It maneuvers through the maze of tunnels using its sensitive snout and whiskers and a type of echolocation. The highly territorial short-tailed shrew is unique among shrews and other mammals in the fact that it mates for life. The female builds a nest of shredded leaves and grasses beneath a stump or log. The mating season for these year-round creatures runs from March to September and most females have two litters comprised of 5 to 7 pups. The young generally leave the nest by three weeks and are weaned shortly thereafter.
Many predators avoid shrews because of strong scent glands used to mark their territory.
Owls, hawks, snakes and weasels, however, are known to feed on shrews. Although there are records of short-tailed shrews living more than two years, most, in the wild, do not make it a year.