Peromyscus maniculatus - wikipedia Peromyscus maniculatus Peromyscus maniculatus Conservation status Least Concern ( IUCN 3.1 ) Scientific classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Mammalia Order : Rodentia Family : Cricetidae Subfamily : Neotominae Genus : Peromyscus Species : P. maniculatus Binomial name Peromyscus maniculatus ( Wagner, 1845 ) North American deer mouse range Peromyscus maniculatus is a rodent native to North America. It is most commonly called the deer mouse, although that name is common to most species of Peromyscus, and thus is often called the North American deermouse and is fairly widespread across the continent, with the major exception being the southeast United States and the far north. Like other Peromyscus species, it is a vector and carrier of emerging infectious diseases such as hantaviruses and Lyme disease. It is closely related to Peromyscus leucopus, the white - footed mouse. Contents 1 Overview 2 Physical description 3 Behavior 4 Reproduction and life span 4.1 Breeding season 4.2 Nesting 4.3 Gestation, litter size and productivity 4.4 Development of young 4.5 Dispersal 4.6 Longevity and mortality 5 Habitat 6 Cover requirements 7 Predators 8 Diet 9 References 10 External links Overview The species has 56 subspecies. They are all tiny mammals that are plentiful in number. The deer mouse is a small rodent that lives in the Americas and is closely related to the white - footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus. Because the two species are extremely similar in appearance, they are best distinguished through red blood cell agglutination tests or karyotype techniques. The deer mouse can also be distinguished physically by its long and multicolored tail. Deer mice are very often used for laboratory experimentation due to their self cleanliness and easy care. Physical description The deer mouse is small in size, only 3 to 4 inches ( 8 to 10 cm ) long, not including the tail. They have large beady eyes and large ears giving them good sight and hearing. Their soft fur can vary in color, from white to black, but all deer mice have a distinguishable white underside and white feet. Behavior Deer mice are nocturnal creatures who spend the day time in areas such as trees or burrows where they have nests made of plant material. The pups within litters of deer mice are kept by the mother within an individual home range. The deer mice do not mingle in groups with their litters. During the development stages, the mice within one litter interact much more than mice of two different litters. Although deer mice live in individual home ranges, these ranges do tend to overlap. When overlapping occurs, it is more likely to be with opposite sexes rather than with the same sex. Deer mice that live within overlapping home ranges tend to recognize one another and interact a lot. Reproduction and life span Breeding season Deer mice can reproduce throughout the year, though in most parts of their range, they breed from March to October. Deer mouse breeding tends to be determined more by food availability rather than by 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. 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. In southeastern Arizona at least one - third of captured deer mice were in breeding condition in winter. In Virginia breeding peaks occur from April to June and from September to October. Nesting Female deer mice construct nests using a variety of materials including grasses, roots, mosses, wool, thistledown, and various artificial fibers. The male deer mice are allowed by the female to help nest the litter and keep them together and warm for survival. In a study, less than half of both male and female deer mice left their original home range to reproduce. This means that there is intrafamilial mating and that the gene flow among deer mice as a whole is limited. Gestation, litter size and productivity Deer mice reproduce profusely and are highest in numbers among their species compared to other local mammals. Peromyscus species ' gestation periods range from 22 to 26 days. Typical litters are composed of three to five young ; litter size ranges from one to nine young. Most female deer mice have more than one litter per year. Three or four litters per year is probably typical ; captive deer mice have borne as many as 14 litters in one year. Males usually live with the family and help care for the young. Development of young Deer mice pups are altricial, i.e. born blind, naked and helpless ; development is rapid. Young deer mice have full coats by the end of the second week ; their eyes open between 13 and 19 days and they are fully furred and independent in only a few weeks. Females lactate for 27 to 34 days