Order Marsupialia Family Didelphidae Marsupium (pouch) in females http://www.animals-online Didelphis virginiana

Didelphis virginiana: virginia opossum Timothy Stewart Identification: pointed snout, white face, fur grizzled and coarse, naked tail, thumblike toe on hind foot (TL 35-94 cm; tail 21-47 cm) Distribution: statewide Habitat: rural, urban areas; limited by shelter Diet: omnivorous http://www.animals-online Illustration credit: Olaus Murie

Didelphis virginiana Reproduction: 1 litter yearly of 4-20 poorly developed offspring; climb to teats in marsupium Conservation status: range expanded north and east; numbers now stable Other: nocturnal; lifespan 2 yrs William J. Krause

References: Didelphis virginiana Bowles, J.B., D.L. Howell, R.P. Lampe, and H.P. Whidden. 1998. Mammals of Iowa: holocene to the end of the 20th century. Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science 105:123-132. Jackson, H.H.T. 1961. Mammals of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 504 pp. Jones, J.K. and E.C. Birney. 1988. Handbook of mammals of the northcentral states. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. 346 pp. Kays, R. and D.E. Wilson. 2002. Mammals of North America. Princeton University Press. Princeton, New Jersey. 240 pp.

Order Insectivora Mouselike size, shape Dorsal pelage dark Kays and Wilson (2002) Mouselike size, shape Dorsal pelage dark Tiny eyes, ears Pointed nose Small incisors, canines Primarily carnivorous Blarina spp.

Onychomys leucogaster (Rodentia) Lynx rufus (Carnivora) Incisors Incisors Molars Molars Canines Incisors Blarina brevicauda (Insectivora) Unicuspids Molars

Family Soricidae Small front feet Teeth (or tips) red-brown Active year round May eat body weight in food each day Diet: mostly invertebrates; some vegetation, small vertebrates Reproduction: 1 to many litters annually of 2-10 Cryptotis parva Cryptotis parva teeth

Cryptotis parva: least shrew Identification: small; tail < 30% of head and body Distribution: Loess Hills of southwest Iowa; a few scattered populations in east Iowa Habitat: moist wooded areas; also grass, weeds, brush Conservation status: “Threatened”

Loess Hills ecoregions

Blarina brevicauda: northern short-tailed shrew Identification: large; tail < 30% of head and body; 48-50 chromosomes Distribution: statewide Habitat: woodland, grassland, wetland Conservation status: abundant; numbers stable Other: saliva with neurotoxin; important in food webs

Blarina hylophaga: Elliot’s short-tailed shrew Identification: large; tail < 30% of head and body; 52 chromosomes Distribution: extreme southwest Iowa Habitat: see B. brevicauda Conservation status: common; numbers stable Kays and Wilson (2002)

Sorex cinereus: masked shrew Identification: small; tail > 30% of head and body; 4 upper unicuspids visible Distribution: statewide Habitat: moist areas Conservation status: common, but probably less abundant than Blarina brevicauda Upper jaw (side view)

Sorex haydeni: prairie shrew Identification: tail lacks black tip, otherwise like S. cinereus Distribution: Loess Hills of west Iowa; scattered elsewhere Habitat: prairie Conservation status: common? Other: hybridizes with S. cinereus (same species?) Upper jaw (side view)

Family Talpidae Large front feet Fossorial Scalopus aquaticus Wildlife Forever (2003) Large front feet Fossorial Scalopus aquaticus

Scalopus aquaticus: eastern mole Identification: large front feet, naked tail Distribution: statewide Habitat: underground burrows in loose soil Diet: invertebrates Reproduction: 1 litter, 2-5 offspring annually Conservation status: abundant