Cotton Mouse
Encyclopedia
The Cotton Mouse is a species
of rodent
in the family Cricetidae
.
It is found in the woodlands of the south-eastern
states of the United States
. Adults are about 7-8 inches, and have an appearance very similar to the white footed mouse. The cotton mouse is larger in size and has a longer skull and hind-feet. They have a dark brown body and white feet and belly. The name comes from the fact they often use cotton for nest
construction, discovered by Le Conte.
Cotton mice are omnivorous, and eat seed
s and insect
s. 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 from their mother at 20–25 days, and become sexually mature around two months. Average life span is four to five months, with a rare few living to one year. They are preyed upon by owl
s, snake
s, weasel
s, and bobcat
s.
One subspecies
, the Chadwick Beach Cotton Mouse
(Peromyscus gossypinus restrictus) was last seen in 1938 and is now presumed extinct.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
in the family Cricetidae
Cricetidae
The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice...
.
It is found in the woodlands of the south-eastern
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
states of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Adults are about 7-8 inches, and have an appearance very similar to the white footed mouse. The cotton mouse is larger in size and has a longer skull and hind-feet. They have a dark brown body and white feet and belly. The name comes from the fact they often use cotton for nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
construction, discovered by Le Conte.
Cotton mice are omnivorous, and eat seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. 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 from their mother at 20–25 days, and become sexually mature around two months. Average life span is four to five months, with a rare few living to one year. They are preyed upon by owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s, snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
s, and bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
s.
One subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, the Chadwick Beach Cotton Mouse
Chadwick Beach Cotton Mouse
The Chadwick Beach Cotton Mouse is a presumed extinct subspecies of the Cotton Mouse from the genus Peromyscus. It was confined to a small area on the Manasota Key peninsula in Florida....
(Peromyscus gossypinus restrictus) was last seen in 1938 and is now presumed extinct.