PA
Pine Martens have been extinct in Somerset for more than 100 years.
A rare sighting of a pine marten has been captured on a night vision camera.
The animal was spotted in the Mendips, Somerset, by conservationists at the Patch Wilder project.
Staff monitoring the 15 acres of grassland and woodland say they could not believe it when they saw the pine marten as none have been officially released in the county. Pine Martens are around half a metre long and typically roam between one and 20km.
“They have a characteristic white bib but it is such a surprise to see one, it took me a good couple of watches of the video for it to sink in,” said ecologist Charlie Fayers.
A pine marten was caught on a night vision camera in the Mendip Hills
Mr Fayer said he thinks the pine marten could have come from the New Forest, the Forest of Dean or Dartmoor, the nearest populations where the animals have been recently released.
Pine Martens would need large areas of woodland as habitat so he believes they would thrive in Somerset.
The stoat-like creatures are part of the mustelid family and known for their upright posture. The small mammals presence can also benefit red squirrels because one of their prey species is the non-native grey squirrel.