Experts have rediscovered the supposedly extinct Bavarian short-eared mouse. One of these subterranean voles fell into an animal trap in Upper Bavaria, as the State Office for the Environment (LfU) announced in Augsburg on Wednesday. A DNA analysis of the feces confirmed the sensational find.
The species was first discovered in Bavaria in 1962 and was therefore named “Microtus bavaricus”. Despite repeated searches, it was not possible to discover the mouse in Bavaria for decades, with its strikingly small eyes and ears almost completely hidden in its gray-brown fur. Later, some specimens were found in the Rofan Mountains in Tyrol and taken to zoos for breeding.
Finally, in 2022 and 2023, wildlife cameras provided the first indications that field mice could still occur in Bavaria. “With a striking accumulation of recordings of potential Bavarian short-eared mice from the summer of 2023 near Mittenwald, the sensation suddenly seemed tangible,” says biologist Simon Ripperger. In the autumn the species was identified thanks to the mouse from the animal trap. (saw/sda/apa/dpa)
Source: Watson
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