Sorex fumeus
ID
- Second largest of the eastern long-tailed shrews
- Dark, mouse-gray winter upper fur and lighter underpart fur
- Olive-ish brown summer upper fur and pale, sometimes silvery underpart fur
- Relatively prominent ears (Whitaker)
Distribution
Reproduction
- Breeding season lasts from spring until fall with the first litters usually born in late April
- Gestation lasts about 20 days with litter sizes of 2-8 young
- Usually there are two litters per female per year, but occasionally they produce another fall litter
- Females do not breed in their first year, but overwinter as adolescents and breed in their second year (Whitaker)
Behavior
- Does not hibernate and is, in fact, active on the coldest days of winter
- Travels in the burrows of other small mammals or underneath leaf litter (Whitaker)
Food Habits
- Small invertebrates (earthworms, centipedes, insects, larvae), small salamanders, plant matter, sowbugs(Whitaker)
Size/Life Cycle
- Average measurements: 110-127 (total length), 6-11 g (total weight)
Predators
- Owls, hawks, foxes, weasels, larger shrews, other mammalian predators (Whitaker)
Habitat
- Shady, damp woods of either hardwoods or conifers (Whitaker)