Blarina hylophaga
Elliot's short-tailed shrew

Blarina hylophaga ranges from southern Nebraska and Iowa to southern Texas; east to Missouri and northwestern Arkansas; Oklahoma; extending into Louisiana. (Nowak, 1999)

Blarina hylophaga is found in various habitats. The species prefers the damp soils of oak-hickory and other deciduous forests, grasslands, and the banks of rivers and lakes that allow easy burrowing. However, these shrews avoid standing water. They use the trails and burrows excavated by other small mammals in soft soils. In deciduous forests they most frequently are found near old decaying logs and at the bases of rock outcrops. They may burrow extensively under leaf litter, logs, humus of the forest floor, and deeply into the soil, but ground cover is not required. In addition, they may shelter in logs, stumps, or crevices of building foundations. (Hutterer, 1993; Nowak, 1999; Schmidly and Davis, 1994; The University of Kansas, 2001)

Short-tailed shrews have a head and body length that ranges from 75 to 105 mm, a tail length that is 17 to 30 mm, and a body weight of 15 to 30 grams. Their fur is silvery-gray to black dorsally, and their underside is only slightly paler. The body is robust, with a pointed muzzle that extends beyond the mouth. They have small eyes, ears hidden by the fur, and small front and hind limbs and feet. There is not much sexual dimorphism. Blarina has five unicuspid teeth in the upper jaw. Females have six mammae.

Blarina hylophaga is very similar to Blarina carolinensis. Both are small, slate-gray to brown shrews with short tails and no external ears. However, B. hylophaga has slightly larger cranial measurements, and a noticeably larger fourth premolar. Blarina hylophaga is more gray in color, whereas B. carolinensis is tinged with brown.

In comparison to Blarina brevicauda, B. hylophaga is less robust. In a study done by Russell A. Benedict, the two animals were classified to species by a few characteristics, including hind foot measurement, total length, and weight. Blarina brevicauda were classified as such if having a hind foot measurement greater than or equal to 15.5 mm, a total length greater than 115 mm, and a weight greater than 15 g. On the other hand, B. hylophaga typically weighed less than 20 g, had less than 120 mm in total length, and had a hind foot less than or equal to 15 mm. (Benedict and R.A., Feb. 1999; George, 1999; Nowak, 1999; Schmidly and Davis, 1994; The University of Kansas, 2001)

Few wild Blarina individuals survive more than a year. However, captive individuals have survived to 33 months. (Nowak, 1999)

Blarina hylophaga does not hibernate, but is active throughout the year. These shrews can be seen by day or night. They are a solitary and territorial species, only coming together to breed. Residents of a territory fight off intruders. Individuals mark their ranges with scent. The skin contains glands, especially on the flanks and anal region in both sexes, that secrete odors repugnant to predators. Their odor may also act as a chemical signal to attract or deter other shrews. As a consequence, you will smell this odor especially during breeding season. Blarina are effective climbers. And although they do not hibernate, in the winter they store reserves of food. (Nowak, 1999; The University of Kansas, 2001)

Home Range

The size of the home range of these shrews is not available.

These animals use scent for communication of reproductive and territorial information. It is likey that tactile cues are important during mating and between a mother and her offspring. (Nowak, 1999)

Shrews feed primarily on insects. Many other invertebrates, small vertebrates, and some vegetable material, particulary seeds, are also eaten. Insects, arthropods, and earthworms are more frequently eaten. They capture food by searching ground litter, digging superficial burrows in the ground, and using echolocation by high-pitched calls. Blarina hylophaga has specialized teeth from which submaxillary glands secrete poison. This poison immobilizes small animals, making it possible for shrews to kill prey larger than themselves, such as mice, fast and efficiently. (Schmidly and Davis, 1994; The University of Kansas, 2001)

The skin of B. hylophaga contains glands that secrete odors repugnant to predators. Carnivorous mammals often capture B. hylophaga, but seldom eat them due to these foul-smelling skin glands. (The University of Kansas, 2001)

Blarina are the most fossorial of American shrews, aiding in soil aeration. They use surface and subsurface runways and burrows of small mammals. They also use leaf litter and decomposing trees to burrow and nest. Blarina serves an important role in controlling the population size of larch sawflies and other destructive insects. (Nowak, 1999; The University of Kansas, 2001)

The venomous saliva of B. hylophaga has negative effects on humans when they are bitten, although the venom is not life-threatening. This shrew may also be a nuisance when sheltering in crevices of building foundations, especially because they produce a foul smell. (Nowak, 1999; Vaughn et al., 2000)

Blarina hylophaga serves as a check on larch sawflies and other destructive insects. (Nowak, 1999)

Blarina hylophaga has a Global Heritage and National Heritage status rank of G5 and N5 respectively by the U.S. ESA. Both these rankings describe the species' status as secure, meaning individuals are common, abundant, and widespread in its range. Blarina species have been wiped out by human development and habitat loss, as well as predation by domestic cats. The subspecies B. hylophaga plumbea is known by 7 specimens on the Texas coast at the Aransas Wildlife Refuge, where small groups of B. hylophaga have been recently discovered. (Nowak, 1999)

Blarina are effective climbers. One B. brevicauda individual was documented to have climbed 1.9 m up a tree. (Nowak, 1999)