Florida Mouse
Encyclopedia
The Florida mouse is a species of rodent
in the family Cricetidae
. It is the only species in the genus
Podomys, which is the only mammal genus endemic to Florida
. The Florida mouse (also known as the big-eared deermouse, the Florida deermouse, and the gopher mouse) is found only in a limited area in central peninsular Florida and in one small area in the Florida panhandle
. The mouse inhabits some of Florida's hottest and driest areas in the high pinelands, sandhill
s, flatlands, and coastal scrub
.
The mouse is an omnivore
, measures 195 mm (7.7 in) in total length, has relatively large ears, and displays brown to orange upperparts and white underparts. The mouse breeds throughout the year, and raises its two or three young per litter in the nesting chambers and passages it constructs in the burrow
of the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus
). Real estate development and a decline in the gopher tortoise population threaten the mouse's future. The species is listed as Vulnerable
by the IUCN.
-like odor. The mouse has relatively large, nearly naked ears (16 mm long or more), a relatively short tail approximately 80% of total body length, and large hind feet (24 mm long or more) with five, rather than the usual six, plantar tubercle
s. There is no difference in appearance between males and females.
The mouse looks like Peromyscus
, and was once placed as a monotypic subgenus in the genus Peromyscus The greater size and distinctive coloration of Podomys floridanus distinguish it from the cotton mouse
(Peromyscus gossypinus) and oldfield mouse
(Peromyscus polionotus), which also occur in Florida.
In 1973, a biochemical polymorphism
study was conducted in four sample areas of the species. Electrophoretically demonstrable variation was found in one or more populations at 15 of 39 (38%) of the loci examined, and two and sometimes three alleles per locus were detected. At the least, the findings give an indication of the kind of genetic variation that may be found between populations within a species. The amount of variation was similar to findings in examinations of Peromyscus polionotus, Sigmodon, and Dipodomys.
Average measurements reported in 1993 of 30 adults were: total length 195 mm (7.7 in) 178 millimetre; tail 88 mm (3.5 in) 80 millimetre; hind foot 26 mm (1 in) 24 millimetre; ear 19 mm (0.748031496062992 in) 16 millimetre. The diploid number is 48 and dentition
1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 total 16.
in 1889 in a paper in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History
, from a specimen collected at Gainesville, Florida
. The species was named as a separate subgenus
of Peromyscus by Wilfred Hudson Osgood
in 1909, but generic recognition was disputed in the 1980s. Michael Carleton and Guy Musser
supported the ranking in 1993. No subspecies have been described.
at Franklin County, Florida
. The species occurs from north-central Florida south to Highlands County and Sarasota County. It is found along the Atlantic coast
from St. Johns County south to Miami-Dade County
.
The mouse inhabits some of Florida's driest locations. It is common in the sand pine
(Pinus clausa) scrub
and the high pineland
s of turkey oak (Quercus laevis) and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), and is found in the slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and turkey oak habitat of the southern ridge sandhill
s, and in scrubby flatlands, and in coastal scrub associations. Home ranges average roughly 1 acre (0.404686 ha), and are smaller in the flatlands. Populations are greater in the scrub and flatlands than in the highlands. Its largest populations may occur within Ocala National Forest
and the scrubs along Lake Wales Ridge
.
The Florida mouse has been called the gopher mouse because it shares the long, deep burrow
of the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus
). The mouse makes nest chambers, small side passages, sometimes a pad of oak leaves and wiregrass
es for chamber floors, and small chimney openings in the roof of the burrow. It uses these openings, the main entrance, and side passages for entrance to and exit from the burrow. In the absence of gopher tortoise burrows, the mouse will use those of the oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) or will make its own.
and its diet consists of acorn
s when available, insect
s, seed
s, nut
s, fungi
, and other plant material and vertebrate
s. A 1987 report indicates the mouse feeds on engorged tick
s (Ornithodorus turicata americanus) that parasitize gopher frogs (Rana areolata) and gopher tortoises.
s, copulatory behavior lacks intravaginal thrusting, the intromission thrust is more intense than the dismount, there is no lock, and ejaculation
occurs with every thrust.
Gestation
is about 23 or 24 days. The mice dig side burrows off the main burrow of the gopher tortoise, line them with shredded plant material, and use them as nurseries. In eight litters of young conceived in the wild but born in the laboratory, litter size numbers varied from two to four for an average of 3.1 per litter. The young are born in nests in the burrow. Newborn weigh 1.9 gram and measure in total length 44 mm (1.7 in); tail length 12 mm (0.47244094488189 in); and hind foot length 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in). Teeth begin appearing on the fourth day, the young are active and agile about the 10th day, and the eyes open about the 16th day. Nursing is virtually non-stop for the first two weeks of life. Weaning occurs at three to four weeks, and the young display adult behavior at this time.
s, five tick
s, five flea
s, a louse
, and the subdermal botfly
larva
, Cuterebra. Known endoparasites are three species of protozoans found in fecal smears, one trematode, four cestodes, seven nematode
s, and nymphal pentastomids found in various internal organs.
