Hooper's mouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hooper's mouse |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Peromyscus
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| Species: |
hooperi
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Hooper's mouse (scientific name: Peromyscus hooperi) is a small rodent that belongs to the Cricetidae family, which includes many mice and hamsters. This special mouse is the only one in its own unique group of mice called the Peromyscus hooperi species group. You can only find Hooper's mouse living in Mexico. It was named after Emmett Hooper, a scientist who studied how different types of Peromyscus mice are related.
What Does Hooper's Mouse Look Like?
Hooper's mouse is a medium-sized deer mouse. From its nose to the tip of its tail, it measures about 17 to 22 centimeters (7 to 9 inches) long. Its tail alone is about 9 to 13 centimeters (3.5 to 5 inches) long. An adult Hooper's mouse usually weighs around 22 grams (less than an ounce).
This mouse is mostly grey, with a slight brownish color. Its belly and the underside of its legs are a creamy white color. The top of its tail is darker than the bottom, and it has only short hair. Female Hooper's mice have six teats.
Where Does Hooper's Mouse Live?
Hooper's mouse lives only in Mexico. You can find it in the state of Coahuila, and also in nearby parts of San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas.
These mice prefer to live in high grasslands. This means they live in areas with lots of grass, usually between 1,000 and 2,000 meters (about 3,300 to 6,600 feet) above sea level. This habitat is above the dry scrublands of the Chihuahuan Desert but below the higher mountain areas. Besides grass, plants like Dasylirion and Yucca are common in their home. There are no different types or subspecies of Hooper's mouse.
Life Cycle and Family
Female Hooper's mice give birth to about three babies at a time. The mother carries her babies for about 33 days before they are born. When the young mice are born, they are blind, have no hair, and cannot take care of themselves.
They start to move around after about five days. Their eyes open when they are about thirteen days old. Female mice can have their first babies when they are around 69 days old.
Scientists are still trying to understand how Hooper's mouse is related to other types of deer mice. Some parts of their bodies, like their teeth, look similar to a group of mice called the eremicus species group. However, other parts, like a certain bone called the baculum and where their teats are, look more like the leucopus group. Because of these differences, Hooper's mouse is now usually considered the only member of its own special group. It might even be an important link that shows how the other two groups of mice evolved.
