American Pygmy Shrew Essay

The American pygmy shrew has a large habitat tolerance and is located in a variety of different areas. These areas range from the Gaspe Peninsula across Canada to Alaska and south to Northeast Washington. The range also extends southward in the Appalachian Mountains toward Northern Georgia.

Due to the shrews vast range, it can be found in a variety of different habits such as old field, hardwood and coniferous forest. The American Pygmy shrew is restricted to primarily mid to upper elevations within mountain regions. Elevation minimum is approximately 610 meters in the Appalachian mountains and extends upward of 2500 meters (Lee et al., 1982). Geological substrate of the area consist of elongated belts of sedimentary and volcanic rocks formed during a plate collision that was assumed to occur during the Mesozoic Era (Poag and William, 1989). Soil moisture in the area is typically maintained by a heavy leaf liter or understory of rhododendrons (Allen, 1979). Although the american pgymy shrew preferes moist soil, it has been noted to live in zone with a combination of wet and dry soil. These areas typically have a near by water source that makes up for the arid habitat (Feldhamer, 1993). These areas are typically cool
For example, S. h. montanus has been observed in Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming predominantly in dry, open, coniferous forest. Five subspecies of S. Hoyi have been recorded in Washington state’s Douglas-fir ponderosa and long pole forests in high elevation areas with moist, cool soil conditions but S. h. washingtoni is the most common species. S. h. winnemana has been observed in Alabama along the James D. Marin/Skyline Wildlife Management Area that has a lower elevation and more arid habitat conditions. S. h. eximius is located predominately in Alaska and S. h. thompsoni prefers the Canadian boreal