The pinyon mouse (''Peromyscus truei'') is native to the southwestern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. These medium-sized mice are often distinguished by their relatively large ears. The range of this species extends from southern

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the sou ...

in the north, and extends south to roughly the U.S.-

border, with a disjunct population known as the Palo Duro mouse (''Peromyscus truei comanche'') that occupies an area in the vicinity of

Palo Duro Canyon Palo Duro Canyon is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment located in the Texas Panhandle near the cities of Amarillo and Canyon. As the second-largest canyon in the United States, it is roughly long and has an average width of , but reaches ...

in the

Texas panhandle The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...

Description

The fur of pinyon mice varies in color from a pale yellowish brown to a brownish black color, and their feet are a lighter color, varying between dusky and white. They are similar in appearance to the

white-footed mouse The white-footed mouse (''Peromyscus leucopus'') is a rodent native to North America from Ontario, Quebec, Labrador, and the Maritime Provinces (excluding the island of Newfoundland) to the southwestern United States and Mexico. In the Maritimes ...

(''P. leucopus''), but there are a few distinguishing differences. ''P. truei'' tends to have larger ears, as large or larger than the hind foot. They also have a larger tail with a more heavily-furred tip. The skull of ''P. truei'' is larger than that of ''P. leucopus'', with more inflated auditory bullae and a less robust zygomatic arch than the latter species.

Distribution and habitat

''P. truei'' can be found in a variety of habitats. Although they prefer rocky slopes and pinyon-juniper woodland, they are also found in desert, forest, and grassy plains. They tend to have a larger home range than other ''Peromyscus'', up to in males, which can possibly be attributed to requiring a large area to search for food in drought conditions. They are flexible in habitat and elevation and are able to adjust to varying climate conditions.

Diet

''P. truei'' are omnivores and have been found with insects, invertebrates and fungi, but they tend to be more specialists, compared to other ''Peromyscus'' when searching for food. In burned out areas they tend to stick to the edges instead of moving into the burn area. Finding water is usually a challenge in most of their habitats and they adjust their diet accordingly.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q779066 Peromyscus Mammals described in 1885