Rare Mammal Captured on Camera for the First Time

A rare species of shrew was just photographed in California for the first time in history in an exciting discovery for natural science. But the snaps weren't taken by professional researchers or wildlife photographers; instead, a band of three local students led the way in capturing the Mount Lyell shrew. 

Mount Lyell shrews were first described a century ago, but they hadn't been seen in 20 years and were the only known California mammal never photographed alive. The animal is found in a small range in the high Sierra Nevadas and is categorized as a species of special concern due to threats from climate change. Still, there have never been any field studies on the animal, prompting three University of California, Berkeley students to take matters into their own hands. 

"It was kind of a crazy idea," Vishal Subramnyan told The Guardian. "California is one of the most well-studied places in the world, and yet there’s a mammal species in California that’s never been photographed alive. That was shocking to us." 

Subramnyan, along with Prakrit Jain and Harper Forbes, set 150 baited traps and were able to catch five shrews within the first 24 hours. They filmed and photographed the animals and took tiny pieces of skin from their ears for genetic testing to confirm they'd found the right species. 

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Capturing history! College students snap the first-ever photo of the elusive Mount Lyell shrew in California's Sierra Nevada. https://t.co/0y203EbYZA pic.twitter.com/YG1KEZJpxQ

— Cecelia Wood (@DynamicCecelia) January 20, 2025

Capturing these rare animals on film, Subramnyan said, means much more than just getting some cute photos. 

"If we look at the extinction crisis and the types of animals it’s impacting, a lot of animals are disappearing without any documentation," Subramnyan explained. “An animal like the Mount Lyell shrew, if it was not photographed or researched, could have just quietly disappeared due to climate change, and we’d have no idea about it at all."

If you're hoping to see a Mount Lyell shrew for yourself, be prepared to hike far into the wilderness and come equipped with a lot of patience.