge.

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) is on a mission to find Scotland’s favourite animal.

A total of 32 iconic Scottish animals from land, sea and air will go up against each other in a series of head-to-head social media polls, starting today.

With no sport currently taking place in the United Kingdom, Scots are being asked to vote for their favourite creatures.

Animals will progress through each round with the winner taking the title of Scotland’s favourite critter.

The opening knockout clash will kick off today with the formidable basking shark against the adder, Scotland’s only native snake.

On Friday, the Soay sheep will go toeto-toe with the Kingfisher.

Later rounds – held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on the conservation charity’s Facebook page – will feature such pairings as the Highland midge battling the small tortoiseshell butterfly and the bottlenose dolphin against the Shetland pony.

Other iconic species in the line-up include the Scottish wildcat, pine marten, Atlantic puffin, golden eagle, grey seal, Shetland pony, the red deer stag, and the St Kilda field mouse.

Over the next 10 weeks there will be two knockout rounds, a quarter-final, a semi-final and a final on June 10 when Scotland’s favourite animal will be crowned.

Michael Terwey, NTS’ head of heritage services and consultancy, said: “Most people know that Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn but you don’t see so many of them about the place.

“So, we thought we’d get the Scottish public to help us find the species that encapsulates Scotland’s diverse fauna and name it Scotland’s best.

“Although we’ve had to temporarily close our properties, we wanted to celebrate the incredible variety of animals that we share these lands with.

“That’s why we’re asking the public to get involved and vote for who they want to win.

“We love them all – even the midge – so we couldn’t possibly decide. An online poll seemed like the best idea.

“Pitching a Highland cow against a damselfly or an Atlantic puffin against a Scottish wildcat would have been a logistical nightmare anyway, so keeping it virtual makes things a lot easier.”

The first bout is open for voting from 10.30am today on the NTS Facebook page.

The Scottish mountain hare is one of 32 wild animals making up the iconic line-up.