Blarina brevicauda weaves dry plant materials and hairs into two types of nests, a resting nest and a larger mating structure, beneath logs, stumps, rocks and debris. Two or three litters may be raised per year. The average lifespan is 18-20 months. The least shrew lives in the southeastern and central United States, north and east into New York. It's found statewide in Pennsylvania.
Coloration is cinnamon to brown above, ashy gray below, darker in winter than in summer.
Favored habitats are open, dry situations, such as old pastures or meadows, or along woodland edges. Least shrews are scattered in local colonies throughout suitable habitat. More convivial than most other shrews, which tend to be belligerent toward others of their own species, least shrews may nest in groups of a dozen or more, especially in winter. Least shrews are active at all hours, but mainly at night. They travel their own or other small mammals' runways and burrows.