The deer mouse is a small rodent widespread in North America. Coat color varies by region, and the tail is distinctly darker above than below.
The back ranges from gray to reddish brown, while the underside is white. Its long tail is dark above and pale underneath.
A California account describes the deer mouse as nocturnal, omnivorous and a ground forager. At 36 northwestern Mexico sites, researchers compared modeled abundance with human land use by region and season, using captures of 683 rodents from 27 species between September 2019 and April 2022.
In a survey of 36 sites across northwestern Mexico, researchers captured 683 rodents from 27 species between September 2019 and April 2022. They used the records to compare modeled deer mouse abundance with season and an index of human land use across Baja California, Chihuahua and Sonora.
Results varied by region. In Baja California and Chihuahua, deer mouse abundance declined as anthropization increased, and winter abundance exceeded summer. In Sonora, abundance had no significant relationship with anthropization; spring abundance exceeded autumn. The same species therefore showed different associations with human activity and season across the study’s regional groupings.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.