Preble’s shrew is the smallest member of its genus in North America, and Montana’s records reflect how easy that makes it to overlook: just 49 mapped occurrences over more than two decades, all from GBIF specimen data with no iNaturalist photos at all. A shrew this size is essentially impossible to identify by sight; confirming one means examining it in hand.
Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, in the high Centennial Valley, is the kind of cold, open basin habitat this shrew favors. Flathead Lake and the Missouri River corridor add lakeshore and river-bottom edge habitat to the mix.
NatureServe ranks the species S3, Vulnerable, in Montana, a step below the secure ranking most Montana rodents and shrews carry. Records peak in July and August, but with a total this small, that’s a thin thread to hang firm seasonal conclusions on.
Full species profile
