Arizona mammals

Montane Shrew in Arizona

Sorex monticolus

Native to Arizona S4 Apparently Secure in Arizona

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

AI-generated image: Montane Shrew in side profile on mossy forest floor. 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 accuracyAI-generated image: Montane Shrew beside wet log in mossy conifer litter. 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 accuracyMontane Shrew in side profile on mossy forest floorAI-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 accuracyMontane Shrew beside wet log in mossy conifer litter

Montane Shrew in Arizona, by the numbers

Occasional in Arizona 105th most recorded of 158 mammals logged in Arizona

443 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

443 total records count every Arizona occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 413 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Montane Shrew in Arizona

Most sightings fall in August.

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

Monthly Arizona records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April42
May11
June14
July82
August141
September82
October37
November3
December1

Monthly montane shrew occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Arizona, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Arizona, with recorded sightings peaking in August.

Occurrence map

Where Montane Shrew has been recorded in Arizona

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Arizona records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Mount Baldy Wilderness 17

Protected places with the most montane 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 Arizona

CountyRecords
Apache County 263
Greenlee County 81
Cochise County 36
Graham County 30
Pima County 16
Coconino County 15
Gila County 1
Other localities 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 7 Arizona counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Montane shrew in Arizona is restricted to the cool, moist forest floor of the state’s highest Sky Island and White Mountains ranges, and its mid-tier record traces almost entirely to two months of the year.

August and September together account for every logged sighting, which reads as trapping-survey timing rather than a true two-month activity window; a shrew this small and this seasonally undersampled needs a longer record before any real seasonal pattern can be claimed.

AI-generated image: Montane Shrew in side profile on mossy forest floor. 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
Full species profile Montane Shrew Sorex monticolus Size 6.8 cm2.7 in Weight 6 g0.2 oz Lifespan Up to 2.1 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Arizona 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"