Idaho’s Merriam’s shrew records come mostly from the big, dry valleys of the east-central part of the state. Lemhi and Butte counties account for 15 of the 22 reports, a country of sagebrush flats, lava beds, and bunchgrass rather than deep forest. That fits the species: it’s one of the few shrews at home in genuinely arid ground.
The calendar is the odd part. Reports peak in December, with a smaller bump in October, which is when mammalogists run fall and early-winter trap lines. Shrews don’t hibernate and stay busy under the snow, so a winter-tilted record reflects when people sampled, not when the animal is out.
Eight counties have produced at least one record, from Owyhee in the southwest to Bear Lake on the Utah line, so the known range is wide even where the record is thin. NatureServe ranks the species apparently secure in Idaho.
Full species profile
