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American pygmy shrew
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{{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. == Description == The American pygmy shrew is the smallest mammal native to North America and is one of the smallest mammals in the world, just slightly larger than the [[Etruscan shrew]] of [[Eurasia]]. Its body is about {{convert|5|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=on}} long including a 2-cm-long tail, and it weighs about {{convert|2.0|to|4.5|g|oz|2|abbr=on}}.<ref name="NWF">{{Cite web|title=Pygmy Shrew: America's Smallest Mammal—and Its Hungriest|url=https://www.nwf.org/en/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2010/Americas-Smallest-Mammal|website =www.nwf.org|access-date=2018-09-06}}</ref> Its [[Fur|pelage]] is generally a reddish or grayish brown during the summer, and a white-gray color during the winter. The underside is generally a lighter gray. This animal [[Moulting|molts]] about twice a year, once during late summer, and again during the spring.<ref name="SmithIndexforMammalianSpecies">{{Cite web|title=Index for Mammalian Species|url=http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/|website=www.science.smith.edu|access-date=2015-11-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121124030734/http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/|archive-date=2012-11-24|url-status=dead}}</ref> It has a narrow head with a pointed nose, and [[whiskers]]. The eyes are small and well hidden.<ref name="PygmyShrewAnimalDiversity">{{Cite web|title=Sorex hoyi (pygmy shrew)|url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sorex_hoyi/|website=Animal Diversity Web|access-date=2015-11-16}}</ref> The primary senses used for hunting are hearing and smell. == Phylogeny == ''Sorex hoyi'' was originally placed in the [[genus]] ''Microsorex,'' which was a [[subgenus]] under ''Sorex'' until more research had been done. The American pygmy shrew is in the [[Order (biology)|order]] [[Soricomorpha]] and the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Shrew|Soricidae]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=NatureServe Explorer 2.0 |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1167812/Sorex_hoyi |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=explorer.natureserve.org}}</ref> Its two closest relatives are the [[Smoky shrew|smokey shrew]] (''S. fumeus)'' and the [[large-toothed shrew]] (''S. macrodon'').{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} This genus is believed to have appeared in the [[late Miocene]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Evolution of shrews |date=1998 |publisher=Mammal Research Institute. Polish Academy of Sciences |isbn=978-83-907521-0-5 |editor-last=Wolsan |editor-first=Mieczysław |location=Białowieża |editor-last2=Wójcik |editor-first2=Jan Marek}}</ref> == Distribution and habitat == Pygmy shrews are distributed throughout the [[subalpine]] and [[boreal forest|boreal]] areas of North America, ranging from [[Canada]] and [[Alaska]]<ref name="PygmyShrewinYukon" /> to the [[Great Lakes]] and south along the [[Appalachians]].<ref name="PygmyShrewAnimalDiversity"/><ref name="SunyESFPygmyShrewPage"/> There is also an isolated population in the [[Colorado]] and [[Wyoming]] [[Rocky Mountains|Rockies]].<ref name="USFSPygmyShrewReport"/> The species is commonly found in [[Virginia]], [[Kentucky]], [[North Carolina]], [[South Carolina]], [[Georgia (US State)|Georgia]], [[Tennessee]], and [[Alabama]] and is the second-most widespread of the long-tailed [[Soricidae|soricids]] in the southeast, after the [[southeastern shrew]].<ref name="PygmyShrew5PageUSFSReport"/> Some pygmy shrew populations comprise their own [[subspecies]]. Notably, the geographically isolated pygmy shrews found in the mountain forests of northern [[Colorado]] and south-central [[Wyoming]] are a unique [[relictual]] group from the [[Holocene glacial retreat|Pleistocene/Holocene transition]], classified as the subspecies ''S. hoyi montanus''.{{sfn|Beauvais|McCumber|2006|pp=3, 23}} Another subspecies of pygmy shrews is ''S. hoyi hoyi'', which resides in the [[prairies]] of eastern [[South Dakota]].<ref name="USFSPygmyShrewReport"/> Although ''S. hoyi'' prefers moist habitats, it has been recorded to live in areas with both wet and dry soil. However, if it is living in a more [[Aridity|arid]] environment, it needs to have a source of water nearby.<ref name="SmithIndexforMammalianSpecies" /> Subspecies ''S. h. montanus'' occurs in moist coniferous forest, "possibly preferring late-seral stands and the edges between wet and dry forest types."<ref name="USFSPygmyShrewReport"/> ''S. h. hoyi'' has a broader range of habitat but is still mostly found in wet prairies and wetland margins.<ref name="USFSPygmyShrewReport"/> == Diet == Primarily [[Insectivore|insectivorous]], this animal forages in moist soil and dead leaves to find its prey. Because of the pygmy shrew's small size, its diet primarily consists of [[Insect|insects]] and [[insect larvae]], while the larger shrews eat insects and [[Worm|worms]].<ref name="WhyAreShrewsSoSmall">{{Cite journal|title=Why are shrews so small? The costs and benefits of small size in northern temperateSorex species in the context of foraging habits and prey supply|journal=Acta Theriologica|date=2002-03-01|issn=0001-7051|pages=169–184|volume=47|issue=1|doi=10.1007/BF03192486|first=Sara|last=Churchfield|s2cid=7593435}}</ref> Its diet is almost exclusively protein-based.<ref name="MetabolismFoodCapacityFeeding">{{Cite journal|title=Metabolism, Food Capacity, and Feeding Behavior in Four Species of Shrews|journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology|date=1964-03-01|issn=0008-4301|pages=259–279|volume=42|issue=2|doi=10.1139/z64-026|first=Charles H.|last=Buckner|bibcode=1964CaJZ...42..259B }}</ref> To stay alive, the pygmy shrew has to eat three times its body weight daily, which means capturing prey every 15 to 30 minutes, day and night; a full hour without food means certain death. Because of this high [[metabolism]], the pygmy shrew never sleeps more than a few minutes at a time, as it is in a constant search for food.<ref name="NWF" /> Although due to its small body size it is always losing body heat, being small has its advantages during the winter when food is scarce. Predators of the American pygmy shrew include hawks, [[brook trout]], owls, snakes, and domestic cats.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wund |first=Matthew |title=Sorex hoyi (pygmy shrew) |url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sorex_hoyi/ |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=Animal Diversity Web |language=en}}</ref><ref name="SunyESFPygmyShrewPage"/> == Lifecycle and reproduction == Little is known about the reproductive cycle of pygmy shrews. They appear to mate year round, with a bias of births occurring from November through March.<ref name="HabitatBodySizeTiming">{{Cite journal|title=Habitat Partitioning, Body Size, and Timing of Parturition in Pygmy Shrews and Associated Soricids|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|date=1993-05-21|issn=0022-2372|pages=403–411|volume=74|issue=2|doi=10.2307/1382396|first1=George A.|last1=Feldhamer|first2=Ronald S.|last2=Klann|first3=Anthony S.|last3=Gerard|first4=Amy C.|last4=Driskell|jstor=1382396}}</ref> The [[gestation period]] is estimated to last about 18 days.<ref name="PygmyShrewAnimalDiversity" /> Females produce a litter of three to eight young, and only give birth once a year. The age the young are [[Weaning|weaned]] is not known with certainty, but by 18 days old, they are nearly full grown, and are usually independent by 25 days.<ref name="HabitatBodySizeTiming" /> Being mammals, the mother nourishes her young with milk. The maximum lifespan of a pygmy shrew is not known, but it is believed to be about 16–17 months.<ref name="HabitatBodySizeTiming" /> == Behavior == Pygmy shrews dig through soil and leaf litter to search for food, and can use [[Burrow|tunnel networks]] created by other animals to aid in that search. They do not sleep or rest for extended periods of times, but alternate between rest and activity all day and night, showing a bias towards [[Nocturnality|nighttime]].<ref name="MetabolismFoodCapacityFeeding" /> They have keen senses of smell and hearing to help them find prey.<ref name="PygmyShrewAnimalDiversity" /> When feeling threatened or scared, the shrews make a sharp squeaking noise and run for cover. Shrews can also swim, which makes them prey to [[brook trout]]. Pygmy shrews are in constant motion, and captured shrews have been observed "climbing and walking upside down on the wire top of the cage."<ref name="SmithIndexforMammalianSpecies" /> == Physiology == Due to its high [[metabolism]], the pygmy shrew is active year-round and does not engage in any form of [[torpor]] or [[hibernation]]. Shrews have been known to burrow through snow to find food, showing that winter snow does not stop them. Though pygmy shrews are constantly losing body heat due to their small size, their small size also has benefits, as they require less food to generate sufficient energy than would a larger shrew.<ref name="WhyAreShrewsSoSmall" /> Although usually a positive correlation exists between [[latitude]] and shrew body size, the American pygmy shrew is an exception.<ref name="WhyAreShrewsSoSmall" /> ==References== {{Wikispecies|Sorex hoyi}} {{Reflist}} {{Eulipotyphla|S2.}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q469606}} [[Category:Sorex]] [[Category:Fauna of the Southeastern United States|Shrew, American Pygmy]] [[Category:Mammals of the United States|Shrew, Pygmy]] [[Category:Mammals described in 1857]] [[Category:Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird]]
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