"Deer mouse" redirects here. For a broader category of rodents which includes other deer mouse species, seeNeotominae. For the species often called deer mouse, seePeromyscus maniculatus.
Peromyscus is agenus ofrodents. They are commonly referred to asdeer mice ordeermice, not to be confused with thechevrotain or "mouse deer". They areNew World mice only distantly related to the common house and laboratory mouse,Mus musculus. From this relative,Peromyscus species are distinguished by relatively larger eyes, and also oftentwo-tone coloring, with darker colors over the dorsum (back), and white abdominal and limb hair-coloring. In reference to the coloring, the wordPeromyscus comes from Greek words meaning "booted mouse".[2] They are also accomplished jumpers and runners by comparison to house mice, and their common name of "deer mouse" (coined in 1833) is in reference to this agility.[3]
While wild populations are sometimes studied,[9]Peromyscus species are also easy to breed and keep in captivity, although they are more energetic and difficult to handle than the relatively more tameM. musculus. For certain studies, they are also favored over thelaboratory mouse (M. musculus) and thelaboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus). Apart from their importance in studying infectious diseases,Peromyscus species are useful for studyingphylogeography,speciation,chromosomes,genetics,ecology,population genetics, conservation[10] andevolution in general. They are also useful for researching repetitive-movement disorders.[11][12][13][14] Their use in aging research is becausePeromyscus spp., despite being of similar size to the standard laboratory mouse, have maximum lifespans of 5–7 years, compared to the 3-year maximum lifespan ofad libitum-fed laboratory strains or wild-caughtM. musculus.[2]
^Tietje, William D.; Lee, Derek E.; Vreeland, Justin K. (2008). "Survival and Abundance Of Three Species Of Mice In Relation to Density Of Shrubs and Prescribed Fire In Understory Of An Oak Woodland In California".The Southwestern Naturalist.53 (3):357–369.Bibcode:2008SWNat..53..357T.doi:10.1894/PS-35.1.S2CID54586518.
^Cobo-Simón, Irene; Méndez-Cea, Belén; Portillo, Héctor; Elvir, Fausto; Vega, Hermes; Gallego, Francisco Javier; Fontecha, Gustavo (2019). "Testing the effectiveness of conservation management within biosphere reserves: the case of the Mexican deer mouse (Peromyscus mexicanus) as a bioindicator".Integrative Zoology.14 (5):422–434.doi:10.1111/1749-4877.12371.PMID30585414.S2CID58592507.
^Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources (U.S.). Committee on Animal Models for Research on Aging; National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Animal Models for Research on Aging (1981).Mammalian Models for Research on Aging. National Academies.ISBN978-0-309-03094-6.
^abcdBradley, R. D.; et al. (October 2019). "Mitochondrial DNA sequence data indicates evidence for multiple species withinPeromyscus maniculatus".Special Publications, Texas Tech University.70:1–59.
_(9310532204).jpg)
