Overview
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Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Cotton Mouse, Key Largo Cotton Mouse
Description
Physical Description
Species Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola
Size: This is the largest member of the genus Peromyscus. It reaches a total length of 18 - 20 cm (7.1 - 7.9 in). Color: This is the darkest mouse in the southeastern United States. The fur is dark brown on the animal's back, being darkest down the middle of the back and lighter on the sides. The belly and feet are white.
Habitat
This mouse inhabits dense underbrush along the margins of streams , swamps , and sloughs of bottomland hardwood forests and canbrakes. Populations ascend into pine-hardwood upland forests in areas immediately adjacent to lowlands. The Cotton Mouse is also found in dilapidated buildings and in slash piles of clearcut forests. Its nests are made under logs or rocks, in old stumps or brush piles, under bark on standing dead trees , or above ground in dense clumps of vegetation. This
Ecology:
List of Habitats
:
1.5
Forest
- Subtropical/Tropical Dry
Biology
Diet
This omnivorus mouse forages only at night, feeding on berries , seeds, nuts, insects, spiders, and slugs.
Behavior
The Cotton Mouse is a good swimmer and an adept climber , two useful adaptations for existence in its preferred habitat , flood-prone bottomland forests . The Cotton Mouse has been found in abandoned Gray Squirrel nests . Natural predators include the Bobcat, foxes, owls, and snakes .
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
()
- (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Phylum:
Chordata
()
- Bateson, 1885
- Chordates
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
()
- Cuvier, 1812
- Vertebrates
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
()
- auct.
- Jawed Vertebrates
- Superclass:
Tetrapoda
()
- Goodrich, 1930
- Class:
Mammalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Subclass:
Theriiformes
()
- (Rowe, 1988) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Infraclass:
Holotheria
()
- (Wible et al., 1995) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Superlegion:
Trechnotheria
()
- McKenna, 1975
- Legion:
Cladotheria
()
- McKenna, 1975
- Sublegion:
Zatheria
()
- McKenna, 1975
- Infralegion:
Tribosphenida
()
- (McKenna, 1975) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Supercohort:
Theria
()
- (Parker & Haswell, 1897) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Cohort:
Placentalia
()
- (Owen, 1837) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Magnorder:
Epitheria
()
- (Mckenna, 1975) M.c. Mckenna & S.k. Bell, 1997
- Superorder:
Preptotheria
()
- (McKenna, 1975) McKenna, in Stucky & McKenna, in Benton, ed., 1993
- Grandorder:
Anagalida
()
- (Szalay & McKenna, 1971) McKenna, 1975
- Mirorder:
Simplicidentata
()
- (Weber, 1904) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Order:
Rodentia
()
- Bowdich, 1821
- Rodents
- Suborder:
Myomorpha
()
- Brandt, 1855
- Infraorder:
Myodonta
()
- (Schaub, in Grassé & Dekeyser, 1955) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Superfamily:
Muroidea
()
- Illiger, 1811
- Family:
Muridae
()
- (Illiger, 1811) Gray, 1821
- Subfamily:
Sigmodontinae
()
- Tribe:
Peromyscini
()
- Genus:
Peromyscus
()
- Gloger, 1841
- Specific name:
gossypinus
- Subspecies:
allapaticola
- Scientific name: - Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola
- Subspecies:
allapaticola
- Specific name:
gossypinus
- Genus:
Peromyscus
(
- Tribe:
Peromyscini
(
- Subfamily:
Sigmodontinae
(
- Family:
Muridae
(
- Superfamily:
Muroidea
(
- Infraorder:
Myodonta
(
- Suborder:
Myomorpha
(
- Order:
Rodentia
(
- Mirorder:
Simplicidentata
(
- Grandorder:
Anagalida
(
- Superorder:
Preptotheria
(
- Magnorder:
Epitheria
(
- Cohort:
Placentalia
(
- Supercohort:
Theria
(
- Infralegion:
Tribosphenida
(
- Sublegion:
Zatheria
(
- Legion:
Cladotheria
(
- Superlegion:
Trechnotheria
(
- Infraclass:
Holotheria
(
- Subclass:
Theriiformes
(
- Class:
Mammalia
(
- Superclass:
Tetrapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
(
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
(
- Phylum:
Chordata
(
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
(
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Notes
Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: June 09, 2004.
Similar Species
The Cotton Mouse can be distinguished from the White-footed Mouse by its darker color, stockier build, and larger hind feet.
