Two counties dominate Michigan’s least shrew record. Washtenaw and Livingston, in the state’s southeast, hold 48 of the 62 reports, and the Edwin S. George Reserve in that neighborhood is the most reported site. That’s a research effect as much as a biological one: university field stations trap small mammals for decades, and few other corners of the state get that kind of sustained attention.
December is the peak month, with November close behind. Shrews stay active all winter under the snow and leaf litter, so the late-year crest reflects when these records were made, not when the animals are out.
NatureServe ranks the species S1, critically imperiled, in Michigan, near the northern edge of its range. Whether it’s truly that scarce or simply under-sampled outside the field-station belt is an open question the current record can’t answer.
Full species profile
