Water shrew at Nedd
Of all the Assynt mammals, water shrews are probably least often seen alive. I only know of one photograph, taken by Nick Clooney at the Tree Nursery on Little Assynt (NC1525) on 21st November 2016 (photo 1).
Nearly half of the forty or so local records in my files are of examples killed by cats, and another has just come to hand. Anne Roberts brought me this specimen, caught by her cat on their croft at Nedd (NC1332) on 31st May 2024. Since it was in good condition, I took a set of photographs. For scale, the head and body was 82mm and the tail 48mm.
Key features
The first, from above (photo 2), shows the velvety black fur characteristic of this species. It also has tufts of white hairs on the ears (only one visible here).
The second, from the side (photo 3), shows the clearly marked distinction between the black back and silvery underside.
The third, from below (photo 4), has two unusual features. The fur on the underside of the head is a striking shade of reddish-brown, and brownish tints extend further down the belly. I can only find mention of this in one of the older texts (Barrett Hamilton and Hinton, 2010). This says ‘Individual variation is frequent, tending to melanism…Many specimens are strongly washed with yellowish or ferruginous tints beneath’. So, not just a messy eater!
The other feature is a series of dark marks along the flanks of the abdomen, ten in all. This is described in the same source as follows, ‘There are ten mammae arranged in five pairs along almost the whole ventral surface.’ From a close examination she had not yet given birth to and started suckling her young, ‘which usually number from five to eight’ and are produced after three weeks gestation, in May or June.
Our records of water shrews are concentrated around the coast, where most people, and their cats, live, with a few inland. However, the detailed records of live and camera trapping, on Quinag and elsewhere, by Xavier Lambin’s teams of research workers from Aberdeen University (see under Quinag Wildlife Project) indicate that they may well be distributed quite widely in the parish.
Reference. Barrett-Hamilton, G.E.H. and Hinton, M.A.C. (1910). A History of British Mammals. Gurney and Jackson, London.
Ian M. Evans
All photos except 1. by Ian M. Evans