Western deer mouse

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Western deer mouse
Deer Mouse in Tree (6438329699).jpg
In Linn County, Kansas
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Neotominae
Genus: Peromyscus
Species:
P. sonoriensis
Binomial name
Peromyscus sonoriensis
(J. A. Wagner, 1845)

The western deermouse or western deer mouse (Peromyscus sonoriensis) is a rodent native to North America. It is widespread throughout the western half of the continent, mainly in areas west of the Mississippi River. [1]

Taxonomy

It was formerly confused with the eastern deermouse (P. maniculatus), with both species being grouped under P. maniculatus as the North American deermouse. [2] However, due to the significant morphological variation in the species, there was always long-standing confusion over the actual taxonomy of P. maniculatus. A 2019 study found significant genetic divergence within the species and split it into two, with maniculatus representing the "eastern" group and sonoriensis representing the "western" group. [1]

Description

P. sonoriensis is covered in soft fur that ranges from gray to brown, but all of a distinctive white underside and white feet. As with their close relative, P. maniculatus, they have many subspecies, including a distinctive "forest" and "grassland" morph. The "forest" morph has a long tail, large ears, and long hind feet, and inhabits western boreal forest as well as coastal forests of the western United States. The "grassland" morph has short tails, small ears, and small feet, and inhabits the prairies and grasslands of the continental interior and extends into the deserts of the American Southwest. [1]

Distribution and habitat

Peromyscus sonoriensis is an abundant species in areas of North America west of the Mississippi River. They are populous in the western mountains and live in wooded areas and areas that were previously wooded. [3] Deer mice inhabit a wide variety of plant communities including grasslands, brushy areas, woodlands, and forests. [4] In a survey of small mammals on 29 sites in subalpine forests in Colorado and Wyoming, the deer mouse had the highest frequency of occurrence; however, it was not always the most abundant small mammal. [5] Deer mice were trapped in four of six forest communities in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, and they were the only rodent in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) savanna. [6] [7]

Although found throughout most of western North America, it is absent from parts of the Southwestern United States and most of Mexico, where it is instead replaced with the similar southern deer mouse (P. labecula) and black-eared mouse (P. melanotis), Baja California and most of California south of San Francisco Bay, where it is replaced by Gambel's deer mouse (P. gambelii), the coastal region of the Pacific Northwest from Washington northwards, where it is replaced by the northwestern deer mouse (P. keeni), and Yukon in Canada, where it is replaced by the Yukon deer mouse (P. arcticus). [1]

Reproduction and life span

The species is polygynous, meaning that one male mates with multiple females. [8]

Breeding season

In Plumas County, California, deer mice bred through December in good mast (both soft and hard masts) years but ceased breeding in June of a poor mast year. [9] Deer mice breed throughout the year in the Willamette Valley, but in other areas on the Oregon coast there is usually a lull during the wettest and coldest weather. [10] In southeastern Arizona at least one-third of captured deer mice were in breeding condition in winter. [11]

Longetivity and mortality

O'Farrell reported that a population of deer mice in big sagebrush/grasslands had completely turned over (e.g., there were no surviving adults of the initial population) over the course of one summer. [12]

Predators

Deer mice are important prey for snakes (Viperidae), owls (Strigidae), minks ( Neovison vison ), martens ( Martes americana ) and other mustelids, as well as skunks ( Mephitis and Spilogale spp.), bobcats (Lynx rufus), domestic cats (Felis catus), coyotes (Canis latrans), foxes (Vulpes and Urocyon spp.), and ringtail cats ( Bassariscus astutus ). They are also parasitized by Cuterebra fontinella . [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Peromyscus</i> Genus of mammals

Peromyscus is a genus of rodents. They are commonly referred to as deer mice or deermice, not to be confused with the chevrotain or "mouse deer". They are New World mice only distantly related to the common house and laboratory mouse, Mus musculus. From this relative, Peromyscus species are distinguished by relatively larger eyes, and also often two-tone coloring, with darker colors over the dorsum (back), and white abdominal and limb hair-coloring. In reference to the coloring, the word Peromyscus comes from Greek words meaning "booted mouse". They are also accomplished jumpers and runners by comparison to house mice, and their common name of "deer mouse" is in reference to this agility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neotominae</span> Subfamily of mammals

The Neotominae are a subfamily of the family Cricetidae. They consist of four tribes, 16 genera, and many species of New World rats and mice, predominantly found in North America. Among them are the well-known deer mice, white-footed mice, packrats, and grasshopper mice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern deer mouse</span> Species of mammal

Peromyscus maniculatus is a rodent native to eastern North America. It is most commonly called the eastern deer mouse; when formerly grouped with the western deer mouse, it was referred to as the North American deermouse and is fairly widespread across most of North America east of the Mississippi River, with the major exception being the lowland southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-footed mouse</span> Species of mammal

The white-footed mouse is a rodent native to North America from Ontario, Quebec, Labrador, and the Maritime Provinces to the southwestern United States and Mexico. In the Maritimes, its only location is a disjunct population in southern Nova Scotia. It is also known as the woodmouse, particularly in Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brush mouse</span> Species of rodent

The brush mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in mountainous areas of Mexico and the western United States at altitudes over 2,000 m (6,600 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California deermouse</span> Species of rodent

The California deermouse or California mouse is a species of rodent in the subfamily Neotominae in the family Cricetidae. It is the only species in the Peromyscus californicus species group. It is found in northwestern Mexico and central to southern California. It is the largest Peromyscus species in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotton mouse</span> Species of rodent

The cotton mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae found in the woodlands of the US South.

