Oldfield Mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) lives in grassy open fields across Southeastern United States. It feeds on seeds and insects. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Oldfield Mouse
- Beach-dwelling oldfield mice turn almost snow-white, a camouflage trick that lets them vanish against the sand and dodge hungry raptors and snakes. Their fawn-colored cousins inland stay darker, but on white sandy beaches, the mouse is light or even white to help them stay hidden from predators. This pale coloration may help beach populations blend into the sandy environment, thus avoiding predation.
- Oldfield mice are master architects, digging burrow networks that stretch up to 0.9 meters underground and include a main tunnel, a hidden escape tunnel, and a nest chamber stocked with food caches. They dig underground nest cavities which lie 0.3 to 0.9 meters below the surface. There is a leading and an escaping tunnel. A mound of soil or sand marks the entrance of the leading tunnel. These elaborate burrow systems with entrance tunnels, nest chambers, and escape routes let them flee predators and store seeds for winter.
- In the wild an oldfield mouse rarely lives past a year and a half, but under human care one survived more than five years. The average lifespan of a mouse in the wild is 18 months, though one mouse survived in captivity for 5.5 years. Oldfield mice probably live for no longer than about 18 months in the wild. Average lifespan Status: captivity 5.5 years.
- Oldfield mice, and a single female can raise several litters a year, each after a brief 24-day pregnancy and producing three to four pups that are born hairless and blind. The mice are monogamous. These mice are monogamous, with the breeding pair remaining together for a period of time. Gestation is 24 days in length but may be a few days longer if a previous litter is still nursing. Litter size ranges between three and four individuals.
- Sixteen beach-mouse subspecies exist, yet one is already extinct, highlighting how coastal development and hurricanes threaten their survival. In 2010, the beach mouse was in the least concern category on the IUCN Red List. For the beach mouse's subspecies, out of sixteen known, one is extinct, one was listed critically endangered, four endangered and two near threatened. The pallid beach mouse (P. p. decoloratus) is presumed extinct.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSoutheastern United States
HabitatGrassy open fields
DietSeeds and insects
About the Oldfield Mouse
In the warm, golden light of a subtropical dawn, the Oldfield Mouse emerges from its hidden world, its large, dark eyes shining like polished onyx as it navigates the intricate network of grasses and wildflowers. With a gentle rustle of leaves, it moves unseen, its slender body weaving through the undergrowth with a quiet confidence, driven by an insatiable curiosity and a will to survive in this sun-baked landscape. As it pauses to sniff the air, its twitching whiskers betray a deep connection to this fragile, beautiful world, a world that is both its home and its haven.
Hear the Oldfield Mouse, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
