Washington mammals

Marsh Shrew in Washington

Sorex bendirii

Native to Washington S4 Apparently Secure in Washington

Not listed as nonindigenous in Washington by USGS NAS; native to its Washington 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.

Illustration: marsh shrew (Bendire's shrew) drawn by Ernest Thompson Seton for Merriam's 1884 original descriptionAI-generated image: Marsh shrew foraging on wet sphagnum at the water edge. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Marsh shrew climbing a wet mossy log. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Photo: Ernest Thompson Seton · Public domainIllustration: marsh shrew (Bendire's shrew) drawn by Ernest Thompson Seton for Merriam's 1884 original descriptionAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyMarsh shrew foraging on wet sphagnum at the water edgeAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyMarsh shrew climbing a wet mossy log

Marsh Shrew in Washington, by the numbers

Rare in Washington 120th most recorded of 145 mammals logged in Washington

274 occurrence records
3 with iNaturalist photos
Aug 12, 2022 Last seen in Washington

Records from 2000–2026.

274 total records count every Washington occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 273; the monthly chart covers the 273 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Marsh Shrew in Washington

Most sightings fall in July to August.

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

Monthly Washington records (table)
MonthRecords
January3
February1
March9
April16
May21
June32
July58
August57
September14
October34
November18
December10

Monthly marsh shrew occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Washington, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Marsh Shrew has been recorded in Washington

273 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

273 Washington records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Mount Rainier National Park 33
Ross Lake National Recreation Area 10
Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) State Resource Management Area 5
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park 5
Trapper Creek Wilderness 3
Daniel J. Evans Wilderness Area 3
Olympic National Park 2
Wenatchee National Forest 2

Protected places with the most marsh 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 Washington

CountyRecords
Pierce County 58
Pacific County 27
Skamania County 26
Clallam County 20
Lewis County 16
King County 15
Jefferson County 14
Whatcom County 14
Grays Harbor County 13
Clark County 13
Mason County 12
Thurston County 10
6 other counties 36

The complete county distribution, spread across 18 Washington counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Across the Washington overlay, marsh shrew is represented by 274 records. iNaturalist accounts for 3 records and GBIF for 274; those figures describe reporting systems, not animals on the ground. On the atlas scale, the species occupies position 108 of 126.

A monthly comparison puts July first with 58 records and February last with 1. The overlay points toward Olympic National Park as well as Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, with no numeric place comparison supplied. This is documented occurrence, with no basis for converting record totals into animal numbers.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Illustration: marsh shrew (Bendire's shrew) drawn by Ernest Thompson Seton for Merriam's 1884 original description
Full species profile Marsh Shrew Sorex bendirii Size 9.1 cm3.6 in Weight 15–16 g0.5–0.6 oz View the full profile

More mammals in Washington 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
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • 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"