Marsh shrews are semi-aquatic, diving and swimming through coastal streams and wetlands near Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area to hunt aquatic insects and small invertebrates, a habit that sets them apart from the state’s more strictly terrestrial shrew species.
Nearly all of Oregon’s 350 records rely on GBIF specimen data, just 3 from iNaturalist, a fair reflection of how rarely a small, semi-aquatic, mostly nocturnal mammal turns up in a photograph. Records concentrate in May and June, likely tracking breeding-season movement, though NatureServe’s S4, apparently secure, rank suggests the species is more common across Oregon’s wetter western habitat than the record alone shows.
Full species profile
