The rain began to fall harder and it was time to head back to the car. Despite the fact I had not visited my wildlife-rich island, or even completed the walking route I had planned (micro safari-ing is a slow business), I felt as though I’d been on a trip to a parallel world – one that had always existed when I’d gone out walking, but that I had somehow failed to see. Now I was viewing everything as though through a macro filter, resolutely noticing the little things, discovering that they were actually the big things.
Phoebe stayed in Pembrokeshire at Monk Haven Manor B&B. For more details about Skomer Island and the surrounding area, check out welshwildlife.org.
8 tiny creatures to spot on your travels
1: Etruscan shrew
World's smallest mammal
Where? Southern Europe, North Africa, Asia
Sharing the title of smallest mammal in the world with the Thai-Burmese bumblebee bat, this little critter hits the scales at under 2g and is just 4cm in length. It’s not too social, preferring to live alone, and spotting it can prove tricky as it tends to be most active at night – so you’ll need a good guide and to keep your eyes peeled.
2: Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur
World’s smallest primate
Where? Madagascar
Nabbing the top spot for most petite primate is this big-eyed, long-tailed fur ball. Its name comes from a Malagasy primatologist and conservationist, and it’s found mainly in Kirindy Forest (in western Madagascar) where it likes to sleep and nest in trees. With deforestation a real issue in the country, it is an endangered species, so spotting it could be a real ‘last chance to see’ moment.
3: Pygmy jerboa
World’s smallest rodent
Where? Pakistan
If rodents are more your thing, then you need to head to Pakistan where this three-toed creature inhabits the sandy deserts. It is best seen at night when it heads out to feed on vegetation using its kangaroo-like legs to avoid its snake, lizard and feline predators. It should be noted it has a rival for its title though: the African pygmy mouse found in sub-Saharan Africa.
4: Long-tailed planigale
World’s smallest marsupial
Where? Australia
With a fully-grown specimen measuring about the same size as your thumb, this minute marsupial is the tiniest on Earth. It uses its flattened shape to move through cracks in the soil up in the northern half of Australia. Once more – as is common with small (aka vulnerable) species – this type of planigale hunts at night, and has learned to avoid monsoons by (sensibly) seeking higher ground.
5: Bee hummingbird
World’s smallest bird
Where? Cuba
The first time I saw a hummingbird I thought I was being attacked by a large insect, only to realise it was in fact a hovering feathered friend. But in the case of this particular variety, a mere 5-6cm in length, it is a more forgivable error to make: as its moniker suggests, it is only just larger than a big bee. Its blue and green feathers can only be seen on this Caribbean island – the perfect excuse for a visit.
6: Brookesia micra
World’s smallest reptile
Where? Madagascar
At just 29mm (that’s just under 0.3cm – around the size of a matchstick head) you’d be hard pressed to see this little chameleon in the wild. It’s a subspecies of the other thumbnail-sized brookesia chameleons found throughout the rest of the country, but this one is found on the island of Nosy Hara in Madagascar’s far north.
7: Paedocypris progenetica
World’s smallest fish
Where? Indonesia
Found swimming in the swamps on the isle of Sumatra, these fish are just over three-quarters of a centimetre in size and part see-through too – making them doubly hard to spot if wading through the forested wetlands. Not that you would: the water they choose to inhabit is highly acidic.
8: Vaquita
World’s smallest porpoise
Where? Mexico
Translated into English as ‘little cow’, this miniscule marine mammal not only holds the title as smallest but also, sadly, most endangered. With counts early this year suggesting there are just 12 left (the maximum guess being fewer than 30), the reason is due to fishing nets which capture these grey cetaceans, recognisable by the panda-like black rings around their eyes. Your best chance of seeing them is not only going to the Gulf of California where they live, but also by lobbying to save them.