In 2010, exact population size was unknown, but estimated to be in the several thousands and decreasing. Presumed predators are snakes, birds of prey, bobcat
s, raccoon
s, and fox
es. A high number of shortened tails have been observed in the mice and a modified integument in the tail facilitates tail loss, probably as an anti-predator mechanism.
Few wild individuals have a lifespan
of over a year, though captive individuals may live for several years. One captive male lived seven years, four months.
. Collecting specimens in the dry ridges is complicated by the millions of ant
s which eat the bait in the trap the moment it is set on the ground. Live collecting is the alternative, but the bait is usually digested by the time the animal is taken from the trap, making food research difficult if not impossible.
As early as 1998, the Florida mouse was a federal C2 candidate taxon, and considered Threatened by the Florida Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals. The mouse was named a Species of Special Concern by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. The Florida mouse inhabits a restricted habitat in the United States and that habitat is threatened not only by agricultural and real estate development but by wildfire suppression. Habitat decline is expected to continue into the future. The mouse is dependent upon gopher tortoise burrows, but disease and habitat loss are responsible for decline in the tortoise population. Red imported fire ant
s (Solenopsis invicta) threaten both tortoise and mouse populations. The IUCN has listed the species as Vulnerable
and recommends further study of the species, maintenance of viable populations of gopher tortoises, and the preservation and management of suitable habitat for the species. The mouse is protected on several conservation lands across central Florida. Occurrences of the Florida mouse are protected at Archbold Biological Station
, Ocala National Forest
, and others.
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
in the family Cricetidae
Cricetidae
The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice...
. It is the only species in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Podomys, which is the only mammal genus endemic to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The Florida mouse (also known as the big-eared deermouse, the Florida deermouse, and the gopher mouse) is found only in a limited area in central peninsular Florida and in one small area in the Florida panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
. The mouse inhabits some of Florida's hottest and driest areas in the high pinelands, sandhill
Sandhill
A sandhill is a type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem. It is not the same as a sand dune. It features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and become more oak dominated.Entisols are the typical...
s, flatlands, and coastal scrub
Florida scrub
Florida scrub is an endangered temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the state of Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by a xeromorphic plant community dominated by shrubs and dwarf oaks. Scrub soils, a type of entisol, are derived...
.
The mouse is an omnivore
Omnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
, measures 195 mm (7.7 in) in total length, has relatively large ears, and displays brown to orange upperparts and white underparts. The mouse breeds throughout the year, and raises its two or three young per litter in the nesting chambers and passages it constructs in the burrow
Burrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, so the burrowing way of life is quite popular among the...
of the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus
Gopherus polyphemus
The gopher tortoise is a species of the Gopherus genus native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide shelter for 360 other animal species...
). Real estate development and a decline in the gopher tortoise population threaten the mouse's future. The species is listed as Vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
by the IUCN.
Description
The Florida mouse displays a soft and silky pelage, brown above and orange on the cheeks, shoulders, and lower sides. Underparts are white. The young are gray. The species has a skunkSkunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
-like odor. The mouse has relatively large, nearly naked ears (16 mm long or more), a relatively short tail approximately 80% of total body length, and large hind feet (24 mm long or more) with five, rather than the usual six, plantar tubercle
Tubercle
A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, but it has slightly different meaning depending on which family of plants or animals it is used to refer to....
s. There is no difference in appearance between males and females.
Peromyscus
The genus Peromyscus contains the animal species commonly referred to as deer mice. This is a genus of New World mouse only distantly related to the common house mouse and laboratory mouse, Mus musculus...
, and was once placed as a monotypic subgenus in the genus Peromyscus The greater size and distinctive coloration of Podomys floridanus distinguish it from the cotton mouse
Cotton Mouse
The Cotton Mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.It is found in the woodlands of the south-eastern states of the United States. Adults are about 7-8 inches, and have an appearance very similar to the white footed mouse. The cotton mouse is larger in size and has a longer...
(Peromyscus gossypinus) and oldfield mouse
Oldfield Mouse
The oldfield mouse or beach mouse is a nocturnal species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in the southeastern United States on sandy beaches, in corn and cotton fields, and in hedge rows and open timber tracts...
(Peromyscus polionotus), which also occur in Florida.
In 1973, a biochemical polymorphism
Polymorphism (biology)
Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words, the occurrence of more than one form or morph...
study was conducted in four sample areas of the species. Electrophoretically demonstrable variation was found in one or more populations at 15 of 39 (38%) of the loci examined, and two and sometimes three alleles per locus were detected. At the least, the findings give an indication of the kind of genetic variation that may be found between populations within a species. The amount of variation was similar to findings in examinations of Peromyscus polionotus, Sigmodon, and Dipodomys.
