Perognathus flavescens
plains pocket mouse

Perognathus flavescens (plains pocket mice) can be found in the Great Plains region of North America, ranging from the northern edge of Mexico northward to Minnesota and the Dakotas. (Davis and Schmidly, 1997; Jones and Birney, 1988)

Generally P. flavescens resides in open habitats made up of loose, sandy soil, with little to moderate vegetation. The species has occasionally been noted to reside in other types of environments. These animals commonly build vertical burrows underneath a bush or plant. These burrows are small hills about 10 cm in diameter with several small holes leading about 15 to 20 cm underground. Most of these holes are approximately the size of a person's finger. The main entrance to the burrow is plugged every time the animal is inside the burrow. A burrow consists of a nesting area and several caches, or places for food storage. (Brown, 1966; Burt and Grossenheider, 1976; Davis and Schmidly, 1997; Easterla, 1967; Jones and Birney, 1988; Monk and Jones, 1996; Thompson, 2002)

P. flavescens has short pelage that is a dark-buff color with a hint of black hairs mixed in on the dorsal side. The ventrum is a lighter buff to white, and is separated from the dorsal pelage by a a lateral line. Although the color of the pelage varies geographically, the ventral side is usually patchy in color, rarely is it all white regardless of locality. (Burt and Grossenheider, 1976; Davis and Schmidly, 1997; Easterla, 1967; Hazard, 1982; Jones and Birney, 1988; Monk and Jones, 1996; Thompson, 2002; Williams, 1999)

P. flavescens has some interesting morphological characteristics, including external fur-lined cheek pouches, six mammae, and their upper incisors are grooved. This species also has a dental formula of I 1/1, C 0/0, P 1/1 M 3/3 = 20. (Davis and Schmidly, 1997; Easterla, 1967; Hazard, 1982; Jones and Birney, 1988; Monk and Jones, 1996; Thompson, 2002; Williams, 1999)

Body length of these animals ranges between 110 and 155 mm. Tail length is between 49 and 89 mm. Hind foot length is 16 to 18 mm, and ear length is 5 to 7 mm. These animals weigh between 7 and 16 g. Size and body proportions vary geographically, but there is no consistent sexual dimorphism. (Davis and Schmidly, 1997; Easterla, 1967; Hazard, 1982; Jones and Birney, 1988; Monk and Jones, 1996; Thompson, 2002; Williams, 1999)

It has been determined by tooth wear that plains pocket mice seldom live beyond one to two years, although they have been known to live slightly longer in captivity. (Monk and Jones, 1996; Williams, 1999)

Plains pocket mice are nocturnal, although they will forage during the day when skies are overcast. Their nocturnal activity is reduced when the moon is full and very bright, possibly as a means of escaping detection by nocturnal predators. These animals also either enter a torpor period or hibernate when the weather becomes extremely cold. Even though these animals are inactive in the cold, they will become active for short periods to feed on stored food. (Hazard, 1982; Jones and Birney, 1988; Williams, 1999)

Home Range

P. flavescens has a home range of about 404 square meters. (Thompson, 2002)

There is little information known about how plains pocket mice communicate. However, we can infer that, as mammals, they use some combination of accoustic and visual signals. Tactile communciation is undoubtedly of importance between mothers and their offspring, between mates, and possibly between rivals during mating or feeding competition. It is likely that there is some scent based communication, as phermones are important in mammals, although there have been no specific reports of this in this species.

P. flavescens is primarily a granivore, eating mostly seeds, but insects such as ants have been found in caches within their burrows. On occasion, plains pocket mice will also feed on different types of grain such as wheat and oats along with some types of grasses such as needle grass, sandbur grass, and pigeon grass. In times of low resources or overpopulation, they will feed largely on arthropods and insects. (Davis and Schmidly, 1997; Hazard, 1982; Jones and Birney, 1988; Monk and Jones, 1996; Thompson, 2002; Williams, 1999)

It has been observed that P. flavescens has the ability to climb stalks and stems of plants to retrieve seeds and fruits. (Davis and Schmidly, 1997; Hazard, 1982; Jones and Birney, 1988; Monk and Jones, 1996; Thompson, 2002; Williams, 1999)

Plains pocket mice obtain most of their water from the seeds that they digest. However, it is thought that they also will lick dew and green plants to maintain their body fluids at an acceptable level. (Davis and Schmidly, 1997; Hazard, 1982; Jones and Birney, 1988; Monk and Jones, 1996; Thompson, 2002; Williams, 1999)

P. flavescens, like other species of rodents, is prey for many small carnivores, as well as raptors and reptiles. (Jones and Birney, 1988; Monk and Jones, 1996; Thompson, 2002)

P. flavescens is important within its ecosystem because it provides a food source for many different types of animals. Also, plains pocket mice gather and create food caches full of different types of seeds which helps disperse these seed. In addition to this, this species creates burrows full of tunnels which helps aerate the sand and soil in which it resides. (Burt and Grossenheider, 1976; Davis and Schmidly, 1997; Easterla, 1967; Jones and Birney, 1988; Monk and Jones, 1996; Thompson, 2002)

There is very little information about how this species negatively affects humans. These mice may be seen as a pest for agriculture because they have the ability to climb up stalks and stems to obtain seeds and fruits from crops. ()

P. flavescens most likely has no direct importance to humans. However, this species is appealing to science because it is the only animal in Minnesota that is adapted to an arid climate. This is significant because it raises many questions about the ecosystems in Minnesota. (Hazard, 1982)

This species is not listed by CITES or IUCN. It is not endangered within the United States.

There has been a recent debate as to whether P. apache and P. flavescens are two different species, or if they should be considered subspecies of P. flavescens. (Williams, 1999)

The genus name Perognathus is comes from the Greek words pera, meaning pouch, and gnathus, meaning jaw. It describes the fur-lined cheek pouches that are characteristic of this genus. The species name flavescens comes from a Latin word meaning yellowish, which describes the pelage of this species. (Monk and Jones, 1996)