| Scientific Name | Specimen Records |
|
|||
| Sorex hoyi (Baird) | ATBI Database | ||||
| Common Name | |||||
| Pygmy Shrew | |||||
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | |
| Animalia | Chordata | Mammalia | Insectivora | Soricidae | |
| Animals | Vertebrates | Mammals | Insectivores | Shrews | |
The pygmy shrew is the smallest mammal in North America, and among the smallest in the world by weight. It is one of the rarest shrews in the park. It was not until 1968 that a previously unreported specimen was discovered in the collections of the University of Illinois Museum of Natural History (Hoffmeister, 1968). It had been taken on September 6, 1941 at Newfound Gap, Swain County, North Carolina. No other pygmy shrews were recorded until 1991 when six were recorded along the Foothills Parkway.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION
- Adult Total Length: 70-85 mm (2¾-3⅜ in.)
- Tail: 25-30 mm (1-1¼ in.)
- Hind Foot: 9-12 mm (⅜-½ in.)
- Weight: 2-4 g (1/10-1/7 oz.)
- Physical Characteristics: The pygmy shrew is
the smallest mammal in North America, and among the smallest in the world by
weight. Adults weigh approximately the same as a dime. The fur is grayish-brown
above and grayish below. The tail is indistinctly bicolored. Shrews possess
long tapering snouts, and tiny eyes and ears. Hearing and smelling are acute.
The tips of the incisor teeth are dark chestnut in color. Shrews have five
toes on each foot.
Skull Drawings:
| Skull lateral view. | Skull dorsal view. | Skull ventral view. |
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| Click illustrations to enlarge. The Mammals of Virginia, by Donald W. Linzey. Copyright 1998. All rights reserved. |
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DISTRIBUTION
North America:
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The pygmy shrew ranges from the Gaspe Peninsula across Canada to Alaska, and south to northeastern Washington, northwestern Montana, Iowa, southern Wisconsin, and Ohio. The range includes New England and extends southward along the Appalachian Mountain chain into northern Georgia. |
In Park:
 Click maps to enlarge. |
The pygmy shrew is one of the rarest shrews in the park. It was not until 1968 that a previously unreported specimen was discovered in the collections of the University of Illinois Museum of Natural History (Hoffmeister, 1968). It had been taken on September 6, 1941 at Newfound Gap, Swain County, North Carolina. No other pygmy shrews were recorded until 1991 when six were recorded along the Foothills Parkway (Sevier Co.) at Cove Creek (1,430 feet), King Hollow Branch (1,700 to 1,800 feet), and Caney Creek (1,800 to 2,100 feet) (Harvey, 1991). |
NATURAL HISTORY
Habitat:
Pygmy shrews range from old fields to hardwood and coniferous forests. They have been discovered under decaying logs, as well as in deep leaf litter.
Reproduction:
Breeding probably extends from about March to September. Females probably produce more than one litter annually. Litter sizes range from 2 to 8 young. Shrew nests are about 6 to 8 inches in diameter, with a 2 to 4 inch inside diameter. They are composed of finely shredded grasses and leaves. Young are weaned, and independent, at 4 weeks of age.
Longevity:
Pygmy shrews probably do not live longer than 16 to 18 months.
Terrestrial Ecology:
Pygmy shrews feed on small arthropods, such as grasshoppers and beetles, worms, and on limited amounts of seeds and berries. Occasionally they eat carrion (Long, 1999).
The home range of shrews probably covers an area of ¼ to 1 acre.
Predators and Defense:
Predators include snakes, owls, hawks, and carnivorous mammals including opossums, foxes, bobcats, weasels, and skunks.
Parasites:
None recorded from the park.
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.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Field work:
N/A
Supporting Institutions:
N/A
Text:
Dr. Donald W. Linzey, Wytheville Community College, Wytheville, VA (wclinzd@wcc.vccs.edu)
Christy Brecht, Wytheville Community College, Wytheville, VA (wcbrecc@wcc.vccs.edu)
Photographs:
Ed Pivorun. All rights reserved.
Drawings:
The Mammals of Virginia, by Donald W. Linzey. Copyright 1998. All rights reserved.
Maps:
North America: The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals, edited by Don E. Wilson and Sue Ruff. Copyright 1999. All rights reserved.
In Park: Discover Life in America - All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. 2007. The ATBI Database. http://tremont22.campus.utk.edu/ATBI_start.cfm, Discover Life in America, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738.
Web page:
REFERENCES
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.
Hoffmeister, D.F. 1968. Pigmy shrew, Microsorex hoyi winnemana, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Journal of Mammalogy 49(2): 331.
Linzey, D. W. 1995a. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia.
Linzey, D. W. 1995b. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park-1995 Update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111(1): 1-81.
Long, C.A. 1999. Pygmy Shrew. Pages 25-27. In: Wilson, D.E. and S. Ruff (editors). The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
