Mammals · Eulipotyphla · Soricidae

Cinereus Shrew

Sorex cinereus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It is the most widely distributed shrew in North America and, with an extremely fast metabolism, has to feed almost constantly.

Weight

3 g – 6 g

Size

8.7 cm – 11 cm

Lifespan

1 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestFreshwaterInsectivore Variable activity Solitary Temperate forest Freshwater Mammal

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Fun facts

It has to eat its own body weight in food, or more, every day to survive.
It eats insects, spiders and other small invertebrates.
It lives in woodland, swamps and stream banks across much of North America.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Woodland, swamps and stream banks across much of North America
Birth weight: 0.25 g and ~16 mm long at birth, hairless
Size at birth: 0.25 g at birth
Sexual maturity: 4-5 months in some females
Gestation / incubation: 18-22 days
Litter / clutch size: 2 to 10 young per litter, with up to 3 litters per year

Sources consulted: SUNY ESF (Adirondack mammals); PA Game Commission; Animal Diversity Web; Virginia DWR; Wikipedia (Cinereus shrew); AnAge (genomics.senescence.info)