Prairie shrew

Prairie shrew[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Soricidae
Genus:	Sorex
Species:	S. haydeni
Binomial name
Sorex haydeni Baird, 1857
Prairie Shrew range

The prairie shrew (Sorex haydeni) is a small shrew found in the Canadian prairies and midwestern United States. At one time, this species was considered to be a subspecies of the similar cinereus shrew, S. cinereus.

It is brown in colour with light grey underparts with a long tail. Its body is about 8 cm in length including a 3 cm long tail. It weighs about 4 g. This animal is found in open grasslands, often near water. It eats insects, worms, snails, small mammals and seeds. Predators include hawks, owls, snakes, and foxes. This animal is active day and night year-round. It mates between spring and fall. 3 to 6 young are born in a nest under a log or rocks.

References

1. Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 288–289. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. Duncan, J.R.; Reichel, J.D. & Hammerson, G. (2008). "Sorex haydeni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 8 February 2010.