Southern Grasshopper Mouse

About the Southern Grasshopper Mouse

The southern grasshopper mouse or scorpion mouse (Onychomys torridus) is a species of predatory rodent in the family Cricetidae, native to Mexico and the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah in the United States. Notable for its resistance to venom, it routinely preys on the highly venomous Arizona bark scorpion.

The southern grasshopper mouse is a robust, small, nocturnal species that typically forms monogamous pairs. It has a short tail, growing to a total length of 120 to 163 mm (4.7 to 6.4 in). The head, back and sides are pinkish- or grayish-brown while the underparts are white, the two colors being distinctly separated. The tail is club-shaped, short and broad, the anterior part being the same color as the body and the tip being white.

The southern grasshopper mouse feeds almost entirely on arthropods, such as beetles, grasshoppers and scorpions. In addition to arthropods, it is known to prey upon the little pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris) and the western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis).

In the arid regions inhabited by the southern grasshopper mouse, the Arizona bark scorpion is plentiful and avoided by... Wikipedia →