Eighteen animals, birds and insects have been shortlisted to appear on future banknotes - and the public can have their say on which creatures feature.

The wildlife beauty contest gives the colourful kingfisher and common frog an equal chance of a place on the next series of Bank of England notes.

The shortlist, chosen by a panel of wildlife experts, excluded household pets.

People will be able to vote for up to six of their favourites from the shortlist.

"I very much hope the public will enjoy engaging in our consultation to choose the animals to feature on our next series of banknotes," said Victoria Cleland, the Bank's chief cashier, whose signature appears on banknotes. "The shortlisted animals demonstrate the rich variety of wildlife we have to celebrate in the UK."

The mammals are: the bottlenose dolphin, the brown hare, the European hedgehog, the grey seal, the pine marten and the red fox.

The second category of birds feature: the Atlantic puffin, the barn owl, the common kingfisher, the Eurasian curlew, the great spotted woodpecker, and the white‑tailed eagle.

The final section of amphibians, insects and fish, has: the Atlantic salmon, the basking shark, the buff‑tailed bumblebee, the common frog, the Emperor dragonfly, and the marsh fritillary butterfly.

The panel of experts which chose the contenders is made up of wildlife filmmakers and presenters Gordon Buchanan, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Nadeem Perera, alongside Ulster Wildlife's Katy Bell, and academics Steve Ormerod and Dawn Scott.

However, it will be Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey who makes the final decision, not necessarily choosing the four animals that receive the highest number of public responses.