Ohio has only 50 records of the least shrew, and that low number is close to the honest truth about how often anyone sees one. Along with the pygmy shrew, it’s among the smallest shrew species in North America, and its size and secretive habits mean it’s almost never spotted alive. Most records of this species come from incidental finds rather than deliberate sightings, which keeps the count low regardless of how the species is actually doing on the ground.
The monthly pattern is scattered, with small numbers spread across the year and no single month standing out, and Ohio’s own seasonality note for this species is candid about it: presence is confirmed, but the timing of its activity here isn’t well documented. Unlike some Ohio shrews that favor woodland, the least shrew leans toward grassy and weedy fields rather than deep forest. Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area, and Mentor Marsh all offer that kind of open ground. Ohio’s NatureServe rank is SNR, unranked, and the least shrew is native to the state.
Full species profile
