Species Information

Kingdom: Animalia
  Phylum: Craniata
    Class: Mammalia
      Order: Eulipotyphla
        Family: Soricidae
          Genus: Sorex
            Species: cinereus

Masked Shrew - Sorex cinereus

Masked Shrew

Image courtesy of Biota Information System of New Mexico

327960

Species Extent (New Mexico)

General Description

A medium-sized shrew (adults usually 9-11 cm total length, tail 35-45 mm, 3-6 g) with a sharply pointed snout, beady eyes, and small ears nearly hidden in the fine soft pelage; dorsal pelage varies from dark brown to gray, depending on the season and location; five small unicuspidate teeth behind the upper incisors (the fifth is minute, the fourth generally is smaller than [less commonly equal to, or sometimes larger than in subspecies OHIOENSIS] the third, and both of these are smaller than the first and second; tips of teeth are dark chestnut; feet are delicate, with slender weak claws; condylobasal length of skull 14.6-16.9 mm; maxillary breadth less than 4.6 mm; posterior border of infraorbital foramen even with, or anterior to, plane of space between M1 and M2 (Armstrong 1987, Hall 1981, Godin 1977).

Status

Global Rank: G5

State Rank: S2

State Status:

Federal Status:

USFS Status:

BLM Status:

SWAP Status:

NMRP Strategy Status:

Observations in Natural Heritage New Mexico Database

Number of Subpopulations: 20

Number of Mapped Locations: 47

Number of Observations: 184

Observation date range: 07-08-1905 to 05-23-2018

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