Shrews are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different families or orders.
The northern short-tailed shrew is the largest shrew in the genus Blarina, and occurs in the northeastern region of North America. It is a semifossorial, highly active, and voracious insectivore and is present in a variety of habitats like broadleaved and pine forests among shrubs and hedges as well as grassy river banks. It is notable in that it is one of the few venomous mammals. The specific epithet, brevicauda, is a combination of the Latin brevis and cauda, meaning "short tail".
The American pygmy shrew, also called the eastern pygmy shrew, is a small shrew found throughout much of Alaska, Canada, and the northern contiguous United States, as well as south along the Appalachian Mountains and in a small region in the Colorado and Wyoming Rockies. The species was first discovered in 1831 by naturalist William Cane in Georgian Bay, Parry Sound.
The Arctic shrew, also known as the blackback shrew or saddlebacked shrew, is a medium-sized shrew found in Canada and the northern United States. Separate species status has been proposed for the maritime shrew which is found in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and had been considered to be a subspecies of the Arctic shrew. The tundra shrew was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Arctic shrew.
The smoky shrew is a medium-sized North American shrew found in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States and extends further south along the Appalachian Mountains.
The vagrant shrew, also known as the wandering shrew, is a medium-sized North American shrew. At one time, the montane shrew and the Orizaba long-tailed shrew were considered to belong to the same species.
Baird's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to northwest Oregon. Baird's shrew inhabits moist conifer forests.
The lesser striped shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in China, Myanmar, and Nepal.
The Iberian shrew or Lagranja shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Portugal and Spain.
The Pribilof Island shrew is a small, short tailed species of mammal in the family Soricidae (shrews). It is endemic to and found only on Alaska's Pribilof Islands. Due to its distinct tricoloured coat, it was originally thought to be related to the Arctic shrew, but it is in fact much closer to the Cinereus shrew in its geographical distribution and morphological traits. Not much is known about the population size, breeding habits, ecology, and the general biology of the shrew.
The ornate shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae (shrews). It is endemic to western North America, ranging from Northern California in the United States to the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. Eight subspecies are known, including the extinct tule shrew, known only from four specimens collected in 1905, and the Suisun ornate shrew, a species of conservation concern in California. Through skull morphology research and genetic testing on Ornate shrew populations, it has been shown that there are three main genetic subdivisions: The Southern, Central and Northern. These three genetic subdivisions of Ornate shrew arose from populations of Ornate shrews getting geographically isolated from other populations.
Preble's shrew is a small shrew distributed across the Great Basin of the United States and southern British Columbia in Canada.
Sclater's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Mexico.
The Shinto shrew is a species of shrew of the genus Sorex that lives only on the islands of Japan. It is a mole-like mammal with a pointed snout, very small ears, and a relatively long tail. Like most shrews, it is tiny, has poor eyesight, and a very good sense of hearing and smell which it uses to locate its prey, mainly insects.
The Chinese shrew or dusky shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to China, where it occurs in Gansu, Sichuan, and Shaanxi. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest.
The San Cristobal shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Mexico. It is known only from the Huitepec Ecological Reserve west of San Cristóbal de las Casas in the Chiapas Highlands of central Chiapas. It is found at 2,743 m (8,999 ft) elevation in montane cloud forests.
The Inyo shrew is a species of shrew found in the western United States. It is light gray and white in color, with a narrow skull and small body size, very similar in appearance to the related dwarf shrew, but paler and not as large. It can be found in many different habitats, from rocky, mountainous regions to wetlands and riparian areas. Not much is known about its behavioral and reproductive habits. While barely studied, their population is believed to be stable and not under any threat.
Trowbridge's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in southern British Columbia in Canada and in Washington, Oregon, and California in the United States.
There are at least 50 small mammal species known to occur in Yellowstone National Park.
The New Mexico shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found only in New Mexico in the Capitan and Sandia-Manzano Mountains.
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Demboski, J. & Cook, J. (2001). Phylogeography of the dusky shrew, Sorex monticolus (Insectivora, Soricidae): Insight into deep and shallow history in northwestern North America. Molecular Ecology10(5): 1227–1240.
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