Average measurements reported in 1993 of 30 adults were: total length 195 mm (7.7 in) 178 millimetre; tail 88 mm (3.5 in) 80 millimetre; hind foot 26 mm (1 in) 24 millimetre; ear 19 mm (0.748031496062992 in) 16 millimetre. The diploid number is 48 and dentition
Dentition
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age...
1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 total 16.
Taxonomy
The mouse was first described by Frank ChapmanFrank Chapman
Frank Michler Chapman was a U.S. ornithologist and pioneering writer of field guides.Chapman was born in West Englewood, New Jersey and attended Englewood Academy. He joined the staff of the American Museum of Natural History in 1888 as assistant to Joel Asaph Allen...
in 1889 in a paper in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History
Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History
The Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History is a peer-reviewed scientific journal in the fields of zoology, paleontology, and geology...
, from a specimen collected at Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
. The species was named as a separate subgenus
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
of Peromyscus by Wilfred Hudson Osgood
Wilfred Hudson Osgood
Wilfred Hudson Osgood was an American zoologist.Osgood was working as a biologist in the United States Department of Agriculture from 1897 to 1909. Then he moved to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, where he was assistant curator of mammalogy and ornithology from 1909 to 1921, and...
in 1909, but generic recognition was disputed in the 1980s. Michael Carleton and Guy Musser
Guy Musser
Guy Graham Musser is an American zoologist. His main research field is the subfamily Murinae, in which he has described many new species.Musser was born in Salt Lake City, Utah...
supported the ranking in 1993. No subspecies have been described.
Distribution and habitat
Podomys is the only mammal genus endemic only to Florida. The Florida mouse is found coast to coast in central peninsular Florida. An isolated population is found in the Florida panhandleFlorida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
at Franklin County, Florida
Franklin County, Florida
Franklin County is a coastal county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 11,057. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 11,177...
. The species occurs from north-central Florida south to Highlands County and Sarasota County. It is found along the Atlantic coast
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
from St. Johns County south to Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
.
The mouse inhabits some of Florida's driest locations. It is common in the sand pine
Sand Pine
Pinus clausa is a small, often shrubby tree from , exceptionally to tall, found in two separate locations, one across central peninsular Florida, and the other in the western Florida panhandle and the Alabama coast; there is a range gap of about between the populations...
(Pinus clausa) scrub
Florida scrub
Florida scrub is an endangered temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the state of Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by a xeromorphic plant community dominated by shrubs and dwarf oaks. Scrub soils, a type of entisol, are derived...
and the high pineland
Pine barrens
Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pinelands occur throughout the northeastern U.S. from New Jersey to Maine as well as the Midwest and Canada....
s of turkey oak (Quercus laevis) and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), and is found in the slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and turkey oak habitat of the southern ridge sandhill
Sandhill
A sandhill is a type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem. It is not the same as a sand dune. It features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and become more oak dominated.Entisols are the typical...
s, and in scrubby flatlands, and in coastal scrub associations. Home ranges average roughly 1 acre (0.404686 ha), and are smaller in the flatlands. Populations are greater in the scrub and flatlands than in the highlands. Its largest populations may occur within Ocala National Forest
Ocala National Forest
The Ocala National Forest is the second largest National Forest in the U.S. state of Florida and covers approximately of Central Florida. It is located three miles east of Ocala and southeast of Gainesville...
and the scrubs along Lake Wales Ridge
Lake Wales Ridge
The Lake Wales Ridge is a low ridge running for about 150 miles south to north in Central Florida. The greater part of the ridge is in Highlands County and Polk County, but it extends north into Osceola, Orange and Lake Counties. It is named for the city of Lake Wales, roughly at the mid point of...
.
Behavior
The Florida mouse is nocturnal, and is active throughout the year except on especially cold nights. The mouse can climb, but is primarily a terrestrial species. In laboratory experiments, P. floridanus used its forepaws to dig and throw substrate backwards while other species mainly used their hindfeet to do the same.Shelter
Burrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, so the burrowing way of life is quite popular among the...
of the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus
Gopherus polyphemus
The gopher tortoise is a species of the Gopherus genus native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide shelter for 360 other animal species...
). The mouse makes nest chambers, small side passages, sometimes a pad of oak leaves and wiregrass
Aristida stricta
Aristida stricta is a warm-season grass, native to North America, that dominates understory vegetation in sandhills and flatwoods coastal plain ecosystems of the Southeastern United States...
es for chamber floors, and small chimney openings in the roof of the burrow. It uses these openings, the main entrance, and side passages for entrance to and exit from the burrow. In the absence of gopher tortoise burrows, the mouse will use those of the oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) or will make its own.
