The southeastern shrew (''Sorex longirostris'') is a species of

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur ...

in the family Soricidae. It is found in the

southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the south ...

Description

The southeastern shrew (''Sorex longirostris'') is reddish-brown above on its back, head area while the shrew is grayish below in the abdomen area. The shrew's long tail is vaguely bi-colored, with dark and light brown as the color. The southeastern shrew is slightly smaller and more reddish than the masked shrew, which looks very similar to the southeastern shrew. Shrews possess lengthy pointed snouts, tiny eyes and ears. Their hearing and smell are very acute. The tips of the incisor teeth are dark chestnut in color. The pigmentation on the tip of their teeth is caused by deposition of iron in the outer pigmented teeth. It weighs in at 0.11-0.14 ounces and has an approximate total length of 2-4 inches. Their lifespan in the wild is rarely more than a year, but they can live as long as 18 or 19 months.

Subspecies

There are three

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...

of the southeastern shrew, distinguished by their varying sizes:Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Delisting of the Dismal Swamp Southeastern Shrew (Sorex longirostris fisheri
65 Fed. Reg. 10420 (February 28, 2000). * The dismal swamp southeastern shrew (''S. l. fisheri''), in southeastern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

and

eastern North Carolina Eastern North Carolina (sometimes abbreviated as ENC) is the region encompassing the eastern tier of North Carolina. It is known geographically as the state's Coastal Plain region. Primary subregions of Eastern North Carolina include the Sandhil ...

, including the

Great Dismal Swamp The Great Dismal Swamp is a large swamp in the Coastal Plain Region of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It is located in parts of the southern Virginia indepe ...

. * ''S. l. eionis'', in northern Florida * ''S. l. longirostris'', occurs in the rest of the range, including Maryland, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana,

southern Ohio Appalachian Ohio is a bioregion and political unit in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, characterized by the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau. The Appalachian Regional Commission defines ...

, and

central Illinois Central Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois that consists of the entire central third of the state, divided from north to south. Also known as the ''Heart of Illinois'', it is characterized by small towns and mid-sized cities. Agr ...

Breeding

The breeding season takes place from March–October and 1 to 2 litters is produced with 1-6 young per litter. The nests are composed of leafy material and fine grasses and are often found in rotting logs.

Behavior

The southeastern shrew is active during the day and night, usually hunting for insects to eat. They make a chipping noise that can be heard occasionally. Southeastern shrews are active, spending most of their time in the burrows of other animals and rooting beneath the leaf litter feeding on the forest floor.

Distribution

The habitat for the southeastern shrews include forests and woodlands, scrub, shrub and brushlands, meadows and fields, swamps, marshes, and bogs. Their habitat ranges from fields to forests, but southeastern shrews prefer areas in early stages of succession and disturbed areas such as cultivated and abandoned fields with dense ground cover of ''Lonicera'' spp. (honeysuckles), grasses, and herbs. Southeastern shrews are active both day and night, spending most of their time in the burrows of other animals and rooting beneath the leaf litter on the forest floor. The shrews have a population density of 12 individuals per acre.

Diet

The southeastern shrew has a diet consisting primarily of

spider Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

s, as well as the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of butterflies, moths, slugs, and

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s; the species is also known to consume plants and

centipede Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , " foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, ...

s.Charles W. Schwartz, Elizabeth R. Schwartz, ''The Wild Mammals of Missouri'' (2d rev. ed.: University of Missouri Press, 2001), p. 36.

Predation

Known predators of the southeastern shrew are

opossum Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 93 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered No ...

s;Charles W. Schwartz, Elizabeth R. Schwartz, ''The Wild Mammals of Missouri'' (2d rev. ed.: University of Missouri Press, 2001), p. 37.

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

s, including

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Alle ...

and

barred owl The barred owl (''Strix varia''), also known as the northern barred owl, striped owl or, more informally, hoot owl, is a North American large species of owl. A member of the true owl family, Strigidae, they belong to the genus '' Strix'', whic ...

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more ...

hooded merganser The hooded merganser (''Lophodytes cucullatus'') is a species of merganser. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Lophodytes''. The genus name derives from the Greek language: ''lophos'' meaning 'crest', and ''dutes'' meaning 'diver'. The ...

s; domestic cats (''see''

cat predation on wildlife Cat predation on wildlife is the result of the natural instincts and behavior of both feral and domesticated cats to hunt small prey, including wildlife. Some people view this as a desirable phenomenon, such as in the case of barn cats and othe ...

); and

domestic dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is Domestication of the dog, derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's n ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1769703 Sorex Fauna of the Southeastern United States Mammals described in 1837 Taxa named by John Bachman