California mammals

Preble's Shrew in California

Sorex preblei

Native to California SNR Unranked 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: Preble's Shrew in side profile on dry soil among grass. 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: Preble's Shrew in side profile foraging on bare crumbly soil. 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 accuracyPreble's Shrew in side profile on dry soil among grassAI-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 accuracyPreble's Shrew in side profile foraging on bare crumbly soil

Preble's Shrew in California, by the numbers

Rare in California 205th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

14 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Preble's Shrew in California

Most sightings fall in July.

14 California 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 California records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April0
May0
June2
July7
August2
September3
October0
November0
December0

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Preble's Shrew has been recorded in California

14 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

14 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Lassen Volcanic National Park 13

Protected places with the most preble'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 California

CountyRecords
Shasta County 13
Modoc County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 2 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

California’s combined state files contain 14 Preble’s Shrew records: 0 from iNaturalist and 14 from GBIF. It ranks 205th among 243 mammals in this California record comparison, placing it in the lower third. That’s a ranking of submitted records, not a head count of animals.

The monthly series reaches its high point in July, with 7 records in the busiest month. Records appear in 4 of 12 months, so the pattern shows when sightings were documented, not when the species must be present or absent.

California accounts for about 31% of the mapped GBIF records summarized on the national Preble’s Shrew page. That’s a substantial share of the known record footprint, though differences in survey effort can strongly shape the percentage.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

AI-generated image: Preble's Shrew in side profile on dry soil among grass. 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 Preble's Shrew Sorex preblei Size 5.5 cm2.2 in Weight 3 g0.1 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"