Kansas Mammal Atlas

Distribution:
The distribution of the least shrew is statewide, but because the edge of the range of this species is in western Kansas some areas there may not be inhabited. This shrew is more tolerant of drier areas than southern short-tailed shrews. They are found in most of the terrestrial plant communities in Kansas, preferring dense grasslands, successional growths around ponds and lakes, and deciduous forests. Least shrews use runways of prairie voles, cotton rats, and other small mammals, but will make and use their own runways and tunnels on the surface or in soft soils.

(, Museum Voucher) (, Observation) (, Literature Record)
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• Occurrence Summary:  
• 892 Total Records 
• 883 Museum Vouchers 
• 9 Other Observations 

Some county occurrences indicated below may be too imprecise to map above.
County Breakdown: County Name (# occurrences):
Anderson (3); Atchison (4); Barber (8); Barton (2); Brown (6); Butler (1); Chase (9); Cherokee (7); Cheyenne (1); Clark (1); Coffey (1); Cowley (2); Decatur (1); Doniphan (3); Douglas (332); Edwards (2); Ellis (48); Ellsworth (2); Finney (12); Ford (14); Franklin (10); Geary (2); Grant (1); Greenwood (90); Harvey (1); Haskell (1); Hodgeman (1); Jackson (4); Jefferson (58); Jewell (5); Johnson (3); Kingman (2); Kiowa (2); Labette (4); Leavenworth (14); Linn (1); Logan (1); Lyon (28); Marion (1); Marshall (18); Meade (36); Miami (6); Mitchell (1); Morton (17); Ness (4); Norton (1); Osage (4); Osborne (1); Phillips (1); Rawlins (5); Reno (1); Riley (11); Rooks (1); Rush (24); Russell (6); Saline (7); Scott (1); Sedgwick (2); Shawnee (3); Smith (2); Stafford (2); Stanton (1); Sumner (1); Thomas (1); Trego (4); Unknown (29); Wabaunsee (10); Wallace (1); Woodson (1); Wyandotte (1);

Natural History:
Least shrews have an unusually high rate of metabolism (about 10 cm3 oxygen per gram body weight per hour). As a result of the high energy loss, the need for food is almost constant. In 24 hours it eats 60-100 percent of its weight. The demand for energy is so great that if it is without food on a cold day it will starve in a short time. For this reason, least shrews are difficult to keep in captivity and will frequently die from lack of food. The high energy requirement is related to the difficulty of retaining body heat with a relatively large skin area to small body mass. When awake or active least shrews appear nervous, but when inactive sleep soundly. The home range is reported to be about 0.3 hectares.
Adults attain the following dimensions: total length 71-86 mm; tail 15-18 mm; hind foot 10-11 mm; ear 9-11 mm; weight 4-6 grams.
Food of least shrews is principally insects, earthworms, snails, and carrion. When normal food is scarce they may eat seeds and fruit. Emergency supplies of food are cached.
Least shrews have an unusually high rate of metabolism (about 10 cm3 oxygen per gram body weight per hour). As a result of the high energy loss, the need for food is almost constant. In 24 hours it eats 60-100 percent of its weight. The demand for energy is so great that if it is without food on a cold day it will starve in a short time. For this reason, least shrews are difficult to keep in captivity and will frequently die from lack of food. The high energy requirement is related to the difficulty of retaining body heat with a relatively large skin area to small body mass. When awake or active least shrews appear nervous, but when inactive sleep soundly. The home range is reported to be about 0.3 hectares.
Least shrews breed two or three times a year, between early spring and late autumn. Gestation is from 21-23 days when two to seven (usually four to six) naked young are born with eyes and ears closed by skin. After one week they are furred; at two weeks of age the eyes open; and shortly thereafter they follow their mother by grasping her tail or the tail of a littermate in their teeth. At 20-22 days they are weaned and can lead independent lives. At one month they are full-grown and at three to four months capable of breeding, although this is usually deferred until the following spring. Ordinarily the female rears the young alone, but on many occasions an adult male and female are associated with the young. The nest, 100 to 200 mm in diameter, is concealed under a log, stump, flat rock in a shallow ground cavity, or more rarely in a burrow. It consists of dried leaves, grasses and other vegetable fibers. Larger nests are used in winter and may contain a dozen or more shrews-to this extent they are gregarious.

Occurrence Activity:

Remarks:
Although it is seldom seen by humans except when brought in dead by a cat or seen running across the road at night, this shrew is generally common. Like southern short-tailed shrews, least shrews are eaten by snakes, hawks, and owls. Carnivorous mammals capture and kill these shrews, but rarely eat them because of the specialized skin glands that are distasteful to these carnivores. The principal gland is the flank gland, which is better developed in males than females after sexual maturity. Least shrews have a maximum lifespan of 16 to 18 months. Recent literature suggests that the correct scientific name should be Cryptotis parvus, based on gender consistency (Woodman,2018), but this subject is debated in the scientific community. We choose to retain C.parva until a consensus is reached.

Bibliography:

Account Last Updated:
5/3/2019 9:04:36 AM