Sorex hoyi

photo credit: www.pestproducts.com

ID

  • Sepia-brown above, smoky-gray below tinged with light buff
  • Slight build, short tail (Whitaker)

Distribution

  Credit: Smithsonian Institution

Reproduction

  • Much is unknown
  • Research suggests that litters of 5-8 are born in the summer
  • Young mature in about 10 weeks. (Whitaker)

Behavior

  • Too small for snap-traps so until pit traps, they were thought to be quite uncommon
  • Do not hibernate
  • Active throughout the day (neither nocturnal nor diurnal)
  • Can swim, jump, climb and hang like a bat (Whitaker)

Food Habits

  • Insect larvae, spiders, beetles, flies, caterpillars (Whitaker)
  • Small arthropods, worms, some plant material (Smithsonian)

Size/Life Cycle

  • Average measurements: 66-106 mm (total length), 2.1-7.3 g (total weight)

Predators

  • Snakes, hawks, cats, foxes (Smithsonian)

Habitat

  • Boreal and temperate forests, shrubland, grassland, and inland wetlands (IUCN)