after giving birth ; most young are weaned at about 18 to 24 days. The young reach adult size at about 6 weeks and continue to gain weight slowly thereafter. Age of first estrus averages about 48 days ; the earliest recorded was 23 days. The youngest wild female to produce a litter was 55 days old ; it was estimated that conception had occurred when she was about 32 days old. Dispersal Deer mouse pups usually disperse after weaning and before the birth of the next litter, when they are reaching sexual maturity. Occasionally juveniles remain in the natal area, particularly when breeding space is limited. Most deer mice travel less than 152 m ( 499 ft ) from the natal area to establish their own home range. Longevity and mortality While their maximum life span is 96 months, the mean life expectancy is 45.5 months for females and 47.5 for males. In many areas deer mice live less than 1 year. 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. One captive male deer mouse lived 32 months, and there is a report of a forest deer mouse that lived 8 years in captivity ( another mouse was fertile until almost 6 years of age ). Habitat Peromyscus maniculatus are found in places including Alaska, Canada, and parts of South America. The majority of deer mice nest high up, in large hollow trees. The deer mouse nests alone for the most part but will sometimes nest with a deer mouse of the opposite sex. They are populous in the western mountains and live in wooded areas and areas that were previously wooded. The deer mouse is generally a nocturnal creature. Deer mice can be found active on top of snow or beneath logs during the winter seasons. Deer mice inhabit a wide variety of plant communities including grasslands, brushy areas, woodlands, and forests. 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. 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. In northern New England deer mice are present in both coniferous and deciduous forests. Deer mice are often the only Peromyscus species in northern boreal forest. Subspecies differ in their use of plant communities and vegetation structures. There are two main groups of deer mouse : the prairie deer mouse and the woodland or forest deer mouse group. Cover requirements Deer mice are often active in open habitat ; most subspecies do not develop hidden runways the way many voles ( Microtus and Clethrionomys spp. ) do. In open habitat within forests deer mice have a tendency to visit the nearest timber. In central Ontario deer mice used downed wood for runways. Deer mice nest in burrows dug in the ground or construct nests in raised areas such as brush piles, logs, rocks, stumps, under bark, and in hollows in trees. Nests are also constructed in various structures and artifacts including old boards and abandoned vehicles. Nests have been found up to 24 m ( 79 ft ) above the ground in Douglas - fir trees. Predators Deer mice are important prey for snakes ( Viperidae ), owls ( Strigidae ), mink ( Neovison vison ), marten ( Martes americana ) and other weasels ( Mustelidae ), skunks ( Mephites and Spilogale spp. ), bobcat ( Lynx rufus ), domestic cat ( Felis catus ), coyote ( Canis latrans ), foxes ( Vulpes and Urocyon spp. ), and ringtail ( Bassariscus astutus ). Diet Deer mice are omnivorous ; the main dietary items usually include seeds, fruits, arthropods, leaves, and fungi ; fungi have the least amount of intake. Throughout the year, the deer mouse will change its eating habits to reflect on what is available to eat during that season. During winter months, the arthropods compose of one - fifth of the deer mouse 's food. These include spiders, caterpillars, and heteropterans. During the spring months, seeds become available to eat, along with insects, which are consumed in large quantities. Leaves are also found in the stomachs of deer mice in the spring seasons. During summer months, the mouse consumes seeds and fruits. During the fall season, the deer mouse will slowly change its eating habits to resemble the winter 's diet. References This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Department of Agriculture document `` Peromyscus maniculatus ''. Jump up ^ Linzey, A.V. ( 2008 ). `` Peromyscus maniculatus ''. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 5 February 2010. Jump up ^ Bowers, Nora ; Rick Bowers ; and Kenn Kaufman ( 2004 ). Kaufman Guide to North American Mammals. NY : Houghton - Mifflin Co. p. 176. Jump up ^ Netski, Dale ; Brandonlyn Thran & Stephen St. Jeor ( 1999 ). `` Sin Nombre Virus Pathogenesis in Peromyscus maniculatus ''. Journal of Virology ( 1 ) : 585 -- 591. Jump up ^ Crossland, J. & Lewandowski, A. ( 2006 ). `` Peromyscus -- A fascinating laboratory animal model '' ( PDF ). Techtalk. 