Northern Short-tailed Shrew

Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda) is in the Shrews family (Soricidae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 11,977 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in October.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: seasonal. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

When to photograph Northern Short-tailed Shrew: observations by month (U.S.)

About Northern Short-tailed Shrew

The northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) is the largest shrew in the genus Blarina, and occurs in the northeastern region of North America. It is a semifossorial, highly active, and voracious insectivore and is present in a variety of habitats. It is notable in that it is one of the few venomous mammals. The specific epithet, brevicauda, is a combination of the Latin brevis and cauda, meaning "short tail".From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Northern Short-tailed Shrew by state

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Related mammals (Shrews)

Masked ShrewSorex cinereus

Southern Short-tailed ShrewBlarina carolinensis

Photography tips

• Keep a legal and safe distance: 100 yards from bears and wolves and 25 yards from other large animals in national parks.
• Dawn and dusk are peak activity times for most mammals.
• Use your car as a blind on wildlife drives.

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