Swimming mole captured by Somerset photographer

A wildlife photographer has captured something he had never seen before - a swimming mole.Andrew Kirby, from Glastonbury, was having some lunch at the Catcott Nature Reserve on the Somerset Levels when he saw the underground-dwelling mammal splashing around.He took out his camera to capture the creature taking a dip, much to the excitement of those in the hide with him.The Mammal Society said that, while it is not unusual for moles to swim, it is rare to see them doing so, due to their subterranean living habits.
Mr Kirby, who volunteers at a number of wildflife organisations in Somerset, said he saw a "thing moving in the water" out of the corner of his eye.
"I thought 'what on Earth is that?', and it looked like a fish flapping away, so I swung my camera around and got it into focus - and it was a mole!"A mole in the water - never seen one swimming before," he said.Mr Kirby said the animal swam around 26m (85ft) to the bank and then disappeared into the undergrowth.The photographer shared his images online that evening and said thousands of people saw his posts.
According to the Mammal Society, moles are "competent swimmers", but most people will never see one in the water, or even above ground, due to where they live.Matt Larsen-Daw, chief executive of the organisation, said: "Their powerful forearms are very well adapted for digging through soil but they can also do a mean breaststroke, powering through water at a fair pace."They are masters of irrigation in the event of a flood, blocking flooding tunnels and building secondary tunnels to escape flooded systems."The society is asking members of the public to map moles on its app, saying they are "ecologically important" creatures.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Independent

2 hours ago

• The Independent

Weight loss in your 40s and 50s can help slash your chronic disease risk, researchers say

Working to lose weight in your 40s and 50s may help to reduce your risk of developing a chronic disease, a new study reveals. Researchers based in the U.K. and Finland say they found health benefits in people who lost an average of 6.5 percent of their body weight in early middle age and maintained that weight loss throughout a period of 12 to 35 years. Those benefits especially include a lessened risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as an overall lower risk of death from chronic disease. 'The benefits of lifestyle-based weight management are widely discussed even though studies have found it surprisingly difficult to demonstrate health benefits beyond the prevention of diabetes,' University of Helsinki professor Dr. Timo Strandberg said in a statement. Strandberg was the lead author of the study which was published recently in the journal JAMA Network Open, the open-access journal of the American Medical Association. To reach these conclusions, the study tracked and analyzed the health of 23,000 white Europeans who were between the ages of 30 and 50 years old using data from three studies, conducted from 1985 to 1988, from 1964 to 1973, and between 2000 and 2013. They sorted the participants into four groups: people with persistent healthy weight, people who were overweight but became a healthy weight, people who were healthy and became overweight, and people who were overweight the entire time. 'Measurement of weight and height was conducted at a time when surgical and pharmacological weight-loss interventions were nearly nonexistent,' the authors noted. The cause of weight loss was not assessed, but given the age of the participants and lack of diagnosed disease, it was more likely intentional than caused by severe chronic conditions or frailty.' In one study, a reduction in body mass from overweight to normal weight over six years in mid-life was tied to a lower risk of developing chronic diseases. There was also a 48 percent lower risk for chronic illness compared to those who remained overweight, which largely held even after excluding participants who developed diabetes during follow-up. Another study showed a 57 percent risk for chronic illness. A third study, with the longest follow-up period, showed that weight loss in mid-life was associated with a 19 percent reduction in overall mortality. 'I'm certain that overall prevention of overweight and obesity starting in early life is absolutely the best thing to do,' Stranberg told The Independent. 'Our study indirectly proves this by showing that persistent healthy weight over the life-course is best.' He said that he hopes the findings will inspire people to see that lifestyle changes can lead to a longer life. 'This is particularly important today as more people are overweight than when the collection of our research data began 35 years ago,' he said in the statement.

BBC News

2 hours ago

• BBC News

Harvest mice return to Breary Marsh in Leeds after 50 years

The harvest mouse - Europe's smallest rodent - has returned to a city's marshlands after 50 tiny mice, which weigh less than a 50p coin, have been found at Breary Marsh in Leeds for the first time since L Preston, countryside ranger at Leeds City Council, said it was "fantastic" to see the mice back in Breary said: "It shows that all the work we've been doing in changing our practices has worked wonders for the natural habitat." According to the Mammal Society, the species was once widespread across the UK but has seen rapid declines in many areas due to changing farming practices, resulting in a loss of natural team at Breary Marsh believe the mice have returned because of a change to the way staff care for the have begun using traditional scything instead of mowing, and leaving areas of wildflower meadow, verges and wetlands uncut. According to the Wildlife Trust, harvest mice live in long, tussocky grassland, reed beds, hedgerows and around woodland struggle to live in thin or short grass, as the stems are too weak to support their spherical nests which they create from tightly woven grass, elevated from the ground in tall grasses.A monitoring programme has now been set up with Yorkshire Mammal Group to understand the spread of the mouse population on the Marsh is a Local Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, which borders Golden Acre Park in north Leeds. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

The Independent

3 hours ago

• The Independent

King Charles pays tribute to ‘resilience' of Antarctic scientists facing 24 hours of darkness

King Charles sent a personal message to British Antarctic researchers to mark the southern hemisphere's shortest day, praising their "critically important" scientific work. The message, part of the BBC World Service's midwinter broadcast, highlighted the researchers' resilience and commitment to understanding Earth's fragile systems. Charles, a known environmental advocate, stressed the importance of collaboration and giving back to nature to sustain the planet. The midwinter broadcast is a tradition for personnel at British Antarctic Survey stations, involving celebrations, music, and messages from home. This Antarctic midwinter coincides with high temperatures and thunderstorm warnings across parts of the UK, potentially leading to the hottest day of the year.