Members of the genus Peromyscus
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 97 species and subspecies in this genus:
P. attwateri (Texas Deermouse) · P. aztecus (Aztec Mouse) · P. aztecus aztecus (Aztec Mouse) · P. banderanus (Black Rockcod) · P. beatae (Orizaba Deermouse) · P. boylii (Brush Mouse) · P. boylii boylii (Brush Mouse) · P. boylii utahensis (Brush Mouse) · P. bullatus (Perote Deer Mouse) · P. californicus (California Mouse) · P. californicus californicus (California Mouse) · P. caniceps (Monserrat Island Deermouse) · P. crinitus (Canyon Mouse) · P. crinitus eremicus (Cactus Mouse) · P. dickeyi (Dickeys Deermouse) · P. difficilis (Zacatecan Deer Mouse) · P. difficilis difficilis (Zacatecan Deer Mouse) · P. eremicus (Cactus Mouse) · P. eremicus eremicus (Baja Mouse) · P. eva (Eva's Desert Mouse) · P. fraterculus (Northern Baja Deermouse) · P. furvus (Blackish Deer Mouse) · P. gossypinus (Cotton Deermouse) · P. gossypinus allapaticola (Cotton Mouse) · P. gossypinus gossypinus (Cotton Mouse) · P. gossypinus restrictus (Chadwick Beach Cotton Mouse) · P. grandis (Large Deer Mouse) · P. gratus (Merriam's Piñon Mouse) · P. gratus gratus (Merriam's Piñon Mouse) · P. guardia (Angel Island Mouse) · P. guatemalensis (Guatamalan Deer Mouse) · P. gymnotis (Naked-Eared Deer Mouse) · P. hooperi (Hooper's Deer Mouse) · P. hylocetes (Transvolcanic Deermouse) · P. interparietalis (San Lorenzo Deermouse) · P. keeni (Northwestern Deermouse) · P. leucopus (White-Footed Deermouse) · P. leucopus ammodytes (Monomoy Mouse) · P. leucopus easti (Pungo Mouse) · P. leucopus fusus (Martha's Vineyard Mouse) · P. leucopus leucopus (Deer Mouse) · P. levipes (Nimble-Footed Deer Mouse) · P. levipes levipes (Nimble-Footed Mouse) · P. madrensis (Tres Marias Deer Mouse) · P. maniculatus (Anacapa Island Deer Mouse) · P. maniculatus anacapae (Anacapa Deer Mouse) · P. maniculatus clementis (San Clemente Deer Mouse) · P. maniculatus maniculatus (Deer Mouse) · P. maniculatus nebrascensis (Deer Mouse) · P. mayensis (Mayan Deer Mouse) · P. megalops (Broad-Faced Deer Mouse) · P. mekisturus (Puebla Deer Mouse) · P. melanocarpus (Black-Wristed Deer Mouse) · P. melanophrys (Plateau Deer Mouse) · P. melanophrys melanophrys (Plateau Mouse) · P. melanotis (Black-Eared Mouse) · P. melanurus (Black-Tailed Deer Mouse) · P. merriami (Merriam's Mouse) · P. mexicanus (Mexican Deer Mouse) · P. mexicanus mexicanus (Mexican Deer Mouse) · P. nasutus (Northern Rock Mouse) · P. nasutus nasutus (Northern Rock Mouse) · P. ochraventer (El Carrizo Deer Mouse) · P. oreas (Columbian Mouse) · P. pectoralis (White-Ankled Mouse) · P. pectoralis pectoralis (White-Ankled Mouse) · P. pembertoni (Pemberton's Deer Mouse) · P. perfulvus (Tawny Deer Mouse) · P. polionotus (Beach Mouse) · P. polionotus allophrys (Choctawhatchee Beach Mouse) · P. polionotus ammobates (Alabama Beach Mouse) · P. polionotus decoloratus (Pallid Beach Mouse) · P. polionotus leucocephalus (Santa Rosa Beach Mouse) · P. polionotus niveiventris (Oldfield Mouse) · P. polionotus peninsularis (St Andrews Beach Mouse) · P. polionotus phasma (Anastasia Beach Mouse) · P. polionotus polionotus (Oldfield Mouse) · P. polionotus subgriseus (Oldfield Mouse) · P. polionotus trissyllepsis (Perdido Key Beach Mouse) · P. polius (Chihuahuan Deer Mouse) · P. pseudocrinitus (Coronados Deer Mouse) · P. sagax (Michoacan Deer Mouse) · P. schmidlyi (Schmidly's Deer Mouse) · P. sejugis (Santa Cruz Mouse) · P. simulus (Nayarit Deer Mouse) · P. sitkensis (Sitka Mouse) · P. slevini (Catalina Deer Mouse) · P. spicilegus (Gleaning Deer Mouse) · P. spicilegus spicilegus (Gleaning Mouse) · P. stephani (San Esteban Deermouse) · P. stirtoni (Stirton's Deer Mouse) · P. truei (Piñon Mouse) · P. truei comanche (Palo Duro Mouse) · P. truei truei (Pinyon Mouse) · P. winkelmanni (Coalcolman Deer Mouse) · P. yucatanicus (Yucatan Deer Mouse) · P. zarhynchus (Chiapan Deer Mouse)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
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- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- 1994 IUCN red list of threatened animals Gland, Switzerland: IUCN, 1993 url p. 225.
- Coral Reefs of the World. url p. 333.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 30, 2012.
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2721387
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-202365
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13909575
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 202365
- IUCN ID: 16644
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species Identifier: A086
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 396
