Atlantic puffins, European hedgehogs and buff-tailed bumblebees are just some of the native UK animals that could feature on new Bank of England banknotes.
The public have a month to vote on which wildlife species should be depicted on £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes.
- These adorable – and sometimes comical – puffin photos provide intimate insights into their captivating life on Skomer Island
- Are hedgehogs endangered in the UK?
The full list is grouped into three categories: mammals; birds; and amphibians, insects and fish. Voters can select up to two examples from each category, in a consultation running until 11.59pm BST on Friday 3rd July 2026.
| Mammals | Birds | Amphibians, insects and fish |
| bottlenose dolphin | Atlantic puffin | Atlantic salmon |
| brown hare | barn owl | basking shark |
| European hedgehog | common kingfisher | buff-tailed bumblebee |
| grey seal | Eurasian curlew | common frog |
| pine marten | great spotted woodpecker | Emperor dragonfly |
| red fox | white-tailed eagle | marsh fritillary butterfly |
The shortlist was narrowed down by a panel of experts made up of wildlife filmmakers and presenters Gordon Buchanan, Nadeem Perera and Miranda Krestovnikoff, Ulster Wildlife’s Katy Bell and academics Dawn Scott and Steve Ormerod.
“I very much hope the public will enjoy engaging in our consultation to choose the animals to feature on our next series of banknotes,” says Victoria Cleland, the Bank of England’s chief cashier.
“The shortlisted animals demonstrate the rich variety of wildlife we have to celebrate in the UK.”
However, the Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey will make the final decision on which animals will feature, with each note representing a different environment across the UK.
It will also be a number of years before the next series of notes is launched. The Bank of England change notes periodically to use the latest security and accessibility features – the current G series (which features historical figures such as Jane Austen) has been in circulation in 2016.
Top image credits L-R: imageBROKER/Kevin Sawford/Getty Images; James Warwick/Getty Images; Mike So/500px/Getty Images
