The Chiapan deer mouse (''Peromyscus zarhynchus'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), 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 roden ...

in the family

Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice. At almost 608 species, it is the second-largest family of mammals, a ...

. It is found only in

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 ...

Distribution and habitat

The Chiapan deer mouse is endemic to central and southeast

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil and Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 124 municipalities ...

, México. The species occurs in wet highland cloud and pine-oak forest, where it inhabits forest stages ranging from mature forest to cutover areas at elevations between 1,400 m and 2,900 m. Below 2,200 m it only occurs in tall mature forests. Possible specimens from Guatemala have not yet been confirmed.

Conservation

The Chiapan deer mouse is categorized as

Vulnerable Vulnerable may refer to: General * Vulnerability * Vulnerability (computing) * Vulnerable adult * Vulnerable species Music Albums * ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997 * ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003 * ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...

by the IUCN as suitable habitat in its restricted range is estimated to have shrunk by more than 50% in the last 30 years.

Distribution and habitat

Conservation

References

Further reading