Carlos Fonseca, from the University of Aveiro, said that the investigation showed that animals such as wild boar and deer are expanding, but admitted that there was “a critical situation for many species”.

One of the groups of mammals that raises the most concern is bats, as highlighted by João Cabral, from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, who warned of the increase in infrastructure that is harmful to bats, from wind farms to dams and roads.

The researcher spoke of “dramatic years”, criticised the changes in the landscape associated with intensive agriculture, and suggested improvements in the law, to better protect bats.

António Mira, professor at the University of Évora, also warned of the importance of small mammals, such as shrews or mice, and in this area, he only highlighted the expansion of the squirrel and more records of Iberian moles as positive.

Besides, he said, “there is a considerable deterioration in the conservation status of the species” and in some, there is even a risk of extinction within a decade. And the small mammals, he pointed out, are the food of the largest carnivores. “A third of the species are at or close to threatened status,” he warned.

Paulo Célio Alves, professor at the University of Porto, said that the rabbit is one of the main prey for carnivorous mammals and added that there are areas of the country where “it is rare to see a rabbit”.

"You can't take conservation measures for predators without also doing so for prey", he warned, with Mariana Sequeira, from the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) also leaving alerts for marine mammals.

According to the “Red Book”, one-third of the evaluated mammal species are threatened with extinction.