SCIENTISTS have been spotted lurking in the bunkers and on the fairways of a York golf course.

They are not there to work on their tee shots or improve their putting, but to study the movements of the elusive common shrew.

A York academic has found that the carving up of the British countryside - such as by the building of golf courses -is seriously affecting small mammals.

Dr Alex Lewis, a research fellow in York University's environment department, has found that the tiny, golf ball-sized creatures won't move from one habitat to another across open spaces created by man.

This could lead to them becoming isolated and could lead to their extinction, according to Dr Lewis' research.

"Fulford golf course provided ideal conditions for determining how the shrew's movement is influenced by landscape structure," said Dr Lewis.

"The areas of rough, left in place as obstacles for golfers, are also excellent habitat for this species.

"However, the very short mown grass of the fairway is not."

Dr Lewis said that by answering the question 'do shrews move across the fairway between patches during their lifetime' she aimed to determine whether or not they are sensitive to "habitat fragmentation".

"This is important because fragmented populations can become small and isolated and therefore vulnerable to extinction," she said.

During the year-long study, Dr Lewis found that of the 114 shrews caught, only nine moved from one patch of rough to another.