Peromyscus leucopus

• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Physical Description

Habitat

The White-footed Mouse is common in upland mature forests with fallen logs and snags , rocks, ledges, and brush piles. It also inhabits marshes, canebrakes , and brushy fence rows .

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,793 meters (0 to 9,163 feet).[1]

Biome: Terrestrial

Biology

Diet

The White-footed Mouse eats seeds, nuts, grasses, fruits, and some insects. This species will commonly cache seeds and nuts in burrows and near nests .

Reproduction

Breeding occurs throughout the year. Females give birth 3 - 4 weeks after mating. The litter of (usually 4) young are born in a nest made of grass , leaves, and shredded bark . The nest is placed in or under a fallen log or under a rock or ledge. Nests also are sometimes placed in an abandoned squirrel or bird nest, in an old stump , or inside a house. The young are weaned in 3 - 4 weeks, and are sexually mature at about 2 months of age.

Behavior

Active throughout the year, primarily at night. Principal predators include owls, skunks, foxes, the Coyote, weasels, and snakes . The life span of a White-footed Mouse is usually less than 2 years in the wild, but in captivity the record is 8 years. White-footed Mice communicate with each other by foot-stamping, vocal squeaks, and scent. Females are territorial during breeding season .

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 06-Sep-2004

Similar Species

The Cotton Mouse can be distinguished from the White-footed Mouse by the Cotton Mouse's darker fur, larger size, and noticeably large back feet. Habitat preferences also help distinguish between these two species.

Members of the genus Peromyscus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 286 species and subspecies in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

P. antiquus · P. attwateri (Texas Mouse) · P. aztecus (Aztec Mouse) · P. aztecus aztecus (Aztec Mouse) · P. aztecus evides · P. aztecus hylocetes · P. aztecus oaxacensis · P. banderanus (Brown-Marbled Grouper) · P. baumgartneri · P. beatae · P. berendsensis · P. boylei · P. boylei rowleyi · P. boylii (Brush Mouse) · P. boylii ambiguus · P. boylii boylii (Brush Mouse) · P. boylii cordillerae · P. boylii glasselli · P. boylii levipes · P. boylii nowleyi · P. boylii rowleyi · P. boylii sacarensis · P. boylii utahensis (Brush Mouse) · P. bullatus (Perote Mouse) · P. californicus (California Mouse) · P. californicus benitoensis · P. californicus californicus (California Mouse) · P. californicus insignis · P. californicus parasiticus · P. californicus prarsiticus · P. canadensis · P. caniceps (Burt's Deer Mouse) · P. cochrani · P. collatus · P. complexus · P. cragini · P. crinitis · P. crinitus (Canyon Mouse) · P. crinitus auripectus · P. crinitus disparilis · P. crinitus eremicus (Cactus Mouse) · P. crinitus rupicolus · P. crinitus scopulorum · P. crinitus stephensi · P. cumberlandensis · P. dickeyi (Dickey's Deer Mouse) · P. difficilis (Zacatecan Deer Mouse) · P. difficilis amplus · P. difficilis difficilis (Zacatecan Deer Mouse) · P. difficilis felipensis · P. difficilis petricola · P. difficilis saxicola · P. eremicus (Cactus Mouse) · P. eremicus anthonyi · P. eremicus avius · P. eremicus cedrosensis · P. eremicus cinereus · P. eremicus eremicus (Cactus Mouse) · P. eremicus fraterculus · P. eremicus insulicola · P. eremicus papagensis · P. eremicus polypolius · P. eremicus propinquus · P. eremicus pullus · P. eremicus tiburonensis · P. eva (Eva's Desert Mouse) · P. eva carmeni · P. eva eva · P. flavidus · P. floridanus · P. fraterculus (Baja Mouse) · P. furvus (Blackish Deer Mouse) · P. gossypinus (Cotton Mouse) · P. gossypinus allapaticola (Key Largo Cotton Mouse) · P. gossypinus anastasae · P. gossypinus gossypinus (Cotton Mouse) · P. gossypinus megacephalus · P. gossypinus palmarius · P. gossypinus restrictus (Chadwick Beach Cotton Mouse) · P. gossypinus telamphilus · P. grandis (Big Deer Mouse) · P. gratus (Merriam's Piñon Mouse) · P. gratus erasmus · P. gratus gentilis · P. gratus gratus (Merriam's Piñon Mouse) · P. gratus zapotecae · P. guardia (Angel Island Mouse) · P. guardia guardia · P. guardia harbisoni · P. guardia interparietalis · P. guardia mejiae · P. guatemalensis (Guatemalan Deer Mouse) · P. gymnotis (Naked-Eared Deer Mouse) · P. gymnotis gymnotis · P. hagermanensis · P. hooperi (Hooper's Mouse) · P. hybrid · P. hylocetes · P. hylocetes hylocetes · P. imperfectus

