The American shrew-mole (Neurotrichus gibbsii) is the smallest North American mole

Mole (animal)

Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...

. It is the only living member of the genus Neurotrichus

Neurotrichus

Neurotrichus is a genus of shrew-like moles. It is classified, together with the fossil genus Quyania, in the tribe Neurotrichini of the subfamily Talpinae. The only living species is the American shrew-mole of the northwestern United States and British Columbia...

and the tribe Neurotrichini

Neurotrichini

Neurotrichini is a tribe within the subfamily Talpinae of the mole family. It includes the living genus Neurotrichus—with a single living species, the American shrew-mole as well as some fossil species—and the fossil Quyania....

. It is also known as Gibb's shrew mole, and least shrew mole. It is not closely related to the Asian shrew moles (Uropsilus and Urotrichini

Urotrichini

Urotrichini are Japanese and American shrew-moles belonging to the Old World Moles and Relatives branch of the mole family. There are only three species, each of which represents its own genus. The name "Shrew-moles" refers to their morphological resemblance to shrews, while generally being thought...

).

It is found in damp forested or bushy areas with deep loose soils in the northwestern United States and southwestern British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

.

It has dark grey fur, a long flattened snout and has a short but thick bristled tail. It is about 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in length including a 3 centimetres (1.2 in) long tail and weighs about 10 gram (0.35273962105112 oz). Its front paws are smaller and do not face outwards from the body as in more fossorial

Fossorial

A fossorial organism is one that is adapted to digging and life underground such as the badger, the naked mole rat, and the mole salamanders Ambystomatidae...

 moles, and so are more similar to those of shrew

Shrew

A shrew or shrew mouse is a small molelike mammal classified in the order Soricomorpha. True shrews are also not to be confused with West Indies shrews, treeshrews, otter shrews, or elephant shrews, which belong to different families or orders.Although its external appearance is generally that of...

s. It has 36 teeth.

This mole is often active above ground, foraging

Foraging

- Definitions and significance of foraging behavior :Foraging is the act of searching for and exploiting food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce...

 in leaf litter for earthworm

Earthworm

Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...

s, insect

Insect

Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...

s, snail

Snail

Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...

s and slugs. It is able to climb bushes. Predators include owl

Owl

Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...

s, hawk

Hawk

The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...

s and mustelids.

Females have litters with 1 to 4 young.