Awnless Brome vs Colombian Small-eared Shrew

Bromus inermis compared with Cryptotis colombiana

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Awnless Brome	Colombian Small-eared Shrew
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Soricidae
Genus	Bromus	Cryptotis
Species	Bromus inermis	Cryptotis colombiana

Conservation Status

Awnless Brome

LC — Least Concern

Colombian Small-eared Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Awnless Brome	Colombian Small-eared Shrew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Awnless Brome

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (4 countries), Europe (13 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Bolivia).

Colombian Small-eared Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Colombia.

Awnless Brome

The Awnless Brome (Bromus inermis) is a species in the genus Bromus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan an.

Colombian Small-eared Shrew

<em>Cryptotis colombiana</em>, the Colombian small-eared shrew, is a diminutive insectivorous mammal belonging to the family Soricidae, endemic to Colombia. This species typically inhabits montane environments, including humid cloud forests and high-altitude grasslands known locally as páramo, where it forages actively through leaf litter and soil for invertebrate prey. Small-eared shrews of the genus <em>Cryptotis</em> are characterised by their notably reduced external ears, high metabolic rates, and nearly constant activity cycles driven by the energetic demands of maintaining body temperature. <em>Cryptotis colombiana</em> is currently assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, suggesting that its population is relatively stable within its Colombian range. Despite this status, Andean shrews face ongoing pressures from land conversion, cattle grazing in páramo ecosystems, and climate-driven shifts in vegetation zones. The species contributes to soil aeration and invertebrate population regulation within its montane habitat. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.