The olive-backed pocket mouse (''Perognathus fasciatus'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

in the family

Heteromyidae Heteromyidae is a family of rodents consisting of kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice and spiny pocket mice. Most heteromyids live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, though species within th ...

. It is found in the central Great Plains of Canada and the United States where it is widespread and relatively common; the IUCN considers it to be of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

Description

An adult olive-backed pocket mouse ranges in length from about including a tail of , with individuals from the northern end of the range being larger than those from the south. It weighs . The fur on the head, back and sides ranges from dark olive-brown in the eastern part of its range to pale buff in the west. The underparts are white, or occasionally buff, with a narrow cream-colored lateral line separating the two colors. There is a buff-colored spot behind the ear.

Distribution and habitat

The olive-backed pocket mouse inhabits the Great Plains of Canada and the United States. Its range extends from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba southwards through Montana and Wyoming to Utah, Colorado and South Dakota. Its natural habitat is grassland in arid and semi-arid upland areas, usually with sparse vegetation and sometimes with scattered trees such as the

aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the '' Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...

or cottonwood (''Populus'' sp.) and plants such as the fringed sagebrush (''Artemisia frigida''). It has also been observed on a sandy floodplain close to the Little Missouri and among rocky outcrops on grassy hillsides in the same vicinity. On similar hillsides in Nebraska, the vegetation included

yucca ''Yucca'' is a genus of perennial plant, perennial shrubs and trees in the family (biology), family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their Rosette (botany), rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped Leaf, ...

and

ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the ...

. Its burrows are found in both sandy and clayey soils.

Behavior

The olive-backed pocket mouse is nocturnal and lives underground in an extensive burrow system with tunnels that may reach a depth of and spread for on either side of the entrance. The major part of the diet is seeds of weed species which are collected in the cheek pouches, the excess being stored in chambers in the burrow. It also consumes some green parts of plants. Breeding takes place during the summer months and one or more litters of usually four to six young are produced. The gestation period is about thirty days. In some regions it is reported not to hibernate, but in Alberta it may spend up to eight months in hibernation. The extensive caches of seeds in the burrow can help sustain the pocket mouse during the autumn, winter and early spring when it does not emerge above ground. Mice kept in captivity were found to hide seeds below the surface of the soil, appearing to find the caches again at a later date by smell, probing the soil with their snout. They were also seen cleaning their cheek pouches by emptying them of food and rubbing them in the sand.

Status

The olive-backed pocket mouse is widely distributed across the central Great Plains region of Canada and the United States. It is present in many protected areas, it is locally common, it faces no major threats and its population seems to be steady. For these reasons, the IUCN has listed the species as being of "

References

{{Authority control Perognathus Rodents of North America Mammals of Canada Mammals of the United States Fauna of the Great Plains Fauna of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Mammals described in 1839 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot