Minnesota mammals

Masked Shrew in Minnesota

Sorex cinereus

Native to Minnesota S5 Secure in Minnesota

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

Sorex cinereus, Harwich, Chatham, Ontario, Canada 1Sorex cinereus, Harwich, Chatham, Ontario, Canada 2Sorex cinereus, Harwich, Chatham, Ontario, Canada 3Sorex cinereus, Harwich, Chatham, Ontario, Canada 4Sorex cinereus, Billings National Historical Park, Woodstock, Vermont, USA 1Masked Shrew (Sorex cinereus)
Photo: rpoort · CC BY 4.0Sorex cinereus, Harwich, Chatham, Ontario, Canada 1Photo: rpoort · CC BY 4.0Sorex cinereus, Harwich, Chatham, Ontario, Canada 2Photo: rpoort · CC BY 4.0Sorex cinereus, Harwich, Chatham, Ontario, Canada 3Photo: rpoort · CC BY 4.0Sorex cinereus, Harwich, Chatham, Ontario, Canada 4Photo: er-birds · CC BY 4.0Sorex cinereus, Billings National Historical Park, Woodstock, Vermont, USA 1Photo: Sean Frey · CC BY 4.0Masked Shrew (Sorex cinereus)

Masked Shrew in Minnesota, by the numbers

Common in Minnesota 24th most recorded of 88 mammals logged in Minnesota

1,022 occurrence records
76 with iNaturalist photos
Apr 21, 2026 Last seen in Minnesota

Records from 2000–2026.

1,022 total records count every Minnesota occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 1,013 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Masked Shrew in Minnesota

Most sightings fall in July to August.

1,013 Minnesota occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Minnesota records (table)
MonthRecords
January18
February14
March25
April20
May48
June69
July233
August297
September145
October56
November67
December21

Monthly masked shrew occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Minnesota, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Masked Shrew has been recorded in Minnesota

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Minnesota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Two Inlets State Forest 18
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness 15
Carlos Avery State Wildlife Management Area 13
Superior National Forest 12
Bowstring State Forest 11
Voyageurs National Park 10
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area 9
Chippewa National Forest 9

Protected places with the most masked 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 Minnesota

CountyRecords
Cook County 273
Itasca County 76
Sherburne County 66
Lake County 56
Washington County 45
St. Louis County 42
Brown County 33
Cass County 30
Chisago County 28
Becker County 27
Isanti County 27
Anoka County 23
54 other counties 296

The complete county distribution, spread across 66 Minnesota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Cinereus shrew records in Minnesota run heavily through GBIF, 1,001 entries against just 76 from iNaturalist, an especially wide gap that reflects a tiny, secretive shrew documented almost entirely through small-mammal trapping surveys rather than sightings. Superior National Forest, Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, and Voyageurs National Park anchor the record.

Reports spike sharply in August and again in November, with a much quieter September in between, a pattern that most likely tracks the timing of specific trapping projects rather than any real dip and rebound in shrew activity. NatureServe ranks the species S5, Secure, statewide, one of the more secure small mammals in this dataset despite its near-total dependence on trapping for documentation.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Sorex cinereus, Harwich, Chatham, Ontario, Canada 1
Full species profile Masked Shrew Sorex cinereus Size 6.9 cm2.7 in Weight 5 g0.2 oz Lifespan Up to 2.5 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Minnesota 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"