The eastern harvest mouse (''Reithrodontomys humulis'') 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 Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

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 over 870 species, it is either the largest or second-largest family ...

. 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

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s, and pastureland.

Description

The eastern harvest mouse is characterized by brown pelage with a dark lateral line extending along its dorsal surface. The underbelly and ventral side of the tail are lighter colored than the rest of the body. The underbelly is a gray color that may be infused with some red character. The tail is bicolored with a dark brown coloration on the dorsal side and a white-gray coloration on ventral side. Females weigh more than males with increases in female weight being concordant with reproduction. They vary in length from . The eastern harvest mouse is primarily nocturnal and has an average life span of 9.5 weeks.

Habitat and distribution

The range of the eastern harvest mouse is wide across the North American continent. They are known to occur north to Maryland, south to the tip of Florida and as far west as Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio. They may have been

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 Maryland and West Virginia, however. They are found in open grassy areas such as abandoned fields, marshes or wet meadows. This species does not live in the forest and builds nests that it lives in year round. The nests are composed of dry weeds, grass or other plant material and are globular shaped. The home range of this species is estimated slightly below .

Diet

The eastern harvest mouse diet is not well known. In laboratories, they feed on a variety of items from seeds to fruits and vegetables. It is believed that in the wild, these mice feed solely on seeds, weeds and small insects.

Reproduction

The eastern harvest mouse mates during spring and autumn. The males are always prepared to mate while the females will not mate during the summer period. The gestation period for pregnant females is ~21 days and they only need as little as 24 days to begin reproducing again. The litter size is usually between two and four offspring, however, it can range from one to eight offspring. Female parents raise the offspring. The young will leave the mother after 30 days. At birth, the young will weigh 1.2 g and will have closed eyes for the first 7–10 days.

Development

Immediately after birth, the young do not have fur and their eyes are closed. During the first thirty days, the pelage grows, the young gain weight and the eyes open. The fastest growth period is the first week after birth. They will leave the protection of the nest by the second or third week of development. The offspring nurse until four weeks of age. After thirty days, the young will leave the nest after they weigh enough.

References

* Baillie, J. 1996.
Reithrodontomys humulis
'. Archived a
2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Downloaded on 20 July 2007. *Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 2. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Third edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1767111 Reithrodontomys Mouse, eastern harvest Mouse, eastern harvest Mammals described in 1841 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by John James Audubon