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The cotton mouse (''Peromyscus gossypinus'') is a
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
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 Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...
in the
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
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 over 870 species, it is either the largest or second-largest family ...
. It is a species of the genus ''
Peromyscus ''Peromyscus'' is a genus of rodents. They are commonly referred to as deer mice or deermice, not to be confused with the chevrotain or "mouse deer". They are New World mice only distantly related to the common house and laboratory mouse, ''M ...
'', a closely related group of New World mice often called "deermice". It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to the woodlands of the
Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...
.


Description

Adults are about long, with a tail around , and weigh 34-51 g. Its general appearance is very similar to the
white-footed mouse The white-footed mouse (''Peromyscus leucopus'') is a rodent native to North America from southern Canada to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is a species of the genus ''Peromyscus'', a closely related group of New World mice often ...
, but the cotton mouse is larger in size and has a longer skull and hind feet. They have dark brown bodies and white feet and bellies. The common name derives from the observed habit of using raw cotton in building nests. One
subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
, the Chadwick Beach cotton mouse (''P. g. restrictus'') was last seen in 1938 and is now presumed
extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
. Another subspecies, the Key Largo cotton mouse (''P. g. allapaticola'') is currently on the United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of endangered species.


Distribution and habitat

The cotton mouse occurs in the Southeastern United States in an area roughly bordered by southeastern Virginia, Florida, Texas, and Kentucky. It makes use of a variety of habitats, including hardwood forests, swamps, the margins of cleared fields, edges of salt savanna and dunes, scrub, and rocky bluffs and ledges. They probably prefer terrain that is regularly inundated. Once native to Illinois, it is now considered
extirpated Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions. Local extinctions mark a chan ...
from that state. Cotton mice use underground refuges such as stump holes, tree cavities, root boles, and burrows where they can avoid predators and wild fires. Such underground refuges also provide lower temperature and humidity during the summer season. Most ''Peromyscus'' species show great decrease in population after fire events through emigration, increase in predation, or from direct damage by fire from
loss of habitat Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
/protection. However, due to the behavior of using underground refuges, cotton mice are able to survive with no significant loss of population from the fire.


Ecology

Cotton mice are
omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...
, and eat seeds and insects. Breeding may occur throughout the year, and usually occurs in early spring and fall. They may have four litters a year of up to seven young, which are helpless and naked at birth. Cotton mice are weaned at 20–25 days, and become sexually mature around two months. Lifespans are four to five months, with a rare few living to one year. They are preyed upon by owls, snakes, weasels, and bobcats. Cotton mice are also parasitized by ''
Cuterebra fontinella ''Cuterebra'', or rodent bots, is a genus of Botfly, bot flies that attack rodents and similar animals. Etymology The genus name ''Cuterebra'' is a blend of the Latin words ''cutis'' 'skin' and ''terebra'' 'borer' with apparent shortening of exp ...
'', the mouse botfly. The golden mouse (''Ochrotomys nuttalli'') has similar characteristics and shares similar habitat and geographic regions with the cotton mouse. The coexistence of the two being possible when sharing similar habitat was due to their use of the common refuges had different daily and seasonal patterns. The cotton mouse shows broader selection in choosing refuges as they switch from one to the other, which is suggested to be the most significant component for such relationship to be possible. Due to their small population size and reduced chances of reproduction, evidence for cotton mouse hybridizing with white-footed mouse has been found. Although they are known to be conspecific, hybridization will occur when limited options for reproduction are available. Identification through toe-clip sampling made possible finding hybridization between the cotton mouse and the white-footed mouse on a heterozygous GPI-1 marker.


References


Further reading

* {{Authority control Peromyscus Mammals described in 1850 Endemic rodents of the United States Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Least concern biota of North America