Nelson's pocket mouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nelson's pocket mouse |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Chaetodipus
|
| Species: |
nelsoni
|
Nelson's pocket mouse (Chaetodipus nelsoni) is a small rodent that belongs to the Heteromyidae family. This family includes other pocket mice and kangaroo rats. You can find this mouse in Mexico and in the states of New Mexico and Texas in the United States. It was named after an American naturalist named Edward William Nelson.
What Does It Look Like?
Nelson's pocket mouse is a medium-sized mouse with a long tail. It grows to be about 180 millimeters (about 7 inches) long, including its tail, which is around 102 millimeters (about 4 inches) long.
One cool thing about this mouse is its external cheek pouches. These pouches are lined with fur and are used to carry seeds. Its ears are small and oval-shaped, and its body is slender. The front feet are small, but the hind feet are larger.
The fur on its back and sides is brown. Each hair has a dark gray base, a grayish-fawn middle, and black tips. There's a lighter area around its eyes. Its belly is whitish, with a thin fawn line separating the colors. The fur on its rump (its backside) has many dark, spiny hairs. This is a key feature that helps tell it apart from other similar mice. For example, the lined pocket mouse looks very similar but doesn't have these stiff spines.
Its tail has only a few hairs on the front half. The back half has a crest of hairs, ending in a tufted tip.
Where Does It Live?
Nelson's pocket mouse lives only in certain areas. It is found in western Texas, southeastern New Mexico, and central and northern Mexico. It prefers living in the Lower Sonoran life zone, which is a hot, dry region. You can find it at altitudes up to about 2025 meters (6,644 feet). It usually lives in deserts where there are not many plants, mostly scrubby bushes.
This mouse likes rocky slopes where plants like cactus, creosote bush, desert spoon, and Agave lechuguilla grow. It also lives in sandy flat areas, piles of rocks, old walls, around old buildings, and in pastures where animals have eaten most of the grass. It's actually the most common type of pocket mouse in many parts of its home range.
There are two main types, or subspecies, of Nelson's pocket mouse:
- C. n. canescens lives in the northern part of its range.
- C. n. nelsoni lives in the southern part.
Behavior and Life Cycle
Nelson's pocket mouse is a nocturnal animal, which means it is active at night. It does not hibernate during the winter, so it stays active all year round.
During the day, it rests in a shallow burrow that it digs. These burrows usually have several openings. This is also where the mother mouse raises her young. After the sun sets, the mouse comes out to look for food. It tends to move from the base of one plant to another, trying not to stay in open areas for too long. If it gets scared, it will run quickly instead of hopping.
Its diet mainly consists of seeds, which it collects and stores in its special cheek pouches. It also eats other parts of plants and sometimes even insects.
Nelson's pocket mouse breeds in the spring and summer. After about 30 days of pregnancy, the mother gives birth to a litter of around three young mice.
Conservation Status
The number of Nelson's pocket mice changes throughout the year. There are usually many of them in late summer. However, their numbers drop by the following spring. This is because only about 14% of these mice live to be one year old.
Even though their population changes, there are several national parks and protected areas where these mice live. No major threats have been found for this species. Because of this, the IUCN has listed Nelson's pocket mouse as being of "least concern". This means they are not currently at risk of extinction.
