| The Desert Pocket Mouse is a common inhabitant of warm deserts throughout the United States and Mexico. It prefers sandy soil and avoids rocky settings, and like other pocket mice, comes out at night to search for seeds. It favors large seeds such as palo verde and mesquite, and uses the shrubs as shelter and protection from predators such as owls while it forages. In winter, these pocket Mice lower their body temperature and enter a state of inactivity known as torpor. They wake occasionally to nibble on the food they have stored. This saves energy and helps them get through the winter.
Also known as:
Sonoran Desert Pocket Mouse
Length:
Average:
170 mm
Range:
155-185 mm
Weight:
Average:
16 g
Range:
13-20 g
References:
Woodhouse, S.W., 1852. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 6:200.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
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