Pinyon mouse

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Pinyon mouse
Pinyon mouse.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Neotominae
Genus: Peromyscus
Species:
P. truei
Binomial name
Peromyscus truei
(Shufedlt, 1885)

The pinyon mouse (Peromyscus truei) is native to the southwestern United States and Baja California in Mexico. These medium-sized mice are often distinguished by their relatively large ears. The range of this species extends from southern Oregon and Wyoming in the north, and extends south to roughly the U.S.-Mexico border, with a disjunct population known as the Palo Duro mouse (Peromyscus truei comanche) that occupies an area in the vicinity of Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas panhandle. [2]

Contents

Description

The fur of pinyon mice varies in color from a pale yellowish brown to a brownish black color, and their feet are a lighter color, varying between dusky and white. They are similar in appearance to the white-footed mouse (P. leucopus), but there are a few distinguishing differences. P. truei tends to have larger ears, as large or larger than the hind foot. They also have a larger tail with a more heavily-furred tip. The skull of P. truei is larger than that of P. leucopus, with more inflated auditory bullae and a less robust zygomatic arch than the latter species. [2]

Distribution and habitat

P. truei can be found in a variety of habitats. Although they prefer rocky slopes and pinyon–juniper woodland, they are also found in desert, forest, and grassy plains. They tend to have a larger home range than other Peromyscus, up to 2.9 hectares (7.2 acres) in males, which can possibly be attributed to requiring a large area to search for food in drought conditions. [1] They are flexible in habitat and elevation and are able to adjust to varying climate conditions. [3] In burned out areas they tend to stick to the edges instead of moving into the burn area. [4]

Diet

P. truei mostly feed on fruit, grain, and seeds, but they will also readily eat insects, spiders, and other invertebrates. Adults typically feed on Juniper seeds and berries in the winter, and on acorns in the summer. P. truei are notorious at caching their food supply, and cache networks around their den sites can become quite extensive. In addition, they are capable of surviving on very limited water, which is essential in their mostly arid habitats. [5]

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">Pemberton's deer mouse</span> Extinct species of rodent

Pemberton's deer mouse lived on San Pedro Nolasco Island in the Gulf of California. The last 12 specimens were collected on 26 December 1931.

<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

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<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.

The Texas mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas in the United States. This species is named in honor of Henry Philemon Attwater.

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

The Aztec mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae, native to southern Mexico and parts of Central America.

<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">Perote mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Perote mouse, or Perote deer mouse, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Mexico.

<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">Zacatecan deer mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Zacatecan deer mouse or southern rock mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Mexico, and is not considered endangered.

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

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<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.

<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">White-ankled mouse</span> Species of mammal

The white-ankled mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Mexico and in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas in the United States.

The white-eared pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to the San Bernardino Mountains and the Tehachapi Mountains of southern California in the United States. There are two subspecies of P. alticola in California, P. a. alticola and P. a. inexpectatus, both of which are considered species of special concern by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Plateau shrublands</span> Xeric shrubland ecoregion of the western United States

The Colorado Plateau shrublands is an ecoregion of deserts and xeric shrublands in the Western United States.

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

The western deermouse or western deer mouse 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.

References

  1. 1 2 Linzey, A.V. & Hammerson, G. (2008). "Peromyscus truei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  2. 1 2 Hoffmeister, Donald F. (1981). "Peromyscus truei" (PDF). Mammalian Species. American Society of Mammalogists (161): 1–5. doi:10.2307/3503851. JSTOR   3503851. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2005.
  3. Moritz, Craig; Patton, James L.; Conroy, Chris J.; Parra, Juan L.; White, Gary C.; Beissinger, Steven R. (1 January 2008). "Impact of a Century of Climate Change on Small-Mammal Communities in Yosemite National Park, USA" (PDF). Science. 322 (5899): 261–264. Bibcode:2008Sci...322..261M. doi:10.1126/science.1163428. JSTOR   20145010. PMID   18845755. S2CID   206515224. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 January 2020.
  4. Borchert, Mark; Borchert, Sinead M. (1 August 2013). "Small Mammal Use of the Burn Perimeter Following a Chaparral Wildfire in Southern California". Bulletin, Southern California Academy of Sciences. 112 (2): 63–73. doi:10.3160/0038-3872-112.2.63. S2CID   86605701.
  5. Gumas, Jennifer. "Peromyscus truei (pinyon mouse)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 22 April 2023.