The length of the head and body of shrews ranges from 35 to 180 mm, and the length of the tail is 9 to 120 mm. Adults weigh from 2 to about 35 grams, usually from 3 to 18 grams. The fur is short, dense, and usually some shade of brown or gray. Odoriferous glands are present on the flanks of some, and the odor is most noticeable during the breeding season. The habitat of the Southeastern Shrew, is found in a variety of habitats, from lowland old field to mature pine and deciduous forests, but is most abundant in cane stands, regenerating clear-cut, and 10 to 15 years old forested plots.
Shrews usually inhabit moist areas.
The small size of shrews, temperature and evaporation may be of more importance in governing the distribution of this group than that of most other mammals. The Southeastern shrew is listed federally and in Virginia as threatened on September 26, 1986. This mammal is considered threatened due to its very limited distribution and to recent, human-induced habitat changes in the swamp. The Dismal Swamp Southeastern Shrew is essentially restricted to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Virginia and adjacent portions of the swamp in North Carolina. In 1994, the Dismal Swamp southeastern shrew may no longer need Endangered Species Act protection because of widespread throughout southeastern Virginia and the coastal plain of North Carolina and is found in a wide variety of habitats.