Oregon mammals

American water shrew in Oregon

Sorex palustris

Native to Oregon

Not listed as nonindigenous in Oregon by USGS NAS; treated as native to its mapped Oregon range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

American water shrew swimming at the surface of a stream, seen from aboveAmerican water shrew swimming just below the surface of Pebble CreekAmerican water shrew paddling across a shallow, foam-edged stream
Photo: NPS / April Henderson · Public domainAmerican water shrew swimming at the surface of a stream, seen from abovePhoto: NPS / April Henderson · Public domainAmerican water shrew swimming in Pebble Creek, Yellowstone National ParkPhoto: NPS / April Henderson · Public domainAmerican water shrew crossing a foam-edged stretch of Pebble Creek

American water shrew in Oregon, by the numbers

Occasional in Oregon 78th most recorded of 178 mammals logged in Oregon

86 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the American water shrew in Oregon

Most sightings fall in July to August.

86 Oregon occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Oregon records (table)
MonthRecords
January1
February0
March0
April1
May1
June12
July28
August27
September13
October2
November1
December0

Monthly american water shrew occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Oregon, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Oregon, with recorded sightings peaking in July–August.

Occurrence map

Where American water shrew has been recorded in Oregon

86 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

86 Oregon records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Eagle Cap Wilderness 5
Crater Lake National Park 3
Mount Hood Wilderness 2
Three Sisters Wilderness 1

Protected places with the most american water shrew sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Oregon

CountyRecords
Wallowa County 22
Grant County 16
Jackson County 8
Klamath County 6
Baker County 5
Douglas County 4
Deschutes County 4
Harney County 3
Umatilla County 3
Hood River County 3
Linn County 2
Wheeler County 2
7 other counties 8

The complete county distribution, spread across 19 Oregon counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Oregon’s mapped record is limited to two July and two September observations, so it confirms presence but does not establish a broader seasonal pattern. The overlay points to the Oregon Dunes, Cape Perpetua, and coastal estuaries and state parks as places to look; the handful of records measures reporting, not abundance, and silence elsewhere is not evidence of absence.

American water shrew swimming at the surface of a stream, seen from above
Full species profile American water shrew Sorex palustris Size 8 cm3.1 in Weight 8–18 g0.3–0.6 oz Lifespan Up to 1.5 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Oregon in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"