11 ( 1 -- 2 ). 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Jump up ^ Wolff, Jerry O. ( 1994 ). `` Reproductive success of solitarily and communally nesting white - footed mice and deer mice ''. Behavioral Ecology. 5 ( 2 ) : 206 -- 209. doi : 10.1093 / beheco / 5.2. 206. ^ Jump up to : Wolff, Jerry & Deborah Durr ( 1986 ). `` Winter Nesting Behavior of Peromyscus leucopus and Peromyscus maniculatus ''. Journal of Mammalogy. 67 ( 2 ) : 409 -- 12. JSTOR 1380900. ^ Jump up to : Layne, JN ( 1966 ). `` Postnatal development and growth of Peromyscus floridanus ''. Growth. 30 ( 1 ) : 23 -- 45. PMID 5959707. Jump up ^ Walters, Bradley B ( 1991 ). `` Small mammals in a subalpine old - growth forest and clearcuts ''. Northwest Science. 65 ( 1 ) : 27 -- 31. Jump up ^ Stickel, Lucille F. ( 1968 ). Home range and travels. In : King, John Arthur, ed. Biology of Peromyscus ( Rodentia ). Special Publication No. 2. Stillwater, OK : The American Society of Mammalogists : 373 -- 411 Jump up ^ Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources ( U.S. ). Committee on Animal Models for Research on Aging ; National Research Council ( U.S. ). Committee on Animal Models for Research on Aging ( 1981 ). Mammalian models for research on aging. National Academies. ISBN 978 - 0 - 309 - 03094 - 6. Retrieved 11 May 2011. Jump up ^ 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. Jump up ^ Dice, Lee R. 1933. Longevity in Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis. Journal of Mammalogy. 14 : 147 -- 148 ^ Jump up to : Whitaker, John O., Jr. ( 1980 ). National Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Jump up ^ 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 Jump up ^ 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. Jump up ^ Degraaf, Richard M. ; Snyder, Dana P. ; Hill, Barbara J. ( 1991 ). `` Small mammal habitat associations in poletimber and sawtimber stands of four forest cover types ''. Forest Ecology and Management. 46 ( 3 -- 4 ) : 227 -- 242. doi : 10.1016 / 0378 - 1127 ( 91 ) 90234 - M. Jump up ^ Wagg, J.W. Bruce. ( 1964 ). White spruce regeneration on the Peace and Slave River lowlands. Publ. No. 1069. Ottawa, ON : Canadian Department of Forestry, Forest Research Branch Jump up ^ Gashwiler, Jay S. ( 1959 ). `` Small mammal study in west - central Oregon ''. Journal of Mammalogy. 40 ( 1 ) : 128 -- 139. doi : 10.2307 / 1376123. JSTOR 1376123. ^ Jump up to : Naylor, Brian J. ( 1994 ). `` Managing wildlife habitat in red pine and white pine forests of central Ontario ''. Forestry Chronicle. 70 ( 4 ) : 411 -- 419. doi : 10.5558 / tfc70411 - 4. External links Data related to Peromyscus maniculatus at Wikispecies Description of species Additional description of species with photos Additional information on species Information on hantaviruses, which can be carried by this species Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peromyscus maniculatus. Extant species of subfamily Neotominae Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Mammalia Infraclass : Eutheria Superorder : Euarchontoglires Order : Rodentia Family : Cricetidae Baiomyini Baiomys ( Pygmy mice ) Southern pygmy mouse ( B. musculus ) Northern pygmy mouse ( B. taylori ) Scotinomys ( Brown mice ) Alston 's brown mouse ( S. teguina ) Chiriqui brown mouse ( S. xerampelinus ) Neotomini Neotoma ( Pack rats ) Subgenus Neotoma : White - throated woodrat ( N. albigula ) Tamaulipan woodrat ( N. angustapalata ) Bryant 's woodrat ( N. bryanti ) Nicaraguan woodrat ( N. chrysomelas ) Arizona woodrat ( N. devia ) Eastern woodrat ( N. floridana ) Goldman 's woodrat ( N. goldmani ) Desert woodrat ( N. lepida ) White - toothed woodrat ( N. leucodon ) Big - eared woodrat ( N. macrotis ) Allegheny woodrat ( N. magister ) Neotoma melanura Mexican woodrat ( N. mexicana ) Southern Plains woodrat ( N. micropus ) Nelson 's woodrat ( N. nelsoni ) Bolaños woodrat ( N. palatina ) Stephens ' woodrat ( N. stephensi ) Subgenus Teanopus : Sonoran woodrat ( N. phenax ) Subgenus Teonoma : Bushy - tailed woodrat ( N. cinerea ) Dusky - footed woodrat ( N. fuscipes ) Xenomys Magdalena rat ( X. nelsoni ) Hodomys Allen 's woodrat ( H. alleni ) Nelsonia ( Diminutive woodrats ) Goldman 's diminutive woodrat ( N. goldmani ) Diminutive woodrat ( N. neotomodon ) Ochrotomyini Ochrotomys Golden mouse ( O. nuttalli ) Reithrodontomyini Peromyscus ( Deer mice ) californicus group : California mouse ( P. californicus ) eremicus group : Cactus mouse ( P. eremicus ) Angel Island mouse ( P. guardia ) San Lorenzo mouse ( P. interparietalis ) Dickey 's deer mouse ( P. dickeyi ) False canyon mouse ( P. pseudocrinitus ) Northern Baja deer mouse ( P. fraterculus ) Eva 's desert mouse ( P. eva ) Burt 's deer mouse ( P. caniceps ) Mesquite mouse ( P. merriami ) hooperi group : Hooper 's mouse ( P. hooperi ) crinitus group : Canyon mouse ( P. crinitus ) maniculatus group : Deer mouse ( P. maniculatus ) Oldfield mouse ( P. polionotus ) Santa Cruz mouse ( P. sejugis ) Northwestern deer mouse ( P. keeni ) Black - eared mouse ( P. melanotis ) Slevin 's mouse ( P. slevini ) leucopus group : White - footed mouse ( P. leucopus ) Cotton mouse ( P. gossypinus ) aztecus group : Aztec mouse ( P. aztecus ) Gleaning mouse ( P. spicilegus ) Winkelmann 's mouse ( P. winkelmanni ) boylii group : Brush mouse ( P. boylii ) Nimble - footed mouse ( P. levipes ) Schmidly 's deer mouse ( P. schmidlyi ) San Esteban Island mouse ( P. stephani ) Texas mouse ( P. attwateri ) Nayarit mouse ( P. simulus ) Tres Marias Island mouse ( P. madrensis ) White - ankled mouse ( P. pectoralis ) Chihuahuan mouse ( P. polius ) truei group : Pinyon mouse ( P. truei ) Osgood 's mouse ( P. gratus ) Perote mouse ( P. bullatus ) Zacatecan deer mouse ( P. difficilis ) Northern rock mouse ( P. nasutus ) melanophrys group : Plateau mouse ( P. melanophrys ) Marsh mouse ( P. perfulvus ) Puebla deer mouse ( P. mekisturus ) furvus group : Blackish deer mouse ( P. furvus ) El Carrizo deer mouse ( P. ochraventer ) Maya mouse ( P. mayensis ) megalops group : Brown deer mouse ( P. megalops ) Black - tailed mouse ( P. melanurus ) Zempoaltepec ( P. melanocarpus ) mexicanus group : Mexican deer mouse ( P. mexicanus ) Naked - eared deer mouse ( P. gymnotis ) Guatemalan deer mouse ( P. guatemalensis ) Chiapan deer mouse ( P. zarhynchus ) Big deer mouse ( P. grandis ) Yucatan deer mouse ( P. yucatanicus ) Stirton 's deer mouse ( P. stirtoni ) Reithrodontomys ( New World harvest mice ) Guerrero harvest mouse ( R. bakeri ) Short - nosed harvest mouse ( R. brevirostris ) Sonoran harvest mouse ( R. burti ) Volcano harvest mouse ( R. chrysopsis ) Chiriqui harvest mouse ( R. creper ) Darien harvest mouse ( R. darienensis ) Fulvous harvest mouse ( R. fulvescens ) Slender harvest mouse ( R. gracilis ) Hairy harvest mouse ( R. hirsutus ) Eastern harvest mouse ( R. humulis ) Western harvest mouse ( R. megalotis ) Mexican harvest mouse ( R. mexicanus ) Small - toothed harvest mouse ( R. microdon ) Plains harvest mouse ( R. montanus ) R. musseri Nicaraguan harvest mouse ( R. paradoxus ) Salt marsh harvest mouse ( R. raviventris ) Rodriguez 's harvest mouse ( R. rodriguezi ) Cozumel harvest mouse ( R. spectabilis ) Sumichrast 's harvest mouse ( R. sumichrasti ) Narrow - nosed harvest mouse ( R. tenuirostris ) Zacatecas harvest mouse ( R. zacatecae ) Onychomys ( Grasshopper mice ) Chihuahuan grasshopper mouse ( O. arenicola ) Northern grasshopper mouse ( O. leucogaster ) Southern grasshopper mouse ( O. torridus ) Neotomodon Mexican volcano mouse ( N. alstoni ) Podomys Florida mouse ( P. floridanus ) Isthmomys ( Isthmus rats ) Yellow isthmus rat ( I. flavidus ) Mount Pirri isthmus rat ( I. pirrensis ) Megadontomys ( Giant deer mice ) Oaxaca giant deer mouse ( M. cryophilus ) Nelson 's giant deer mouse ( M. nelsoni ) Thomas 's giant deer mouse ( M. thomasi ) Habromys ( Deer mice ) Chinanteco deer mouse ( H. chinanteco ) Delicate deer mouse ( H. delicatulus ) Ixtlán deer mouse ( H. ixtlani ) Zempoaltepec deer mouse ( H. lepturus ) Crested - tailed deer mouse ( H. lophurus ) H. schmidlyi Jico deer mouse ( H. simulatus ) Osgoodomys Michoacan deer mouse ( O. banderanus ) Taxon identifiers Wd : Q649836 ADW : Peromyscus_maniculatus EoL : 311573 EPPO : PERMMA Fossilworks : 50256 GBIF : 2437967 iNaturalist : 44396 ITIS : 180276 IUCN : 16672 MSW : 13000464 NCBI : 10042 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peromyscus_maniculatus&oldid=831208642 '' Categories : IUCN Red List least concern species Peromyscus Rodents of North America Mammals of Canada Mammals of Mexico Mammals of the United States Least concern biota of North America Least concern biota of Mexico Least concern biota of the United States Mammals described in 1845 Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from August 2013 Articles with ' species ' microformats Wikipedia articles incorporating text from public domain works of the United States Government Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikispecies Asturianu Български Català Cebuano Čeština Deutsch Español Euskara Français Frysk 한국어 Magyar Nederlands Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska Українська Tiếng Việt Winaray 12 more Edit links This page was last edited on 19 March 2018, at 11 : 11. 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Question: where do deer mice live in the us
Answer: fairly widespread across the continent, with the major exception being the southeast United States and the far north