Diet
The Florida mouse is an omnivoreOmnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
and its diet consists of acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
s when available, insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, nut
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
s, fungi
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
, and other plant material and vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s. A 1987 report indicates the mouse feeds on engorged tick
Tick
Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...
s (Ornithodorus turicata americanus) that parasitize gopher frogs (Rana areolata) and gopher tortoises.
Reproduction
Florida mice breed throughout the year with a peak between July and December, a lesser peak in January and February, and a lull or cessation in April and May. Unlike most muridMurid
Murid is a Sufi term meaning 'committed one' from the root meaning "willpower" or "self-esteem". It refers to a person who is committed to a Murshid in a Tariqa of Sufism. Also known as a Salik , a murid is an initiate into the mystic philosophy of Sufism. When the Talib makes a pledge to a...
s, copulatory behavior lacks intravaginal thrusting, the intromission thrust is more intense than the dismount, there is no lock, and ejaculation
Ejaculation
Ejaculation is the ejecting of semen from the male reproductory tract, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential component of natural conception. In rare cases ejaculation occurs because of prostatic disease...
occurs with every thrust.
Gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
is about 23 or 24 days. The mice dig side burrows off the main burrow of the gopher tortoise, line them with shredded plant material, and use them as nurseries. In eight litters of young conceived in the wild but born in the laboratory, litter size numbers varied from two to four for an average of 3.1 per litter. The young are born in nests in the burrow. Newborn weigh 1.9 gram and measure in total length 44 mm (1.7 in); tail length 12 mm (0.47244094488189 in); and hind foot length 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in). Teeth begin appearing on the fourth day, the young are active and agile about the 10th day, and the eyes open about the 16th day. Nursing is virtually non-stop for the first two weeks of life. Weaning occurs at three to four weeks, and the young display adult behavior at this time.
Survival
Ectoparasites are seven species of miteMite
Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...
s, five tick
Tick
Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...
s, five flea
Flea
Flea is the common name for insects of the order Siphonaptera which are wingless insects with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood...
s, a louse
Louse
Lice is the common name for over 3,000 species of wingless insects of the order Phthiraptera; three of which are classified as human disease agents...
, and the subdermal botfly
Botfly
A botfly is any fly in the family Oestridae, which includes all the members of the former families Cuterebridae, Gasterophilidae, and Hypodermatidae. It is the only family of flies whose larvae live as obligate parasites within the bodies of mammals, with the exception of a few screwworm flies in...
larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
, Cuterebra. Known endoparasites are three species of protozoans found in fecal smears, one trematode, four cestodes, seven nematode
Nematode
The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...
s, and nymphal pentastomids found in various internal organs.
In 2010, exact population size was unknown, but estimated to be in the several thousands and decreasing. Presumed predators are snakes, birds of prey, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
s, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s, and fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es. A high number of shortened tails have been observed in the mice and a modified integument in the tail facilitates tail loss, probably as an anti-predator mechanism.
Few wild individuals have a lifespan
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
of over a year, though captive individuals may live for several years. One captive male lived seven years, four months.
Relations with humans and conservation
The species in all probability has little or no direct impact or influence on human interests and concerns but agricultural and real estate development are a threat to the species' very narrow habitatHabitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
. Collecting specimens in the dry ridges is complicated by the millions of ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s which eat the bait in the trap the moment it is set on the ground. Live collecting is the alternative, but the bait is usually digested by the time the animal is taken from the trap, making food research difficult if not impossible.
As early as 1998, the Florida mouse was a federal C2 candidate taxon, and considered Threatened by the Florida Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals. The mouse was named a Species of Special Concern by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. The Florida mouse inhabits a restricted habitat in the United States and that habitat is threatened not only by agricultural and real estate development but by wildfire suppression. Habitat decline is expected to continue into the future. The mouse is dependent upon gopher tortoise burrows, but disease and habitat loss are responsible for decline in the tortoise population. Red imported fire ant
Red imported fire ant
See main article Fire ant.The red imported fire ant , or simply RIFA, is one of over 280 species in the widespread genus Solenopsis...
s (Solenopsis invicta) threaten both tortoise and mouse populations. The IUCN has listed the species as Vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
and recommends further study of the species, maintenance of viable populations of gopher tortoises, and the preservation and management of suitable habitat for the species. The mouse is protected on several conservation lands across central Florida. Occurrences of the Florida mouse are protected at Archbold Biological Station
Archbold Biological Station
The Archbold Biological Station is a research institute with a surrounding estate near Lake Placid, Florida, USA. It includes an extensive area of Florida scrub, a scientifically interesting and highly threatened ecosystem...
, Ocala National Forest
Ocala National Forest
The Ocala National Forest is the second largest National Forest in the U.S. state of Florida and covers approximately of Central Florida. It is located three miles east of Ocala and southeast of Gainesville...
, and others.