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Identification And Distribution Of Masked And Hayden's Shrews (Genus Sorex) In Iowa, Howard P. Whidden, Alison W. Ray, John B. Bowles

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Masked shrews (Sorex cinereus) and Hayden's shrews (S. haydeni) are both reported from Iowa, but the two species are difficult to tell apart and their relative distributions in Iowa have been unclear. We took 13 skull measurements and examined 2 qualitative features on more than 300 specimens of Sorex from Iowa. The vast majority of our specimens could be identified easily by cranial measurements, and more than half could be identified by the relative position of the maxillary plate. We found no evidence for intergradation between the two species. Masked shrews are present throughout most of Iowa, whereas Hayden's shrews …