Mount Lyell shrew
{{Short description|Species of mammal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Speciesbox
| image =
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status2 = G3
| status2_system = TNC
| status2_ref = {{cite web | url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101253/Sorex_lyelli | title=NatureServe Explorer 2.0 }}
| genus = Sorex
| species = lyelli
| authority = Merriam, 1902
| synonyms =
| range_map = Mount Lyell Shrew area.png
| range_map_caption = 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. The range is located in Fresno, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne counties between an elevation of {{convert|2100|-|3630|m|ft}}. It is typically found in sub-alpine riparian areas near fast-running streams.{{cite journal|last=Epanchin|first=Peter N.|author2=Engilis, Andrew Jr.|title=Mount Lyell Shrew (Sorex lyelli) in the Sierra Nevada, California, with Comments on Alpine Records of Sorex|journal=The Southwestern Naturalist|date=Sep 2009|volume=54|issue=3|pages=354–357|doi=10.1894/CLG-17.1|bibcode=2009SWNat..54..354E |s2cid=86011957}}
Description
The shrew is between {{convert|8.9|and|10|cm|in}} long{{cite book|last=Burt|first=William H.|title=A Field Guide to Mammals: North America north of Mexico|year=1976|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|location=New York, NY|isbn=0-395-24082-4|pages=[https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetomamm00burt/page/3 3]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetomamm00burt/page/3}} and weighs {{convert|4|-|5|g|oz}}.{{cite book|last=Kays|first=Roland W.|title=Mammals of North America|year=2009|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton, NJ|isbn=978-0-691-14278-4|pages=26|edition=Second|author2=Wilson, Don E.}} It has 32 teeth.
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.{{Cite web |last=H |first=Bethanie |date=2025-01-19 |title=Tiny California Mammal Photographed for the First Time Ever (!) |url=https://outdoors.com/tiny-california-mammal-photographed-for-the-first-time-ever/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Outdoors with Bear Grylls |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Barbuti |first=Angela |date=2025-01-18 |title=Rare Mount Lyell shrew photographed for the first time by college students in Calif. |url=https://nypost.com/2025/01/18/us-news/rare-mount-lyell-shrew-photographed-for-the-first-time-by-college-students-in-calif/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |language=en-US}} The team, consisting of Vishal Subramanyan, Prakrit Jain, and Harper Forbes, captured images of the elusive mammal in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-18 |title=California's most elusive mammal photographed alive |url=https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/18/california-shrew-photographed-alive/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=The San Francisco Standard |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=Jan 17, 2025 |title=An elusive California mammal has just been photographed alive for the first time |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/elusive-california-mammal-photographed-20040772.php}}{{Cite web |date=2025-01-18 |title=Rare animal photographed alive for the first time in history |url=https://metro.co.uk/2025/01/18/rare-animal-photographed-alive-first-time-history-22387480/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Metro |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=MSN |url=https://www.msn.com/en-au/science/biology/rare-animal-photographed-alive-for-the-first-time-in-history/ar-AA1xqJjU |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=www.msn.com}}
In November 2024, researchers from UC Berkeley and the University of Arizona captured the first live photographs of the Mount Lyell shrew in its natural habitat, providing new insights into its ecology and distribution.[1]
References
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{{Soricomorpha|S2.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1766571}}
Category:Fauna of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Category:Endemic fauna of California
Category:Endemic mammals of the United States
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot