An American pygmy shrew can disappear beneath damp leaves, so Tennessee’s thin record is partly a detection story. Reelfoot Lake State Park and the Hatchie and Tennessee national wildlife refuges offer the cool, layered ground this tiny hunter uses, including wet edges, moss, and fallen wood. They’re sensible places for careful small-mammal surveys, but the reports don’t establish local population size.
Tennessee records gather mainly from April through August, with the clearest rise in June. Even that pattern is too sparse to define a dependable season. The lack of iNaturalist reports also fits an animal usually found through focused trapping, museum work, or owl pellets rather than casual wildlife watching.
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