Synonym: White-footed Deermouse

 

Peromyscus leucopus occurs in southern Canada, eastern two-thirds of United States (except Florida), and central and eastern Mexico, including Yucatan Peninsula. White-footed Mice inhabit a variety of habitats, including deciduous forests, scrublands, semi-desert, etc. They are omnivorous, and feed on seeds, fruits, and invertebrates. The White-footed Mouse contains between eleven and seventeen known subspecies. Some of these subspecies (e.g., Peromyscus leucopus tornillo) occupy brushy vegetation in semi-deserts and shortgrass prairies, and others, such as Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis, inhabit deciduous eastern forests with shrubby understory. The eastern forest forms have larger ears and darker coats, and White-footed Mice of the semi-desert are small-eared with dull coats.

Some field guides and Internet sources call Peromyscus leucopus the "White-footed Deermouse". We find this vernacular name confusing because the closely related and morphologically similar North American Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is often referred to as simply "Deer Mouse".

 

White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) from Texas Panhandle, USA

White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) from southern Ontario, Canada

 

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