Latest news with #MammalSociety
Scottish Sun
14-07-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
‘Never-seen-before' creature found in Brit's garden for the first time & it looks like a famous striped sweet
Spotted by sister of top big cat tracker, the tiny creature is considered the smallest land mammal in the UK SWEET LOOKALIKE 'Never-seen-before' creature found in Brit's garden for the first time & it looks like a famous striped sweet Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A TINY animal that looks just like a mint humbug sweet has been spotted in Britain for the first time. The creature, a pygmy shrew, was discovered near St Austell, Cornwall, by Anita McMillan while she was out walking. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 The pygmy shrew, which weighs no more than a penny at just 2.4 to 6.1 grams, is now considered the smallest land mammal in the UK Credit: Jam Press/Anita McMillan 6 Spotted by sister of top big cat tracker Credit: Jam Press/Anita McMillan 6 One with these unique markings has never been seen here before Credit: Jam Press/Anita McMillan The pygmy shrew, which weighs no more than a penny at just 2.4 to 6.1 grams, is now considered the smallest land mammal in the UK. While pygmy shrews are widespread across the country with an estimated population of several million, one with these unique markings has never been seen here before. This particular shrew has a rare genetic mutation that causes white stripes or patches to appear in its fur – a condition known as partial albinism or leucism. Unusual markings There are an estimated 8,600,000 pygmy shrews in Great Britain, but this one is extremely unusual because of it's colouring. Normally, pygmy shrews have grey-brown fur on top and a grey underside, but this one had a distinctive striped look that resembled a traditional sweet. In Britain, albinism or leucism in shrews is very rare and usually only seen in the common shrew, not the pygmy variety. Anita, who is the sister of top British big cat tracker Rhoda Watkins, said: "I thought it was unusual with the markings. It seemed happy to play in the leaves in the open for so long. "As I was a distance away with the zoom lens, it wasn't aware of me and kept busy in the leaves. "It wasn't until I shared the picture with my sister that I realised it was very special. "She is into wildlife tracking and prompted me to contact the Cornwall Mammal Group for an identification." Experts comment Matt Larsen-Daw, CEO of the Mammal Society, said: 'As far as we know, this is the first pygmy shrew with this distinctive patterning ever recorded in the British Isles. 'Pygmy shrews are an important part of our ecosystems. They eat over 250 prey items in a single day – up to 125 per cent of their body weight.' The pygmy shrew may be small, but this rare striped example is making a big impression among wildlife experts. 6 This particular shrew has a rare genetic mutation that causes white stripes or patches to appear in its fur – a condition known as partial albinism or leucism Credit: Jam Press/Anita McMillan 6 They eat over 250 prey items in a single day – up to 125 per cent of their body weight Credit: Jam Press/Anita McMillan
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Harvest mice return to marsh after 50 years
The harvest mouse - Europe's smallest rodent - has returned to a city's marshlands after 50 years. The tiny mice, which weigh less than a 50p coin, have been found at Breary Marsh in Leeds for the first time since 1975. David L Preston, countryside ranger at Leeds City Council, said it was "fantastic" to see the mice back in Breary Marsh. He said: "It shows that all the work we've been doing in changing our practices has worked wonders for the natural habitat." According to the Mammal Society, the species was once widespread across the UK but has seen rapid declines in many areas due to changing farming practices, resulting in a loss of natural habitat. The team at Breary Marsh believe the mice have returned because of a change to the way staff care for the land. They have begun using traditional scything instead of mowing, and leaving areas of wildflower meadow, verges and wetlands uncut. According to the Wildlife Trust, harvest mice live in long, tussocky grassland, reed beds, hedgerows and around woodland edges. They struggle to live in thin or short grass, as the stems are too weak to support their spherical nests which they create from tightly woven grass, elevated from the ground in tall grasses. A monitoring programme has now been set up with Yorkshire Mammal Group to understand the spread of the mouse population on the site. Breary Marsh is a Local Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, which borders Golden Acre Park in north Leeds. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Harvest mice on the move as nest site widens Harvest mice reintroduced to wood after 45 years Harvest mice 'rediscovered' in village
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Swimming mole captured by Somerset photographer
A wildlife photographer has captured something he had never seen before - a swimming Kirby, from Glastonbury, was having some lunch at the Catcott Nature Reserve on the Somerset Levels when he saw the underground-dwelling mammal splashing took out his camera to capture the creature taking a dip, much to the excitement of those in the hide with Mammal Society said that, while it is not unusual for moles to swim, it is rare to see them doing so, due to their subterranean living habits. Mr Kirby, who volunteers at a number of wildflife organisations in Somerset, said he saw a "thing moving in the water" out of the corner of his eye. "I thought 'what on Earth is that?', and it looked like a fish flapping away, so I swung my camera around and got it into focus - and it was a mole!"A mole in the water - never seen one swimming before," he Kirby said the animal swam around 26m (85ft) to the bank and then disappeared into the photographer shared his images online that evening and said thousands of people saw his posts. According to the Mammal Society, moles are "competent swimmers", but most people will never see one in the water, or even above ground, due to where they Larsen-Daw, chief executive of the organisation, said: "Their powerful forearms are very well adapted for digging through soil but they can also do a mean breaststroke, powering through water at a fair pace."They are masters of irrigation in the event of a flood, blocking flooding tunnels and building secondary tunnels to escape flooded systems."The society is asking members of the public to map moles on its app, saying they are "ecologically important" creatures.
