Sorex cinereus
ID
- Grayish brown upper parts with lighter underparts
- Tail is bicolored with dark brownish gray on top and a yellowish brown on the bottom
- Smaller and browner than the Smoky Shrew (Whitaker)
Distribution
Reproduction
- Breeding occurs between early spring and early fall (Whitaker)
- Gestation lasts about 18 days (Audubon)
- Litter size numbers between 4 and 10 young
- Females usually have 3 litters per year (Whitaker)
Behavior
- Active all hours of the day, but more so at night
- Do not hibernate
- Use rodent runs and move beneath leaves, logs, and through moss runways (Whitaker)
Food Habits
- Tiny mollusks, insects, especially ants, caterpillars, beetle grubs, slugs, snails, and spiders, annelids, dead bodies of larger animals
- Plants eaten in dire need (Whitaker)
Size/Life Cycle
- Average measurements: 71-111 mm (total length), 25-50 g (total weight) (Whitaker)
Predators
- Owls, hawks, shrikes, herons, predatory mammals, some fish (Whitaker)
Habitat
- Wide variety of environments as long as there is a good amount of moisture (Whitaker)