Peromyscus Nesodytes

The giant island deer mouse (''Peromyscus nesodytes'') became extinct approximately 8,000 years BP and lived during the late Pleistocene on California’s Channel Islands.Guthrie, D.A. (1993). New information on the prehistoric fauna of San Miguel Island: in F.G. Hochberg, ed., Third Channel Islands symposium, Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, p. 405-416.

Overview

In 1934, Robert W. Wilson designated ''P. nesodytes'' as a new species after discovering a mouse bone (a right ramus of the mandible). He writes, “The outstanding character of ''P. nesodytes'' is its large size, which is greater than any living species of ''Peromyscus'' native to the United States.” The only larger mice known are the extant mice of the genus ''Megadontomys'' found in Mexico and Central America.

The mouse “generally considered ancestral to ''P. nesodytes''” is ''Peromyscus anyapahensis''.''P. anyapahensis'' is also extinct; it is smaller in body size than ''P. nesodytes''.

The extreme size of ''P. nesodytes'' follows Foster's rule of insular gigantism and dwarfism, in which some rodent species attain greater body size following their occupation of islands lacking a multitude of predators.Wenner, A.M. and D.L. Johnson (1980). Land vertebrates on the California Channel Islands: Sweepstakes or Bridges? in D.M. Powers, ed. The California Islands, proceedings of a multi-disciplinary symposium, Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, p 497-530.

Habitat

The habitat of ''P. nesodytes'' was confined to the northern Channel Islands. Remains of ''P. nesodytes'' have been found on San Miguel Island and Santa Rosa Island. The northern Channel Islands once comprised a “super-island” called Santa Rosae; increased sea levels have separated the islands for thousands of years.

Extinction

''P. nesodytes'' probably became extinct following the possibly accidental introduction of a smaller mouse, ''Peromyscus maniculatus'', by the Chumash people, who lived in the Santa Barbara area. The Chumash traded on the northern Channel Islands and could have been unknowing transporters of ''P. maniculatus'' to the islands. It has been noted that, on occasion, individuals of ''P. maniculatus'' could have secreted themselves in baskets of food and been unintentionally conveyed by boat to the islands for trading purposes.Walker, P. (1980). Archaeological evidence for the recent extinction of three terrestrial mammals on San Miguel Island: in D.M. Powers, ed. The California Islands, proceedings of a multi-disciplinary symposium, Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, p. 703-717.

''P. maniculatus'' probably fared better at avoiding the most frequent mouse predator on the islands, the barn owl, than did ''P. nesodytes''. A possible example of this appears in Daisy Cave, an archaeological site on San Miguel Island. Cave floor layers show fewer ''P. maniculatus'' remains in the older, deeper levels than in the newer, upper levels. Barn owls may have preferentially preyed on the larger species, ''P. nesodytes'', rather than on the smaller ''P. maniculatus''.

Further information

For behavior and information on deer mice in general, see the Wikipedia entries for '' Peromyscus'' and '' Peromyscus maniculatus''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7169429

Pleistocene rodents
Peromyscus
Fauna of the Channel Islands of California
Pleistocene mammals of North America
Pleistocene species first appearances
Holocene species
Holocene extinctions
Endemic fauna of California
Pleistocene California
Fauna without expected TNC conservation status