Vagrant Shrew (Sorex vagrans) lives in moist woodland areas across Western North America. It feeds on insects and seeds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Vagrant Shrew
- Vagrant shrews burn energy at a blistering pace, running a basal metabolic rate of 5.4 ml O₂ per gram per hour and never slipping into winter torpor. To keep that furnace lit, they eat more than 160 % of their own body weight each day, gulping down insects, worms and spiders nonstop. This relentless appetite shows how tiny mammals must constantly forage.
- The vagrant shrew spreads across western North America, from southern British Columbia and Vancouver Island east to extreme southwestern Alberta, and down through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, central California, Nevada, Utah, Montana and Wyoming. It favors wet grasslands, alpine tundra, swamps and river edges, and acidic soils.
- Breeding kicks off between April and June, though litters can appear as early as February or as late as September. After a swift 20-day gestation, females deliver two to eight hairless, blind pups weighing under 0.5 g each, and may raise up to three litters per year. Young shrews sprout fur by two weeks, open eyes at three weeks, and leave the nest after 16-25 days.
- These shrews sprint for just five to ten minutes at a time before pausing, yet they defend solitary home ranges of about 1,000 m² (11,000 sq ft) with squeaks and short charges. They build shallow cup-shaped nests up to 8 cm across year-round, adding a domed roof in winter for extra shelter, and sometimes use rudimentary echolocation to navigate unfamiliar spots. Their brief, intense activity bursts and territorial habits.
- At just 10 cm long, including a 4-cm tail, this shrew fits on the tip of your finger, yet adults weigh between 4 and 8 g, with males a shade larger than females.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeWestern North America
HabitatMoist woodland areas
DietInsects and seeds
About the Vagrant Shrew
In the damp, hidden recesses of the forest floor, the vagrant shrew darts with frenetic energy, its tiny paws barely touching the earth as it pursues its relentless quest for insects and seeds. With a twitching snout and beady eyes, this diminutive hunter navigates a labyrinthine world of leaf litter and decaying wood, its very existence a testament to the boundless vitality of life in the smallest of scales. As it moves, the shrew's soft, grey fur blends seamlessly into the shadows, rendering it all but invisible, a fleeting whisper of life in the secret places of the wild.
Hear the Vagrant Shrew, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
