A Mount Lyell shrew has just been photographed alive

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/elusive-california-mammal-photographed-20040772.php

by nithinj • 1 year ago

125 38 1 year ago

sfgate.com

thih9• 1 year ago

Mount Lyell shrew

Image: https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236362254...

Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lyell_shrew

spondylosaurus• 1 year ago

Cute little critter!

Looking at that Wikipedia page, I didn't realize there were multiple "grading" systems for conservation risk. Interesting that two different systems have two different risk assessments for the same animal.

Loughla• 1 year ago

Shrews are cute but MEAN.

A few years ago we had a couple of feet of snow in a day. As I was snow blowing the driveway, I noticed all these little tunnels on the edge that was cut off by the side of the blower.

Then I saw a tiny little animal. I thought he was a mole. So I took my glove off and picked him up, as a good hillbilly would do.

That thing bit me like fifteen times up my thumb before I could react to yeet him across the yard.

Lesson learned.

corytheboyd• 1 year ago

Thank you! I have no patience for articles headlined with “Picture of rare <blank> taken!” that do not lead with the picture. If I want to read more about it, I will, but lead with the damn image. I know I know, the whole point is to show me ads, etc. Still gonna fart my fart into the wind I guess.

danmur• 1 year ago

That picture at the beginning is a high quality troll, I spent ages looking at it before I read the caption: "The team set up traps in vegetation areas like this one to capture Mount Lyell shrews."

skrebbel• 1 year ago

Seriously a title like that and it's not Bigfoot?

giancarlostoro• 1 year ago

With the timeline we're in, it's only a matter of time?

loganmarchione• 1 year ago

I want to believe

maxweylandt• 1 year ago

Very well done, always nice to see non (not yet?) professional scientists contribute :)

This reminds me I've been meaning to set up a moth trap.

palmotea• 1 year ago

The Mount Lyell shrew (Sorex lyelli) is 9 to 10 centimeters long and weighs between 2 and 3 grams, according to the researchers' measurements.

That's got to be a typo...

shpongled• 1 year ago

Probably 20-30 grams. Average lab mouse is around that weight and length [1]

[1] https://www.jax.org/jax-mice-and-services/strain-data-sheet-...

Finnucane• 1 year ago

The reason they're never seen alive is because they're actually balloon animals.

s0rce• 1 year ago

Must be, a typical hummingbird weighs more than that (4g).

hnburnsy• 1 year ago

No typo apparently...

Editor's note: This story was corrected at 12:15 p.m., Jan. 17, to clarify that the shrews weigh 2 to 3 grams, according to the researchers' measurements.

natosaichek• 1 year ago

Wikipedia says:

The shrew is between 8.9 and 10 centimetres (3.5 and 3.9 in) long[4] and weighs 4–5 grams (0.14–0.18 oz).[5] It has 32 teeth.[4]

Must be a mistake on both?!? No way its got less that 5 ccs of blood in a 9-10 cm long body.

Someone• 1 year ago

No way its got less that 5 ccs of blood in a 9-10 cm long body.

Scaling that body up by a factor of 10 would get you 5 × 10³ = 5,000 ccs of blood in a 90-100 cm long body.

That’s 5 liter. We also have (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_volume) “A typical adult has a blood volume of approximately 5 liters”, and the typical adult is quite a bit taller than 90-100 cm.

mmsc• 1 year ago

Look up Etruscan shrew. They weigh less than 2g on avg.

zombot• 1 year ago

Yup, they used civilized units instead of the usual feudal ones.

rob74• 1 year ago

According to other Wikipedia articles (https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorex_lyelli), almost half of that length is the tail, so that might explain it. Also, I assume most of the "bulk" you see in the photos is fur (which a small mammal in a harsh climate needs a lot of for insulation).

pipeline_peak• 1 year ago

A shrew that has been seen by few has now been seen by more…

That should be the title, not god damn Big Foot level anticipation.

thangalin• 1 year ago

"Shrewd mammal evaded photography for decades."

crazydoggers• 1 year ago

Here’s a video of the expedition:

https://youtu.be/Jd2CdraSqt0?si=7xcYlM_GH4-1uw_k

His channel has lots of other amazing videos documenting creatures, mostly cold blooded. The level of knowledge imparted is very high, not just another wildlife show. Definitely worth watching.

rex_lupi• 1 year ago

came here to post this exact video!

bawolff• 1 year ago

Based on the headline i assumed it was endangered but appearently not, its just difficult to photograph.

brudgers2• 1 year ago

Moose Peterson talks about “scientific level” wildlife photography in most of this presentation, https://youtu.be/QwfB2xQ0uVc?si=slhpQqeFGB1sBeEB

lenerdenator• 1 year ago

I'm not an expert biologist by any means, but I do believe that this shrew - this critter, if you will - fulfills all the criteria of being just a little guy or girl.

A Mount Lyell shrew has just been photographed alive

Related Stories