rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...
s. They are commonly referred to as deer mice or deermice, not to be confused with the
chevrotain
Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are small even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, the only extant members of the infraorder Tragulina. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera, but several species also are known only f ...
or "mouse deer". They are New World mice only distantly related to the common house and laboratory mouse, ''
Mus musculus
Mus or MUS may refer to:
Abbreviations
* MUS, the NATO country code for Mauritius
* MUS, the IATA airport code for Minami Torishima Airport
* MUS, abbreviation for the Centre for Modern Urban Studies on Campus The Hague, Leiden University, Net ...
''. 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" (coined in 1833) is in reference to this agility.
The most common species of deer mice in the continental
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
are two closely related species, '' P. maniculatus'' and '' P. leucopus''. In the United States, ''Peromyscus'' is the most populous
mammal
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur ...
ian
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
overall, and has become notorious in the western
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
as a carrier of
hantaviruses
''Orthohantavirus'' is a genus of single-stranded, enveloped, negative-sense RNA viruses in the family '' Hantaviridae'' within the order ''Bunyavirales''. Members of this genus may be called orthohantaviruses or simply hantaviruses.
Orthohantav ...
.CDC – Hantavirus Cdc.gov (2012-11-01). Retrieved on 2014-01-05.
Reservoir of human disease
Hantavirus
The deer mouse came to the attention of the public when it was discovered to be the primary reservoir species for Sin Nombre
hantavirus
''Orthohantavirus'' is a genus of single-stranded, enveloped, negative-sense RNA viruses in the family '' Hantaviridae'' within the order ''Bunyavirales''. Members of this genus may be called orthohantaviruses or simply hantaviruses.
Orthohantav ...
.
Lyme disease
A recent study in British Columbia of 218 deer mice showed 30% (66) were seropositive for '' Borrelia burgdorferi'', the agent of
Lyme disease
Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a vector-borne disease caused by the '' Borrelia'' bacterium, which is spread by ticks in the genus '' Ixodes''. The most common sign of infection is an expanding red rash, known as erythema ...
babesiosis
Babesiosis or piroplasmosis is a malaria-like parasitic disease caused by infection with a eukaryotic parasite in the order Piroplasmida, typically a ''Babesia'' or ''Theileria'', in the phylum Apicomplexa. Human babesiosis transmission via tic ...
While wild populations are sometimes studied, ''Peromyscus'' species are also easy to breed and keep in captivity, although they are more energetic and difficult to handle than the relatively more tame ''M. musculus''. For certain studies, they are also favored over the laboratory mouse (''M. musculus domestica'') and the
laboratory rat
A laboratory rat or lab rat is a brown rat of the subspecies '' Rattus norvegicus domestica'' which is bred and kept for scientific research. While less commonly used for research than mice (see laboratory mouse), rats have served as an import ...
(''Rattus norvegicus domestica''). Apart from their importance in studying infectious diseases, ''Peromyscus'' species are useful for studying phylogeography,
speciation
Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. The biologist Orator F. Cook coined the term in 1906 for cladogenesis, the splitting of lineages, as opposed to anagenesis, phyletic evolution withi ...
,
chromosome
A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins ar ...
s,
genetics
Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar work ...
,
ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...
,
population genetics
Population genetics is a subfield of genetics that deals with genetic differences within and between populations, and is a part of evolutionary biology. Studies in this branch of biology examine such phenomena as adaptation, speciation, and po ...
, conservation and
evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
in general. They are also useful for researching repetitive-movement disorders. Their use in aging research is because ''Peromyscus'' spp., despite being of similar size to the standard laboratory mouse, have maximum lifespans of 5–7 years, compared to the 3-year maximum lifespan of ''ad libitum''-fed laboratory strains or wild-caught ''M. musculus''. The Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center at the University of South Carolina was established by Professor Wallace Dawson in 1985 to raise
animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage ...
biochemistry
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
, and the color of their coats is exhibited in these genetic lines.
Species
*''Peromyscus''
**''californicus'' group
*** California deermouse – ''P. californicus''
**''eremicus'' group
***
Cactus mouse
The cactus mouse (''Peromyscus eremicus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is a species of the genus ''Peromyscus'', a closely related group of New World mice often called "deermice" (although the term more commonly refers sp ...
– ''P. eremicus''
***
Angel Island mouse
The Angel Island mouse (''Peromyscus guardia''), or La Guarda deermouse, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.
Distribution
It is endemic to Mexico, where it is historically known only from the island of Ángel de la Guarda and near ...
– ''P. guardia'' – possibly extinct
****''P. g. guardia'' – last seen 1991
****''P. g. mejiae'' – extinct (1973)
****''P. g. harbisoni'' – extinct (1963)
****''P. guardia'' subsp. indet. from Estanque Island – extinct (1998)
*** San Lorenzo mouse – ''P. interparietalis''
*** Northern Baja deer mouse– ''P. fraterculus''
*** Dickey's deer mouse – ''P. dickeyi''
*** False canyon mouse – ''P. pseudocrinitus''
*** Eva's desert mouse – ''P. eva''
*** Burt's deer mouse– ''P. caniceps''
*** Mesquite mouse – ''P. merriami''
*** Pemberton's deer mouse – ''P. pembertoni'' – extinct (1931)
**''hooperi'' group
*** Hooper's mouse – ''P. hooperi''
**''crinitus'' group
*** Canyon mouse – ''P. crinitus''
**''maniculatus'' group
***
Eastern deer mouse
''Peromyscus maniculatus'' is a rodent native to eastern North America. It is most commonly called the eastern deer mouse; when formerly grouped with the western deer mouse (''P. sonoriensis''), it was referred to as the North American deerm ...
Cotton mouse
The cotton mouse (''Peromyscus gossypinus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae found in the woodlands of the US South.
Description
Adults are about long, with a tail around , and weigh 34-51 g. Its general appearance is very sim ...
– ''P. gossypinus''
****
Key Largo cotton mouse
The Key Largo cotton mouse (''Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola'') is a subspecies of the cotton mouse (''Peromyscus gossypinus'') and is found on Key Largo in the upper Florida Keys. It is a slightly larger mouse with a more reddish color tha ...
''P. g. allapaticola''
****†
Chadwick Beach cotton mouse
The Chadwick Beach cotton mouse (''Peromyscus gossypinus restrictus'') is a presumably extinct subspecies of the cotton mouse. It was confined to a small area on the Manasota Key Peninsula in Florida.
Description
It was smaller and paler than t ...
Winkelmann's mouse
Winkelmann's mouse (''Peromyscus winkelmanni'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae found only in Mexico, and is named for John R. Winkelmann, who collected the first specimens.
Description
Rather larger than a house mouse, an adult ...
Maya mouse
The Maya mouse (''Peromyscus mayensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Centra ...