Peromyscus attwateri was classified as a subspecies of Peromyscus boylii until 1974. It was then classified by Schmidly to be a full species due to chromosomal differences and a difference in molar structure (Davis & Schmidly 1994).
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
The Texas mouse is presently abundant in its natural habitat and is a healthy species.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Like other Peromyscus species, P. attwateri can carry and spread hantaviruses and other diseases, but these are rarely transmitted to humans.
Negative Impacts: injures humans (carries human disease)
Texas mice are important members of the ecosystems in which they live.
Texas mice are important and abundant small prey for predators in the ecosystems in which they live. Their predation on seeds impacts plant communities.
The Texas mouse is omnivorous. It will eat a wide variety of plant and animal matter depending on what is available; seeds, fruits, flowers, nuts, and other plant products are the primary source of nutrition. It will also feed on grasshoppers, camel crickets, and beetles (Davis & Schmidly, 1994).
Animal Foods: insects
Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit; flowers
Primary Diet: omnivore
The Texas mouse populates rocky portions of central Texas, northward into Oklahoma and extends into southern Kansas, Missouri and western Arkansas. These regions are the only natural habitats for Peromyscus attwateri (Sugg, et al 1990).
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Peromyscus attwateri inhabits rocky areas including cliffs and limestone outcrops with woody vegetation, such as the Edwards plateau of Texas (Davis & Schmidly 1994). Due to the threat of predators the Texas mouse can often be found in crevices along cliffs, under logs, fallen grass, weeds, and in heaps of driftwood. Junipers are the dominant vegetation in the rocky areas that they inhabit (Engstrom et al. 1989).
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; scrub forest
The average lifespan of the P. attwateri is 6.8 months, but can live as long as 18 months.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 18 (high) months.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 6.8 months.
The Texas mouse is a medium sized Peromyscus. It is not distinctly bicolored, but does have a lighter shade on its underside; its ankles are usually darker or dusky, the dorsal color is brown with darker and mixed with blackish marks along the midline. The mouse's side is a pinkish cinnamon and it has a pure white underbelly. Peromyscus attwateri is about 198 mm in total length with the tail usually about 103 mm. Hind feet are 24 to 27 mm and adults usually weigh from 25 to 35 grams (Davis & Schmidly, 1994).
Range mass: 25 to 35 g.
Range length: 187 to 218 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Texas mice, like other Peromyscus species, are common prey for a wide variety of predators including raptors, snakes, and foxes.
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
Reproduction occurs during September through late winter in north Texas (Davis & Schmidly, 1994). The average number of young per litter is four, but can range from one to six.
Breeding interval: Attwater's mice can breed multiple times during a breeding season.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs from September to late winter.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 6.
Average number of offspring: 4.
Range weaning age: 25 to 35 days.
Range time to independence: 25 (low) days.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
At birth, the mouse has a mass of about 1.5 g. The young are born hairless with wrinkled, pink skin, closed eyes, and a pinnae that is folded over their ear. Juvenile hair begins to develop on the second day after birth. On the third day, the pinnae unfold with the ear canal opening after a week and a half. Eyes open after two weeks, and the young are weaned anywhere from day 25 to 35. At this time, the young usually leave the nest to live on their own, however, sometimes the mother will allow some young to live there for longer periods. Once weaned, the young usually leave the nest and become independent of their mother, although sometimes the mother will tolerate their presence for longer periods (Margulis 1998).
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The Texas mouse (Peromyscus attwateri) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas in the United States.[1] This species is named in honor of Henry Philemon Attwater.
The Texas mouse is considered medium-sized for its genus. Its long, bicolored tail has brownish fur, and the tail is brownish white and well haired, and slightly tufted at the end; it has large hind feet. It has usually dark or dusky ankles, and the ear is medium-sized. Color of the dorsum is dark mixed with brown and blackish hairs, and its side color is pinkish cinnamon, and the belly and feet have a pure white color.[2] The mouse is morphological adapted to have a long tail, for balancing when climbing a vertical surface, and large eyes adapted to activity in darkness.[2]
Adult Peromyscus attwateri's total length is usually about 182 to 220 mm with weight 25-35 grams. The tail is about 83-104mm, ear length is about 18–20 mm, and length of hind foot is about 24–27 mm.[2] Texas mouse found in Missouri. The specimen is a male measuring 171 mm of total length, 89 mm of tail, 23 mm of hind foot, and 19 mm of ear by Dr. Hershel W.[3] Morphological size variation in Texas mouse appears related with assemblage of physiologic and ecologic factors.[4][5]
Their skull is large length in 27.6 to 30.4 mm, and they have wide and not rounded braincase. They have large pterygoid fossa, medium auditory bullae that larger than in P. maniculatus and P. leucopus but smaller than in P. truei.[2]
P. attwateri is found in western Arkansas, southeastern Kansas, southern Missouri, south-central and northeastern Oklahoma in forest, and Texas. They inhabit not only rocky areas with high cliffs and slopes under juniper, but also limestone with woods such as oak and black hickory vegetation because of predators. Cedar glades and hardwood forests are their primary habitats.[2][6][7] Estimated population density is 0.7 to 5.4/ha at different seasons in various regions. The average home range of the Texas mouse is 0.2 ha (0.49 acres), and the male home range is twice that of the female.[2]
The Texas mouse is omnivorous. Acorns are often used in winter and spring, and its diet is a variety of animal and plant material, depending on availability. Foods include berries, seeds, flowers, nuts, fruits, and insects.[2][4]
Texas mouse is mostly nocturnal and arboreal, and does not hibernate. It has morphological adaptations for tree climbing - a long tail and large hind feet; it spends about 70% of its time climbing in trees.[1][2]
The Texas mouse's breeding period occurs in autumn and spring, but limited breeding occurs in winter. No evidence that breeding occurs during the late spring and summer has been found. It can breed multiple times during the available seasons and gestation lasts 23 days; lactation lasts about 8 days. The typical number of young per litter is three or four, with seasonal variation. Females collected in winter have fewer embryos than in spring.[2]
The young of the mouse weigh about 1.5 g, and are hairless with closed eyes and pinkly skin. Their hair starts to grow after two days, and two weeks after, the eyes open. A month after, their young are weaned, and they leave the nest to live alone. Some young, though, live together with their mother for a longer time.[1][2]
The Texas mouse (Peromyscus attwateri) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas in the United States. This species is named in honor of Henry Philemon Attwater.
