Meet California's Most Elusive Mammal

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The Mount Lyell shrew is California's most elusive mammal

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It's a tiny, fast-moving shrew that lives in the Eastern Sierra Nevada

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In November 2024, a team of student researchers captured the first-ever photographs and videos of the shrew in the wild

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The shrew spends much of its life underground in the high-altitude region of the Eastern Sierra

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It has small, beady eyes, a pointy nose, and feeds on insects

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The Mount Lyell shrew is 9-10 centimeters long and weighs 2-3 grams

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The shrew was identified in 1902. It was the only mammal in California that had never been photographed alive

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It is listed as a mammal species of special concern, facing threats from climate change

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