CreatureData

Barren ground shrew

Sorex ugyunak R. M. Anderson & Rand, 1945

LCLeast Concernmammals

The barren ground shrew (Sorex ugyunak) is a species in the family Soricidae, order Eulipotyphla. Recorded adults weigh 3.6 g to 5.1 g and live up to 1.63 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

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Quick facts about the barren ground shrew

Weight
3.6 g – 5.1 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
1.63 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
2.5 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
18.1 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
6.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
7.96 months – 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.9src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the barren ground shrew live?

Not recorded

What is the barren ground shrew?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The barren ground shrew (Sorex ugyunak) is a small shrew found in northern Canada west of Hudson Bay and in Alaska. At one time, this species was considered to be a subspecies of the similar cinereus shrew (S. cinereus). It is similar in appearance and thought to be closely related to the Saint Lawrence Island shrew (S. jacksoni) and Pribilof Island shrew (S. pribilofensis).

It is dark brown on its back with grey-brown sides and underparts; the tail is pale brown on top and light below with a light brown tip. Its body is about 8 cm (3.1 in) in length including a 3 cm (1.2 in) long tail. It weighs about 4 g (0.14 oz). This animal is found north of the tree line, in wet meadows or thickets in the tundra. It eats insects, small invertebrates and seeds.

The epithet name ugyunak is the Inuit word for "shrew".

From the Wikipedia article “Barren ground shrew” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barren_ground_shrew&oldid=1313998571), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the barren ground shrew endangered?

The barren ground shrew is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the barren ground shrew classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderEulipotyphla
  5. familySoricidae
  6. genusSorex
  7. SpeciesSorex ugyunak R. M. Anderson & Rand, 1945

Synonyms Sorex cinereus ugyunak

Other names and names in other languages (7)
  • rejsek barentskýCzech
  • Musaraña de Tierra SecaSpanish
  • inuittipäästäinenFinnish
  • musaraigne de BeaufortFrench
  • musaraigne de BéringieFrench
  • ヤセチトガリネズミJapanese
  • ryjówka inuickaPolish

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the barren ground shrew

Other species in the same genus Sorex.

CompareBarren ground shrew vs Eurasian pygmy shrewBarren ground shrew vs Common shrewBarren ground shrew vs Laxmann's shrewBarren ground shrew vs Eurasian least shrew

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the barren ground shrew?

An adult barren ground shrew weighs 3.6 g – 5.1 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the barren ground shrew endangered?

The barren ground shrew is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the barren ground shrew live?

The barren ground shrew has a recorded lifespan of 1.63 years.

How long is the barren ground shrew pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 18.1 days.

What kind of animal is the barren ground shrew?

The barren ground shrew (Sorex ugyunak) belongs to the family Soricidae in the order Eulipotyphla.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Barren ground shrew (Sorex ugyunak). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/barren-ground-shrew

MLA

“Barren ground shrew (Sorex ugyunak).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/barren-ground-shrew.

BibTeX
@misc{barren_ground_shrew_2026,
  title = {Barren ground shrew (Sorex ugyunak)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/barren-ground-shrew},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}