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Further Reading

• A catalogue of the collection of mammals in the Field Columbian Museum. Chicago: Field Columbian Museum, 1907. ENG url p. 208, p. 212, p. 213, p. 639.
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• A list of the land and sea mammals of North America north of Mexico. Supplement to the synopsis. By D.G. Elliot. Chicago, 1901. ENG url p. 492.
• A manual of land and fresh water vertebrate animals of the United States (exclusive of birds) by Henry Sherring Pratt Philadelphia, P. Blakiston's Son and Co., inc.[c1935] ENG url p. 386, p. 387, p. 396, p. 400, p. 405, p. 413, p. 414.
• A synopsis of the mammals of North America and the adjacent seas, by Daniel Giraud Elliot... Chicago, [Field Columbia Museum]1901. ENG url p. 460.
• American animals: a popular guide to the mammals of North America north of Mexico, with intimate biographies of the more familiar species / by Witmer Stone and William Everett Cram. New York: Doubleday, Page and Co., 1904. ENG url p. 131, p. 135.
• American animals; a popular guide to the mammals of North America north of Mexico, with intimate biographies of the more familiar species, by Witmer Stone and William Everett Cram. New York, Doubleday, Page and Company, 1902. ENG url p. 10, p. 131, p. 135.
• Anglo-russkii biologicheskii slovar' / [avtory, I. N. Afanas'eva et al.; spetsial'nye nauch. redaktory, O. I. Chibisova i L. A. Koziar]. Moskva: Russkii iazyk, 1979. ENG url p. 418.
• Animal life of the Carlsbad cavern, by Vernon Bailey Baltimore, The Williams and Wilkins Company, 1928. ENG url p. 192, p. 69.
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• Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, -1965. ENG url p. 102, p. 89, p. 93, p. 97.
• Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
• Biology of the laboratory mouse, by the staff of the Roscoe B. Jackson memorial laboratory, Clarence C. Little, director, George D. Snell, editor [and others] with a chapter on Infectious diseases of mice, by J.H. Dingle Philadelphia, The Blakiston company[c1941] ENG url p. 419, p. 423.
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Notes

Contributors

• Baillie, J. 1996. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 19, 2008.
• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 3, 2006.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 11, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 14 providers.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 11, 2008:

• Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics
• Burke Museum: Mammal Specimens
• Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad: Colección de Mamíferos de la Sierra Volcánica Transversal de México (UAM-I)
• Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad: Colección de Mamíferos de Nuevo León, México (UANL)
• Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates: Mammal Collection
• Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science: Mammal specimens
• Marine Science Institute, UCSB: Paleobiology Database
• Michigan State University Museum: Vertebrate specimens
• Museum of Texas Tech University (TTU): Mammal specimens
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
• Royal Ontario Museum: Mammal specimens
• Sternberg Museum of Natural History: Mammal Collection
• UNIBIO, IBUNAM: CNMA/Coleccion Nacional de Mamiferos
• University of Alaska Museum of the North: MSB Mammals Specimens
• University of Alaska Museum of the North: UAM Mammals Specimens
• University of Minnesota Bell Museum of Natural History: Mammal specimens

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2482506
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-180278
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 180278
• IUCN ID: 16669
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: AMAFF03070
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1267

Footnotes

1. Mean = 661.220 meters (2,169.357 feet), Standard Deviation = 616.330 based on 2,313 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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