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Sorex rohweri Rausch, Feagin & Rausch, 2007
Olympic Shrew
Family: Soricidae
Introduction to the Mammals of BC

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Map


Distribution of Sorex rohweri in British Columbia.
(Click on the map to view a larger version.)
Source: David Nagorsen

Introduction


The Olympic Shrew is rare species of shrew that was first recognized in 2007 from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington and southwestern British Columbia--in BC it is found in the Fraser Valley south of the Fraser River, east to Chilliwack Lake) (Rausch et al. 2007, Nagorsen and Panter 2009, Wikipedia 2011). It is often mistaken for Sorex cinereus, the Common Shrew (Rauch et al. 2007).

Nagorsen and Panter (2009) summarize its occurrence in BC and its conservation status: "The available records [from British Columbia], consisting of 18 specimens from 13 locations, suggest that Sorex rohweri has a small range extent of about 360 km2 in the lower Fraser River basin confined to the south side of the Fraser River. The combination of the shrew's association with forested habitats in a region greatly affected by agricultural and urban development, the concentration of recent records from Burns Bog, a fragmented 3000-ha patch of natural habitat, and the isolation of the British Columbian population from populations in Washington make it a species of national conservation concern in Canada.

Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)		COSEWIC
NativeS2?RedNot Listed



BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Additional Range and Status Information Links

NatureServe Explorer
 University of Alaska Museum

Species References

Nagorsen, David and N. Panter. 2009. Identification and Status of the Olympic Shrew (Sorex rohweri) in British Columbia. Northwest Naturalist 90:117–129.

Rausch, R. L. 2007. {i{Sorex rohweri sp. nov. (Mammalia, Soricidae) from northwestern North America. Mammalian Biology 72 (2): 93-105

Wikipedia. 2011. Olympic Shrew. Available online.

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