Merriam's Pocket Mouse

About the Merriam's Pocket Mouse

Merriam's pocket mouse (Perognathus merriami) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in northeast Mexico and New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas in the United States. Its habitat is shortgrass prairie, desert areas with scrub and arid shrubland. The species is named to honor Clinton Hart Merriam, a biologist who first described several other members of the genus Perognathus, and first elucidated the principle of a "life zone" as a means of characterizing ecological areas with similar plant and animal communities.

Merriam's pocket mouse is a small species with a smooth silky coat. Adults average 115 mm (4.5 in) in total length including a tail averaging 65 mm (2.6 in) but the size and shade vary across the animal's range. The general color is yellowish with a dark sheen caused by the longer guard hairs having black tips. The underparts, legs and feet are white or creamy in color, and the tail is paler on its undersurface. There are dark streaks on the side of the face and a pale ring surrounds the eye. There is a white spot on the inner margin of the ear, a white patch under the ear and a small buff one behind it.

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