''Chaetodipus'' is a genus of

pocket mouse Perognathinae is a subfamily of rodents consisting of two genera of pocket mice. Most species live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, They feed mostly on seeds and other plant parts, which they carr ...

containing 17 species

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to the

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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. Like other members of their family such as pocket mice in the genus ''

Perognathus ''Perognathus'' is a genus of pocket mouse. Like other members of their family they are more closely related to pocket gophers than to true mice. Characteristics The silky pocket mice are small animals with soft pelage, long tails, and small f ...

'', they are more closely related to

pocket gopher Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 41 speciesSearch results for "Geomyidae" on thASM Mammal Diversity Database are all endemic to North and Central America. They ar ...

s than to true

mice A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

Characteristics

Members of this genus range in size from 80 to 125 mm (head and body) and weigh 15–47 grams (Nowak, 1999). Unlike the silky pocket mice (genus ''

''), most species of the genus ''Chaetodipus'' have harsh

pelage Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...

with some bordering on spiny hair. They tend to be found in arid habitats where they feed on seeds, vegetation, and insects (Nowak, 1999). Females give birth to a litter of 2–9 young after a

gestation period In mammals, pregnancy is the period of reproduction during which a female carries one or more live offspring from implantation in the uterus through gestation. It begins when a fertilized zygote implants in the female's uterus, and ends once ...

of just under a month. The longest recorded life span is 8 years and 4 months (Nowak, 1999).

Species

*'' Chaetodipus arenarius'' – Little desert pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus artus The narrow-skulled pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus artus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to western Mexico, living west of the Sierra Madre Occidental crest. Description The narrow-skulled pocket mouse is a m ...

'' – Narrow-skulled pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus baileyi Bailey's pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus baileyi'') is a species of rodent of the subfamily Perognathinae, family Heteromyidae. It is found in Baja California, Sinaloa and Sonora in Mexico and in California, Arizona and New Mexico in the Unite ...

'' – Bailey's pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus californicus The California pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus californicus'') is a species of nocturnal and primarily solitary rodent in the family Heteromyidae. Distribution ''Chaetodipus californicus'' is native to California in the western United States and nor ...

'' – California pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus dalquesti Dalquest's pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus dalquesti'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae, sometimes viewed as a subspecies of ''Chaetodipus ammophilus''. It is endemic to Mexico. The pocket mouse is named after Walter W. Dalquest (1 ...

'' – Dalquest's pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus eremicus The Chihuahuan pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus eremicus'') is a species of heteromyid rodent found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the desert pocket mouse (''C. pencillatus''), but was determin ...

'' – Chihuahuan pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus fallax The San Diego pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus fallax'') is a rodent species in the family Heteromyidae. It occupies the northern region of Baja California near San Diego extending into Mexico. Description The San Diego pocket mouse occupies the no ...

'' – San Diego pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus formosus The long-tailed pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus formosus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah in the United States and Baja California in Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), o ...

'' – Long-tailed pocket mouse *'' Chaetodipus goldmani'' – Goldman's pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus hispidus The hispid pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus hispidus'') is a large pocket mouse native to the Great Plains region of North America. It is a member of the genus ''Chaetodipus''. Distribution The hispid pocket mouse occurs across the Great Plains from ...

'' – Hispid pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus intermedius The rock pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus intermedius'') is one of 19 species of pocket mice in the genus ''Chaetodipus''. It is sometimes grouped in the genus '' Perognathus''. Description Found mainly in rocky outcrops in the deserts of the southw ...

'' – Rock pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus lineatus The lined pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus lineatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. This pocket mouse is endemic to a small area of central Mexico. Description The lined pocket mouse is smaller than most pocket mice in the genus ...

'' – Lined pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus nelsoni Nelson's pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus nelsoni'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Mexico and in New Mexico and Texas in United States. It is named in honor of the American naturalist Edward William Nelson. Descrip ...

'' – Nelson's pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus penicillatus The desert pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus penicillatus'') is a North American species of heteromyid rodent found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. True to its common name, the medium-sized desert pocket mouse prefers sandy, sparsely veg ...

'' – Desert pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus pernix The Sinaloan pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus pernix'') is one of 17 species of pocket mice in the genus ''Chaetodipus.'' Two subspecies of ''C. pernix'' are recognized, ''C. p. pernix'' and ''C. p. rostratus,'' all are endemic to Mexico. This small ...

'' – Sinaloan pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus rudinoris The Baja pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus rudinoris'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. The species occurs in southern California, Baja California and on islands in the Gulf of California. Subspecies The Baia pocket mouse has six r ...

'' – Baja pocket mouse *''

Chaetodipus spinatus The spiny pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus spinatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae and order Rodentia. It is found in Baja California in Mexico and in Arizona, California and Nevada. Description The spiny pocket mouse has long ...

'' – Spiny pocket mouse Sometimes members of the genus ''Chaetodipus'' are placed in the genus ''

''.

Footnotes

References

*Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. ''Walker's Mammals of the World'', 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1936 pp. Rodent genera Taxa named by Clinton Hart Merriam {{Heteromyidae-stub