The population found on the Isles of Scilly, off the south-west coast of
England, was once thought to be a sub-species,
Crocidura suaveolens cassiteridum, where it feeds almost exclusively on
amphipods. Archaeological remains indicate that it was present on the islands in the
bronze Age, so it may have been present before the Isles of Scilly became separated from the European continent, or may have migrated from the Channel Islands or Europe on board ships. Although if shrews had survived through the
last glaciation or the
Younger Dryas, it would seem that northerly distributed species such as
Sorex araneus would have been more likely to survive, rather than a southerly distributed species such as
Crocidura suaveolens. Ten years earlier H N Robinson found an unknown rodent at Old Town
St Mary's and sent it to Mr F W Smalley "who had the largest collection of rodents in the country". In 2010, a Scilly shrew made headlines on
BBC Cornwall when it
stowed away on the passenger ferry
RMV Scillonian III. It was only discovered as the ship was about to arrive in Penzance. The shrew was flown back to the Isles of Scilly the next day on a
Skybus plane and then released back into its natural environment. ==References==