California mammals

Mount Lyell Shrew in California

Sorex lyelli

Native to California S3 Vulnerable in California

Not listed as nonindigenous in California by USGS NAS; native to its California 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: Mount Lyell Shrew in side profile on wet mossy bank. 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: Mount Lyell Shrew three-quarter view foraging in damp moss. 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: Mount Lyell Shrew close-up sniffing leaf on green moss. 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 accuracyMount Lyell Shrew in side profile on wet mossy bankAI-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 accuracyMount Lyell Shrew three-quarter view foraging in damp mossAI-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 accuracyMount Lyell Shrew close-up sniffing leaf on green moss

Mount Lyell Shrew in California, by the numbers

Rare in California 186th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

45 occurrence records
5 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Mount Lyell Shrew in California

Most sightings fall in July.

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

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April0
May1
June1
July22
August13
September2
October0
November6
December0

Monthly mount lyell shrew occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in July.

Occurrence map

Where Mount Lyell Shrew has been recorded in California

45 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

45 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Yosemite National Park 10
Inyo National Forest 8
Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve - Valentine Camp 2

Protected places with the most mount lyell 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 California

CountyRecords
Mono County 24
Tuolumne County 19
Mariposa County 2

The complete county distribution, spread across 3 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Mount Lyell Shrew is easy to overlook in California because its small size and hidden life produce far fewer casual reports than larger mammals. Moist soil, leaf litter, stream edges, or mountain meadows matter more than a broad state label suggests.

California’s strong rain shadow separates damp coastal and Sierra habitats from much drier interior country. Records cluster where people survey small mammals, so blank areas don’t reliably mark the edge of the animal’s range.

The California record set combines 5 research-grade community observations with 40 museum and survey records. Monthly patterns can also reflect weather and observer activity, so they shouldn’t be treated as a direct count of animals.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

AI-generated image: Mount Lyell Shrew in side profile on wet mossy bank. 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 Mount Lyell Shrew Sorex lyelli Size 5.7 cm2.2 in Weight 4–5 g0.1–0.2 oz View the full profile

More mammals in California 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"