The Angel Island mouse, or La Guarda deermouse, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-eared mouse</span> Species of rodent

The black-eared mouse, or black-eared deer mouse, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae, native to North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican deer mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Mexican deer mouse is a species of forest-dwelling rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in southern Mexico and throughout much of Central America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slevin's mouse</span> Species of rodent

Slevin's mouse, also known as the Catalina deer mouse, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is endemic to Isla Santa Catalina off the east coast of Baja California Sur, an island with an area of about 40 km2 (15 sq mi), and it is the only native mammal on the island. It is named for Joseph Slevin, a curator at the California Academy of Sciences.

The giant island deer mouse is believed to have become extinct approximately 8,000 years BP and lived during the late Pleistocene on California’s Channel Islands. The giant island deer mice were about 35% larger than the current-day eastern deer mouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small mammals of Yellowstone National Park</span>

There are at least 50 small mammal species known to occur in Yellowstone National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mammals of Rocky Mountain National Park</span>

There are 67 native species of mammals in Rocky Mountain National Park, a 265,461 acres (107,428 ha) park in Colorado. Species are listed by common name, scientific name, habitat, and abundance. Species which are extirpated, or locally extinct, are marked with an EX.

<i>Cuterebra fontinella</i> Species of fly

Cuterebra fontinella, the mouse bot fly, is a species of New World skin bot fly in the family Oestridae. C. fontinella is typically around 1 cm (0.39 in) in length with a black and yellow color pattern. C. fontinella develops by parasitizing nutrients from its host, typically the white-footed mouse. C. fontinella has even been known to parasitize humans in rare cases. Individuals parasitized by C. fontinella will develop a large bump on the skin that is indicative of parasitization.

The Yukon deermouse or Yukon deer mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is endemic to Yukon Territory in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambel's deer mouse</span> Species of rodent

Gambel's deermouse or Gambel's deer mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is native to the United States and Mexico.

The southern deermouse or southern deer mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in the United States and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western meadow vole</span> Species of mammal

The western meadow vole is a species of North American vole found in midwestern and western Canada and the United States, and formerly in Mexico. It was formerly considered conspecific with the eastern meadow vole, but genetic studies indicate that it is a distinct species.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Greenbaum, I. F.; et al. (October 2019). "Taxonomy and phylogenetics of the Peromyscus maniculatus species group". Special Publications, Texas Tech University. 71: 559–575.
  2. "Explore the Database". www.mammaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
  3. Jameson, E W (1952). "Food of Deer Mice, Peromyscus maniculatus and P. boylei, in the Northern Sierra Nevada, California". Journal of Mammalogy. 33 (1): 50–60. doi:10.2307/1375640. JSTOR   1375640.
  4. Whitaker, John O., Jr. (1980). National Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
  5. Raphael, Martin G. (1987). Nongame wildlife research in subalpine forests of the central Rocky Mountains. In: Management of subalpine forests: building on 50 years of research: Proceedings of a technical conference; 1987 July 6–9; Silver Creek, CO. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-149. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station: 113–122
  6. Hoffman, G. R. (1960). "The Small Mammal Components of Six Climax Plant Associations in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho". Ecology. 41 (3): 571–572. doi:10.2307/1933338. JSTOR   1933338.
  7. Sullivan, Janet (1995). "Peromyscus maniculatus". Index of Species Information. Fire Effects Information System, US Forest Service. Retrieved 20 June 2021.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  8. Advances in the study of Peromyscus (Rodentia). Kirkland, Gordon L., Layne, James Nathaniel. Lubbock, Tex., USA: Texas Tech University Press. 1989. ISBN   0-89672-170-1. OCLC   19222284.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. Baker, Rollin H. (1968). "Habitats and distribution". In: King, John Arthur, ed. Biology of Peromyscus (Rodentia). Special Publication No. 2. Stillwater, OK: The American Society of Mammalogists 98–126.
  10. Maser, Chris; Mate, Bruce R.; Franklin, Jerry F.; Dyrness, C. T. (1981). Natural history of Oregon Coast mammals. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-133. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station.
  11. Brown, J. H.; Zeng, Z. (1989). "Comparative Population Ecology of Eleven Species of Rodents in the Chihuahuan Desert". Ecology. 70 (5): 1507–1525. doi:10.2307/1938209. JSTOR   1938209.
  12. O'Farrell, Michael J (1978). "Home range dynamics of rodents in a sagebrush community". Journal of Mammalogy. 59 (4): 657–668. doi:10.2307/1380131. JSTOR   1380131.
  13. Cogley TP (1991). "Warble development by the rodent bot Cuterebra fontinella (Diptera: Cuterebridae) in the deer mouse". Veterinary Parasitology. 38 (4): 275–288. doi:10.1016/0304-4017(91)90140-Q. PMID   1882496.