A Shrew!

I found this by the deck steps this afternoon:

One of my students identified it as a Least Shrew, and based on the Smithsonian’s list of shrew species, I think it could be either the Least Shrew or the Southern Short-tailed Shrew.

It is ironic that I should discover this the day after boasting of my garden’s plethora of earth worms. The shrew’s diet consists heavily of grubs, worms and beetles. Since they are mainly carnivorous, I don’t need to be overly concerned about them in the garden, so long as herbivorous rodents don’t find their tunnels and utilize them. I haven’t seen any holes or tunnels yet. I suppose pest control is one benefit of having allowed the cat a little more freedom.