Deer Mouse
Peromyscus maniculatus
- Class
- Mammal
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 1,445
- Most observed in
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The eastern deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is a rodent native to eastern North America. It is a species of the genus Peromyscus, a closely related group of New World mice often called "deermice". When formerly grouped with the western deermouse (P. sonoriensis), it was once referred to as the North American deermouse, a species that is no longer recognized. It is fairly widespread across most of North America east of the Mississippi River, with the major exception being the lowland Southeastern United States. Like certain other Peromyscus species, it can be a vector and carrier of emerging infectious diseases such as hantaviruses and Lyme disease. It is closely related to Peromyscus leucopus, the white-footed mouse.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Eastern deer mouse”.