The shrew is found only in the Eastern Sierra Nevada region and was first identified in 1902, but thanks to its elusive and mostly underground lifestyle, it has never been photographed before.

The Mt. Lyell shrew was known to reside in just a few locations in the central Sierra Nevada near Mt. Lyell but, in recent years, has spread to communities on the central and eastern slopes of the ...

and the eastern half of the U.S. Mixed and deciduous hardwood forest with thick, damp leaf mold harbor the greatest numbers of short-tailed shrews in the Adirondacks, but all terrestrial communities, ...

The reproductive biology of water shrews is poorly documented, especially for eastern populations. The breeding season probably begins in February or March and extends into August. Litter size is 5-7.