Blarina brevicauda populations in three different habitats in east-central Illinois, 1972 to 1997.

The population demography of the northern short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda, was monitored monthly from 1972-1997 in bluegrass, alfalfa, and tallgrass prairie habitats in east-central Illinois. Blarina brevicauda were incidentally collected as part of a 25-year prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) and meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus) trapping study. The study sites were located in the University of Illinois Biological Research Area (Phillips Tract) and Trelease Prairie. Animals were trapped with wooden multiple-capture live-traps. Over the span of 25 years, three 3-day trapping sessions monthly were conducted to cover the three habitats. All live shrews were toe-clipped at first capture for individual identification. Animals known to be present on study site, but not captured, were included in totals for that month. While trap mortality of shrews was high in this study (40%), the data obtained were sufficient for analysis of many aspects of the demography of the species.