Nevada mammals

Western Water Shrew in Nevada

Sorex navigator

Native to Nevada S2 Imperiled in Nevada

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

IUCN Red List status

NE – Not Evaluated

Not yet assessed against IUCN Red List criteria.

Western water shrew at the grassy edge of a streamAI-generated image: Western water shrew foraging along wet streamside stones. No additional license-safe 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: Western water shrew crouched on a wet rock above dark water. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Photo: velodrome · CC BY 4.0Western water shrew at the grassy edge of a streamAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyWestern water shrew foraging along wet streamside stonesAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyWestern water shrew crouched on a wet rock above dark water

Western Water Shrew in Nevada, by the numbers

Common in Nevada 43rd most recorded of 142 mammals logged in Nevada

65 occurrence records
1 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 18, 2021 Last seen in Nevada

Records from 2000–2026.

65 total records count every Nevada occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 53 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Western Water Shrew in Nevada

Most sightings fall in July.

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

Monthly Nevada records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April0
May1
June12
July28
August12
September0
October0
November0
December0

Monthly western water shrew occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Nevada, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Western Water Shrew has been recorded in Nevada

65 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

65 Nevada records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Great Basin National Park 8
Ruby Mountains Wilderness 4
Pine Forest Range Wilderness Area 2

Protected places with the most western water 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 Nevada

CountyRecords
Elko County 35
Nye County 10
White Pine County 9
Lander County 6
Humboldt County 5

The complete county distribution, spread across 5 Nevada counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Nevada records for the western water shrew have a limited set of named hotspots, led by Great Basin National Park. That gap may reflect where people look and report, so it doesn’t prove absence elsewhere.

These sites tie the Nevada record pattern to the state’s long mountain spine. Records from separate ranges matter because Nevada’s high country is broken into isolated peaks. The strongest reporting falls in summer, when Nevada’s high country is easiest to reach but low deserts are hottest. That may shape where observers submit records.

One research-grade iNaturalist record and 65 GBIF records account for 66 documented Nevada encounters, not an abundance estimate. The western water shrew is native to Nevada, has no specific state conservation listing here, and has not been evaluated by the IUCN.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Western water shrew at the grassy edge of a stream
Full species profile Western Water Shrew Sorex navigator Size 13–17 cm5.1–6.7 in Weight 13 g0.5 oz Lifespan Up to 1.5 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Nevada 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"