Editing American pygmy shrew (section)

{{Short description|Species of mammal}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = American pygmy shrew<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Hutterer | pages = 289}}</ref>
| image = 
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=Cassola, F. |year=2016 |title=''Sorex hoyi'' |errata=2017 |page=e.T41400A115183871 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T41400A22312472.en |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref>
| taxon = Sorex hoyi
| authority = [[Spencer Fullerton Baird|Baird]], 1857<ref>{{cite book|last1=Baird|first1=Spencer F.|title=Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean|date=1857|location=Washington|pages=32–33|chapter-url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11687368|chapter=Mammals|volume=8|issue=1|publisher=Beverly Tucker}}</ref>
| range_map = American Pygmy Shrew area.png
| range_map_caption = American pygmy shrew range
}}

The '''American pygmy shrew''' ('''''Sorex hoyi'''''), also called the '''eastern pygmy shrew''',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1167812/Sorex_hoyi |title=Sorex hoyi - Eastern Pygmy Shrew |website=explorer.natureserve.org |publisher=NatureServe|date=2024-07-05|access-date=2024-07-09 |archive-date=2024-07-11 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240711110245/https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1167812/Sorex_hoyi |url-status=live}}</ref> is a small [[shrew]] found throughout much of [[Alaska]],<ref name="PygmyShrewinYukon">{{Cite journal|title=Northern range extension of the pygmy shrew, Sorex hoyi, in the Yukon|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235727121|journal=The Canadian Field-Naturalist|volume=121|pages=94|access-date=2015-11-19|doi=10.22621/cfn.v121i1.402|year=2007|last1=Jung|first1=Thomas S.|last2=Pretzlaw|first2=Troy D.|last3=Nagorsen|first3=David W.|doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Canada]],<ref name="PygmyShrew5PageUSFSReport">{{cite report |title=Pygmy Shrew |author1=Ford, W. Mark |author2=Laerm, Joshua |author3=Chapman, Brian R. |publisher=[[U.S. Forest Service]] |url=https://www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/jrnl/2007/nrs_2007_ford_001.pdf |access-date=2024-07-30}}</ref> and the northern contiguous [[United States]], as well as south along the [[Appalachian Mountains]]<ref name="SunyESFPygmyShrewPage">{{cite book |last=Saunders |first=D. A. |title=Adirondack Mammals |date=1988 |publisher=State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry |location=New York |chapter=Pygmy Shrew |access-date=2024-07-30 |chapter-url=https://www.esf.edu/aec/adks/mammals/pygmy_shrew.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240720153418/https://www.esf.edu/aec/adks/mammals/pygmy_shrew.php |archive-date=2024-07-20 |url-status=live}}</ref> and in a small region in the [[Colorado]] and [[Wyoming]] [[Rocky Mountains|Rockies]].<ref name="USFSPygmyShrewReport">{{cite report |title=Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi): a technical conservation assessment |last1=Beauvais |first1=Gary P. |last2=McCumber |first2=Jacob |publisher=[[U.S. Forest Service]] |date=2006-11-30 |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5181918.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628001647/https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5181918.pdf |archive-date=2023-06-28 |url-status=live |page=3}}</ref> The species was first discovered in 1831 by naturalist William Cane in [[Georgian Bay]], [[Parry Sound]].{{citation needed|date=July 2024|reason=The original form of this sentence ("It was first discovered in 1831 by naturalist William Cane in Georgian Bay, Parry Sound") appears in identical form across various websites, but there appear to be no legitimate sources confirming this information. It's unclear where this factoid came from, if anywhere.}}

This animal is found in northern [[conifer]]ous and [[deciduous]] forests of [[North America]]. It is believed to be the second-smallest [[mammal]] in the world, but has an extremely large appetite for its size. Due to its fast [[metabolism]], it needs to eat constantly. It digs through moist soils and decaying [[Plant litter|leaf litter]] for food.