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.
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[/caption]
Spotted by sister of top big cat tracker[/caption]
One with these unique markings has never been seen here before[/caption]
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.
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[/caption]
They eat over 250 prey items in a single day – up to 125 per cent of their body weight[/caption]
Experts were stunned by the sighting[/caption]
