Coast mouse

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Coast mouse
Alabama coastal mouse subspecies (P. p. Ammobates)

Alabama coastal mouse subspecies ( P. p. Ammobates )

Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Burrowers (Cricetidae)
Subfamily : Neotominae
Tribe : Reithrodontomyini
Genre : White footed mice ( Peromyscus )
Type : Coast mouse
Scientific name
Peromyscus polionotus
( Wagner , 1843)
Subspecies P. p. trissyllepsis from Florida

The coastal mouse ( Peromyscus polionotus ) is a species of New World mouse that lives in the USA .

features

Coastal mice reach a head body length of 7 to 9 centimeters, the tail length is 4 to 6 centimeters, and the weight 10 to 15 grams. Their fur is gray or brownish in color on the upper side, the stomach and legs are lighter, almost white. The populations that inhabit the sand dune areas are mostly lighter in color.

distribution and habitat

Coast mice live in the southeastern United States, their range extends from Tennessee through South Carolina , Mississippi , Alabama and Georgia to the north of the Florida peninsula . They inhabit different habitats, including scrub and grasslands. A number of subspecies specialize in sand dunes in coastal regions.

Way of life

Coastal mice are nocturnal animals. They dig their own burrows in which to make their nests. These nest chambers are 0.3 to 0.9 meters below the surface and have at least two exits.

Their food consists primarily of plant seeds, some of which they store in their burrows. They also eat insects.

The females have several litters in the course of a year, and mating can take place all year round. The average gestation period is 24 days, the litter size three to four young animals. These grow very quickly and are sexually mature after just 30 days.

Model organism in inbreeding research

Due to its way of life, the coastal mouse is a popular model organism in inbreeding research : Due to weather-related changes in the coastline, small populations are isolated on newly formed islands time and again. This creates a genetic bottleneck in these isolated populations , which in turn can lead to various inbreeding scenarios. Studies on inbreeding depression and purging are carried out on the basis of such populations .

threat

The species as a whole is not listed as endangered by the IUCN . However, some subspecies, which often only live on small stretches of beach, are considered endangered due to the destruction of their habitat and natural disasters. These include:

  • Peromyscus polionotus decoloratus is extinct. This subspecies was only found near Ponce de Leon , Florida.
  • P. p. trissyllepsis lives in Alabama and Florida and is critically endangered .
  • P. p. allophrys is native to Florida and is considered endangered .
  • The Alabama coast mouse ( P. p. Ammobates ) is also considered critically endangered.
  • P. p. peninsularis inhabits Florida and is considered critically endangered.
  • P. p. phasma lives on the northeast coast of Florida. This subspecies is also endangered.
  • The subspecies P. p. leucocephalus and P. p. niveiventris , also both from Florida, listed.

literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
  • Robert C. Lacy, Jonathan D. Ballou: Effectiveness of Selection in Reducing the Genetic Load in Populations of Peromyscus polionotus During Generations of Inbreeding. In: evolution. Vol. 52, No. 3, 1998, ISSN  0014-3820 , pp. 900-909, online (PDF; 1.11 MB) .

Web links

Commons : Coastal Mouse ( Peromyscus polionotus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files