Georgia mammals

Southern Short-tailed Shrew in Georgia

Blarina carolinensis

Native to Georgia S5 Secure in Georgia

Not listed as nonindigenous in Georgia by USGS NAS; native to its Georgia 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.

Southern short-tailed shrew walking through moss and leaf litter beside green plant shootsLive southern short-tailed shrew with dark slate-gray fur on dry grass and soilLive southern short-tailed shrew foraging on damp leaf litterLive southern short-tailed shrew walking across a dried leaf, pink nose and tiny eye visible
Photo: Nick Abbate · CC BY 4.0Southern short-tailed shrew walking through moss and leaf litter beside green plant shootsPhoto: Unknown author · Public domainLive southern short-tailed shrew with dark slate-gray fur on dry grass and soilPhoto: Greg Schechter from San Francisco, USA · CC BY 2.0Live southern short-tailed shrew foraging on damp leaf litterPhoto: Patrick Coin · CC BY-SA 2.5Live southern short-tailed shrew walking across a dried leaf, pink nose and tiny eye visible

Southern Short-tailed Shrew in Georgia, by the numbers

Occasional in Georgia 43rd most recorded of 102 mammals logged in Georgia

38 occurrence records
33 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

38 total records count every Georgia occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 37; the monthly chart covers the 37 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Southern Short-tailed Shrew in Georgia

Most sightings fall in April to May.

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

Monthly Georgia records (table)
MonthRecords
January2
February2
March2
April8
May9
June4
July0
August0
September1
October2
November4
December3

Monthly southern short-tailed shrew occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Georgia, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Georgia, with recorded sightings peaking in April–May.

Occurrence map

Where Southern Short-tailed Shrew has been recorded in Georgia

37 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

37 Georgia records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park 1
Montezuma Bluffs Natural Area 1
Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park 1
Jekyll Island State Park 1

Protected places with the most southern short-tailed 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 Georgia

CountyRecords
Baker County 4
Richmond County 3
Murray County 2
Floyd County 2
DeKalb County 2
Catoosa County 2
Chatham County 2
Thomas County 1
Jones County 1
Cobb County 1
Forsyth County 1
Candler County 1
15 other counties 16

The complete county distribution, spread across 27 Georgia counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Southern short-tailed shrews show up across most of Georgia, from the hardwood forests around the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest through Piedmont woodlots down into the Coastal Plain and Cumberland Island. They favor moist soil and thick leaf litter or grassy ground cover, and Georgia offers plenty of both across its forested interior.

This shrew spends most of its life below the surface, tunneling through loose soil and leaf litter in search of insects, worms, and other small invertebrates. Its tiny eyes and compact, velvety build are built for that underground life rather than for seeing predators coming, so it relies on cover more than vision to stay safe.

Records run year-round but cluster in April, May, and November, which likely tracks periods of higher surface activity and easier detection rather than any true change in how many are around. Shrews this size are recorded far less consistently than they’re actually present.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Southern short-tailed shrew walking through moss and leaf litter beside green plant shoots
Full species profile Southern Short-tailed Shrew Blarina carolinensis Size 10.2 cm4 in Weight 20 g0.7 oz Lifespan Up to 2.8 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Georgia 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"