Cinereus shrews, also called masked shrews, are one of the more heavily documented small mammals in this New Jersey rank tier, with 35 GBIF records outnumbering the 55 from iNaturalist more than three to one, a split that fits a species tiny and secretive enough that trapping surveys pick it up far more reliably than casual sightings. NatureServe rates the state population S5, secure, and Island Beach State Park’s 2 records mark the top named site despite the species’ preference for damp forest leaf litter rather than the park’s dune and marsh habitat generally.
Records peak in April, 8 sightings, likely tracking early-season trapping surveys and this shrew’s near-constant activity as it hunts insects to fuel a metabolism too fast to allow true winter dormancy.
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