A TINY animal that looks just like a mint humbug sweet has been spotted in Britain for the first time.
The creature, a pygmy shrew, was discovered near St Austell, Cornwall, by Anita McMillan while she was out walking.
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The pygmy shrew, which weighs no more than a penny at just 2.4 to 6.1 grams, is now considered the smallest land mammal in the UKCredit: Jam Press/Anita McMillan
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This particular shrew has a rare genetic mutation that causes white stripes or patches to appear in its fur – a condition known as partial albinism or leucismCredit: Jam Press/Anita McMillan
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The tiny creature resembles a humbug sweetCredit: Getty
The pygmy shrew, which weighs no more than a penny at just 2.4 to 6.1 grams, is now considered the smallest land mammal in the UK.
While pygmy shrews are widespread across the country with an estimated population of several million, one with these unique markings has never been seen here before.
Rare genetic fur mutation
This particular shrew has a rare genetic mutation that causes white stripes or patches to appear in its fur – a condition known as partial albinism or leucism.
Normally, pygmy shrews have grey-brown fur on top and a grey underside, but this one had a distinctive striped look that resembled the traditional sweet, a humbug.
In Britain, albinism or leucism in shrews is very rare and usually only seen in the common shrew, not the pygmy variety.
Anita, who is the sister of top British big cat tracker Rhoda Watkins, said: “I thought it was unusual with the markings. It seemed happy to play in the leaves in the open for so long.
“As I was a distance away with the zoom lens, it wasn’t aware of me and kept busy in the leaves.
“It wasn’t until I shared the picture with my sister that I realised it was very special.
“She is into wildlife tracking and prompted me to contact the Cornwall Mammal Group for an identification.”
Experts were stunned by the sighting.
Matt Larsen-Daw, CEO of the Mammal Society, said: “As far as we know, this is the first pygmy shrew with this distinctive patterning ever recorded in the British Isles.
“Pygmy shrews are an important part of our ecosystems.
They eat over 250 prey items in a single day – up to 125 per cent of their body weight.”
The pygmy shrew may be small, but this rare striped example is making a big impression among wildlife experts.
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Spotted by sister of top big cat trackerCredit: Jam Press/Anita McMillan
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One with these unique markings has never been seen here beforeCredit: Jam Press/Anita McMillan
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They eat over 250 prey items in a single day – up to 125 per cent of their body weightCredit: Jam Press/Anita McMillan
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Experts were stunned by the sightingCredit: Jam Press/Derek Crawley