Plains Harvest Mouse

About the Plains Harvest Mouse

The plains harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys montanus) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in northern Mexico and the central United States. The dorsal part of the plains harvest mouse is grey with a darker grey mid-dorsal stripe, and the ventral part is whitish.

Its tail has less and shorter hair, with the same color as the mid-dorsal stripe. The body length of the plains harvest mouse is 54 to 146 millimetres (2.1 to 5.7 in) total, and the tail is 20 to 69 millimetres (0.79 to 2.72 in) long. The body mass of a female plains harvest mouse is 7.5 to 13.5 grams (0.26 to 0.48 oz), slightly larger than the male at 6.5 to 10.8 grams (0.23 to 0.38 oz). Its hair length differs by season, being 11 mm–12 mm in winter, and 6 mm–7 mm in summer.

R. montanus reaches breeding age at 85 days. The gestation period is about 21 days, and the time between successive gestations is 21 to 27 days. The breeding period for R. montanus living in colder regions (Central United States) is during June to August while in warmer regions (Central America) R. montanus can breed in every month of the year. Lactation period of the female is every... Wikipedia →