[HN Gopher] A Mount Lyell shrew has just been photographed alive
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       A Mount Lyell shrew has just been photographed alive
        
       Author : nithinj
       Score  : 70 points
       Date   : 2025-02-02 01:32 UTC (3 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.sfgate.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.sfgate.com)
        
       | thih9 wrote:
       | 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 wrote:
         | 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 wrote:
           | 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.
        
             | tyre wrote:
             | That doesn't sound mean. It sounds like you shouldn't pick
             | up a wild animal.
        
               | not2b wrote:
               | The shrew had to assume you were going to eat it, and it
               | did what it needed to do to escape.
        
             | relwin wrote:
             | Didn't you ever watch "The Killer Shrews"?
             | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killer_Shrews
        
             | lief79 wrote:
             | I had a northern short tailed shrew running around my
             | basement. After luckily live catching it (and getting the
             | correct id), I also discovered that they are mildly
             | venomous. Go figure.
             | 
             | Wish it hadn't found a way into the house, as I would have
             | liked to have it keep clearing pests out of my yard. It got
             | dropped off else where quickly, after a snack.
        
         | corytheboyd wrote:
         | 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.
        
       | skrebbel wrote:
       | Seriously a title like that and it's not Bigfoot?
        
         | giancarlostoro wrote:
         | With the timeline we're in, it's only a matter of time?
        
         | loganmarchione wrote:
         | I want to believe
        
       | maxweylandt wrote:
       | 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 wrote:
       | > 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 wrote:
         | 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 wrote:
         | The reason they're never seen alive is because they're actually
         | balloon animals.
        
         | s0rce wrote:
         | Must be, a typical hummingbird weighs more than that (4g).
        
         | hnburnsy wrote:
         | 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.
        
       | pipeline_peak wrote:
       | 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 wrote:
         | "Shrewd mammal evaded photography for decades."
        
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       (page generated 2025-02-05 23:01 UTC)