Mount Lyell shrew

Mount Lyell shrew
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Vulnerable  (NatureServe) [2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Soricidae
Genus:	Sorex
Species:	S. lyelli
Binomial name
Sorex lyelli Merriam, 1902
Mount Lyell shrew range

The Mount Lyell shrew (Sorex lyelli) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is named for Mount Lyell in Yosemite National Park, the area where the shrew has been most commonly found.

Range

It is endemic to a small area of the Sierra Nevada in California, United States. ^[1] The range is located in Fresno, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne counties between an elevation of 2,100–3,630 metres (6,890–11,910 ft). It is typically found in sub-alpine riparian areas near fast-running streams. ^[3]

Description

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]

Observations

In November 2024 it was photographed alive for the first time, 100 years after its discovery, by a team of student researchers from the California Academy of Sciences. ^{[6] [7]} The team, consisting of Vishal Subramanyan, Prakrit Jain, and Harper Forbes, captured images of the elusive mammal in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]}

References

1. NatureServe (2017). "Sorex lyelli". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T41402A22313470. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T41402A22313470.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
3. Epanchin, Peter N.; Engilis, Andrew Jr. (September 2009). "Mount Lyell Shrew (Sorex lyelli) in the Sierra Nevada, California, with Comments on Alpine Records of Sorex". The Southwestern Naturalist. 54 (3): 354–357. doi:10.1894/CLG-17.1. S2CID   86011957.
4. Burt, William H. (1976). A Field Guide to Mammals: North America north of Mexico . New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. pp.  3. ISBN   0-395-24082-4.
5. Kays, Roland W.; Wilson, Don E. (2009). Mammals of North America (Second ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 26. ISBN   978-0-691-14278-4.
6. H, Bethanie (19 January 2025). "Tiny California Mammal Photographed for the First Time Ever (!)". Outdoors with Bear Grylls. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
7. Barbuti, Angela (18 January 2025). "Rare Mount Lyell shrew photographed for the first time by college students in Calif" . Retrieved 20 January 2025.
8. "California's most elusive mammal photographed alive". The San Francisco Standard. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
9. "An elusive California mammal has just been photographed alive for the first time". 17 January 2025.
10. "Rare animal photographed alive for the first time in history". Metro. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
11. "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 20 January 2025.