1. Order Marsupialia Family Didelphidae
Marsupium (pouch) in females
Didelphis virginiana

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

3. 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

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

5. 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.

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

7. 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

8. 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”

9. Loess Hills ecoregions

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

11. 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)

12. 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)

13. 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)

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

15. 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