Silky pocket mouse

The silky pocket mouse (Perognathus flavus) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae.  Like other members of the heteromyid family, they are more closely related to pocket gophers than to true mice.

Characteristics
The silky pocket mice are small animals with soft fur, long tails, and small feet compared to other heteromyids.  They have long claws which they use for digging burrows and sifting sandy substrates for seeds.  They have also been found to steal seeds from kangaroo rats' dens.   They store these seeds in large hairy external cheek pouches.  They are nocturnal and are found in arid habitats.  They are not true hibernators, but will go into torpor and stay in their burrows for extended periods of time.

 Further reading 
Duff, A. and A. Lawson. 2004. Mammals of the World A Checklist. New Haven, Yale University Press.
Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1936 pp. 

References

Category:Rodents
Category:Mammals of North America