Mole photographed swimming in rare sighting

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.

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