As Shrew Like It: Elusive Californian Mammal Photographed For First Time

There is something inherently appealing about finding an animal few have seen in the wild. This could be a “lost” species or a particularly rare creature, but for students at University of California, Berkeley, it was the record of a shrew that had not been seen in 20 years and had never been photographed that drew them to an ambitious project.

The Mount Lyell shrew (Sorex lyelli) is a tiny little critter, measuring just 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) long and weighing only 2-3 grams (0.1 ounces). The shrew is found only in the Eastern Sierra Nevada region and was first identified in 1902, but thanks to its elusive and mostly underground lifestyle, it has never been photographed before. This makes the Mount Lyell shrew the only known Californian mammal never to be photographed, until now. 

To students Vishal Subramanyan, Prakrit Jain, and Harper Forbes, this seemed like too good of a challenge to miss. After securing permits and inspired by a previous project small mammal trapping, the trio set off trekking for three nights into the mountains of the Eastern Sierra. 

“California is one of the most well-studied places in the world, and yet there’s a mammal species in California that’s never been photographed alive. That was shocking to us,” Subramanyan told The Guardian.

To catch the shrews, the team set up 150 pitfall traps baited with worms and cat food, which they checked every two hours to ensure the welfare of the shrews. It wasn’t long before they struck gold. “It was kind of go, go, go,” Subramanyan told SFGATE. “You trap some shrews, you photograph them, you release them, and by that time there are more shrews. So it was pretty nonstop.”

As well as the Mount Lyell shrew, the team also captured individuals from three other shrew species. They collected photographs, measurements, and samples to confirm the identity of the species. 

“I would love to say we spent three days waiting, and the shrew finally appeared at the last second,” Subramanyan told the San Francisco Standard. “But we got the Mount Lyell within the first two hours.” 

The researchers hope that their project will raise awareness about the Mount Lyell shrew. Currently, while not considered an endangered species, it is listed as a mammal species of special concern. The species is even predicted to lose 89 percent of its habitat by the 2080s due to climate change.

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