Sorex longirostris Bachman; Southeastern Shrew

Don Linzey & Christy Brecht
Wytheville Community College
Wytheville, Virginia 24382

Species Description

Photographs

Phylogeny

Geographic distribution

Habitat

Natural History

Conservation Biology

Links to Other Sites

Acknowledgements

References

© Copyright Roger Barbour. All rights reserved.
Sorex longirostris -- Southeastern Shrew

Last updated: 26 November, 2005

Species Description

Adult total length: 3 - 4 1/4 in. (72 - 108 mm)
Tail: 1 - 1 3/4 in. (25 - 40 mm)
Hind foot: 3/8 - 1/2 in. (9 - 13 mm)
Weight: 1/10 - 1/5 oz. (3 - 6 g)
Physical Characteristics: The southern shrew is reddish-brown above and grayish below. The long tail is indistinctly bi-colored. The southeastern shrew is slightly smaller and more reddish than the masked shrew. Shrews possess long tapering snouts and tiny eyes and ears. Hearing and smell are acute. The tips of the incisor teeth are dark chestnut in color. Shrews have five toes on each foot.


left lateral view of skull and mandible	dorsal view of skull	ventral view of skull

Index
Photographs

Sorex longirostris

Index
Phylogeny

Taxonomic Category	Scientific Name	Common Name
Phylum	Chordata	Chordates
Class	Mammalia	Mammals
Order	Insectivora	Insectivores
Family	Soricidae	Shrews
Subfamily	Soricinae	Shrews

Index
Geographic distribution

Southeastern United States from central Florida, Louisiana, and Arkansas north to Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and southern Maryland.

Range Maps

North America	Great Smokies

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Only three southeastern shrews have been recorded within the boundaries of the park. They were taken in Greenbrier (Sevier Co.) in 1934 and 1938 and near park headquarters (Sevier Co.) in 1950. However, 15 individuals were taken along the Foothills Parkway between Cove Creek and Maples Ranch (Sevier Co.) at elevations ranging from 1,430 feet to 2,400 feet (Harvey, 1991).

Index
Habitat

This species occurs in a variety of habitats from fields to forests. Habitat in early stages of succession and disturbed habitat such as cultivated fields and abandoned fields with dense ground cover of honeysuckle, grasses, sedges, and herbs seem to be favored.

Index
Natural History

Reproduction
One or more litters of 4 or 5 young may be born from April through September. French (1980) compiled data from a six state region and reported a mean litter size of 3.9 with a range from one to six. Shrew nests are about 6 to 8 inches in diameter with a 2 to 4 inch inside diameter. Nests consisting of masses of cut leaves have been found inside rotting logs and in cavities beneath the bark of fallen trees.

Longevity
French (1980) noted that most individuals probably survive only one winter and live no longer than about 14 months.

Terrestrial Ecology
Southeastern shrews are active both day and night, spending most of their time in the underground burrows of other animals and rooting beneath the leaf litter on the forest floor. Foods include small spiders, small moth caterpillars, small crickets, harvestmen, small beetles and beetle larvae, and centipedes (French, 1999).
The home range of shrews probably covers an area of 1/4 to 1 acre.
Predators and Defense
Predators include snakes, owls, hawks, and carnivorous mammals such as opossums, foxes, bobcats, weasels, and skunks.
Parasites
None recorded from the park.

Index
Conservation Biology

Special Protection Status
- Rangewide: None.
- In Park: All plants and animals are protected within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Collection requires a permit which is usually granted only for research or educational purposes.

Index
Links to Other Sites

University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology
eNature

Index
Acknowledgements

Text

Dr. Donald W. Linzey, Wytheville Community College - wclinzd@wcc.vccs.edu
Christy Brecht, Wytheville Community College - wcbrecc@wcc.vccs.edu
Photographs
- Roger Barbour
Map development
- Richard Schulz, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - richard_schulz@nps.gov
Web page design & coding
- Denise Lim, University of Georgia, Athens
- John Pickering, University of Georgia, Athens

Index
References

French, T. W. 1980. Natural history of the southeastern shrew, Sorex longirostris Bachman. American Midland Naturalist 104: 13-31.
French, T. W. 1999. Southeastern shrew. Pages 29-30 In: Wilson, D. E. and S. Ruff (editors). The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
Harvey, M. J. 1991. Survey for threatened and endangered mammals on the right-of-way of proposed segment 8D of the Foothills Parkway. Report to the Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Komarek, E. V. and R. Komarek. 1938. Mammals of the Great Smoky Mountains. Bulletin of the Chicago Academy of Science 5(6): 137-162.
Linzey, D. W. 1995a. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Blacksburg, Virginia: The McDonald &;Woodward Publishing Company, Inc.
Linzey, D. W. 1995b. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park-1995 Update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111(1): 1-81.
Linzey, D. W. 1998. The Mammals of Virginia. Blacksburg, Virginia: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc.

Last modified: 8 April, 2002