Montana mammals

Merriam's Shrew in Montana

Sorex merriami

Not specifically listed under Montana's state-level conservation framework. Globally listed by the IUCN as Least Concern.

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

AI-generated image: Merriam's Shrew sniffing dark lava rock in dry grassland. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy — AI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyMerriam's Shrew in side profile on dry soil among rocksAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyMerriam's Shrew sniffing dark lava rock in dry grassland

Merriam's Shrew in Montana, by the numbers

Occasional in Montana 81st most recorded of 122 mammals logged in Montana

23 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

23 total records count every Montana occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 22 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Merriam's Shrew in Montana

Most sightings fall in September.

22 Montana occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly Montana records (table)

Month	Records
January	0
February	0
March	1
April	0
May	0
June	3
July	6
August	2
September	9
October	1
November	0
December	0

Monthly merriam's shrew occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Montana, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Montana, with recorded sightings peaking in September, with a smaller rise in July.

Occurrence map

Where Merriam's Shrew has been recorded in Montana

23 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

23 Montana records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Glacier National Park	1
Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness	1

Protected places with the most merriam's 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 Montana

County	Records
Carbon County	8
Chouteau County	2
Carter County	2
Wheatland County	1
Fergus County	1
Beaverhead County	1
Custer County	1
Cascade County	1
McCone County	1
Big Horn County	1
Flathead County	1
Petroleum County	1
2 other counties	2

The complete county distribution, spread across 14 Montana counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Montana has few mapped reports for this species. Places with suitable-looking land include Glacier National Park, Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Custer-Gallatin National Forest, but no report doesn’t mean the animal is absent.

Sparse observation record in Montana; presence confirmed but timing of activity not well documented.

Occurrence data from GBIF.

Full species profile Merriam's Shrew Sorex merriami Size 6.2 cm2.4 in Weight 5 g0.2 oz View the full profile

More mammals in Montana 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
IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation 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"