Medial view of the right, lower jaw (the dentary) of a fossil Least Shrew. An incisor and the first and second molars are still in place; the other teeth are missing. Cryptotis parva from the Late Pleistocene of southeastern New Mexico. This shrew does not occur in the region today.
Shrews are among the smallest of the mammals; the Least Shrew is less than 4 inches long, including the tail. Many species occur in the Northern Hemisphere. Least Shrews are widely distributed in eastern United States and south into Central America.
Last updated: 3 Nov 2006