Santa Cruz mouse
{{Short description|Species of rodent}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Santa Cruz mouse
| status = EN | status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Peromyscus
| species = sejugis
| authority = Burt, 1932
| synonyms =
}}
The Santa Cruz mouse (Peromyscus sejugis) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is a species of the genus Peromyscus, a closely related group of New World mice often called "deermice". It is endemic to Mexico, where it is found only on two small islands in the southern Gulf of California. Feral cats on Santa Cruz Island are a threat.
Description
The Santa Cruz mouse is a relatively large member of its genus, measuring {{convert|16|to|20|cm|abbr=on}} in total length, including a tail {{convert|7|to|9|cm|abbr=on}} long, and weighing an average of {{convert|22|g|abbr=on}}. The fur on the upper parts of the body is a dull greyish color, with a yellow-brown face, and sometimes a yellowish line along the flanks. The underparts are white, and the tail is distinctly darker on its upper surface than on its lower. It is generally similar in appearance to the North American deermouse, but is larger, with a longer snout and a duller color.{{cite journal | author = Alvarez-Castañeda, S.T. | date = 2001 | title = Peromyscus sejugis | journal = Mammalian Species | url = http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/658_Peromyscus_sejugis.pdf | pages = 1–2 | doi = 10.1644/1545-1410(2001)658<0001:ps>2.0.co;2 | volume = 658 | s2cid = 198969104 | access-date = 30 May 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235843/http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/658_Peromyscus_sejugis.pdf | archive-date = 3 March 2016 | url-status = dead }}
Distribution and habitat
The mouse is found only on Santa Cruz Island and the neighboring islet of San Diego, both of which lie in the south-western Gulf of California, about {{convert|17|km|abbr=on}} from the mainland. The larger island, with an area of {{convert|14|km2|abbr=on}}, is rocky and rugged, with the dominant vegetation including elephant trees, clustervines, and nettlespurge. Mice have been collected from the bottoms of ravines on the island, rather than on the hilltops. San Diego Island, with an area of just {{convert|1.3|km2|abbr=on}}, is little more than a single rocky mound with some ground vegetation and cacti. Santa Cruz mice are the only native mammals known to live on the islands.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Neotominae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1761160}}
Category:Endemic mammals of Mexico
Category:Endemic fauna of the Baja California Peninsula
Category:Rodents of North America
Category:Fauna of Gulf of California islands
Category:Endangered biota of Mexico
Category:Endangered fauna of North America
Category:Mammals described in 1932
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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