Marsh shrew

Marsh shrew
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Soricidae
Genus:	Sorex
Species:	S. bendirii
Binomial name
Sorex bendirii Merriam, 1884
Subspecies
S. b. albiventer (Merriam, 1895) S. b. bendirii (Merriam, 1884) S. b. palmeri (Merriam, 1895)
Marsh shrew range
Synonyms[2]
List Atophyrax bendirii Merriam, 1884 Sorex bendirii Dobson, 1890 Sorex (Atophyrax) bendirii palmeri Merriam, 1895

The marsh shrew (Sorex bendirii), also known as the Pacific water shrew, Bendire's water shrew, Bendire's shrew and Jesus shrew is the largest North American member of the genus Sorex (long-tailed shrews). Primarily covered in dark-brown fur, it is found near aquatic habitats along the Pacific coast from southern British Columbia to northern California. With air trapped in its fur for buoyancy, marsh shrews can run for three to five seconds on top of the water. It measures about 16 cm (6.3 in) in length, including a 7-centimetre (2.8 in)-long tail, and weighs an average of 14.5–16 g (0.51–0.56 oz). The marsh shrew's diet consists mainly of invertebrates, which it hunts on land and in the water. They are rare; their populations are thought to be in decline, and they are considered endangered in parts of their range.