pallid beach mouse
{{Short description|Extinct subspecies of rodent}}
{{subspeciesbox
| name = Pallid beach mouse
| status = TX
| status_system = TNC
| extinct = 1959
| genus = Peromyscus
| species = polionotus
| subspecies = decoloratus
| authority = A.H. Howell, 1939
}}
The pallid beach mouse or Ponce de Leon beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus decoloratus), is an extinct subspecies of the oldfield mouse, a rodent in the family Cricetidae. It was a subspecies of the genus Peromyscus, a closely related group of New World mice often called "deermice". It was endemic to Florida in the United States.
Distribution
It was known from two locations in Florida: Ponce Park, Volusia County and Bulow, Flagler County.
Description
The average pallid beach mouse was {{convert|4|to|8|cm|in}} in length. This subspecies burrowed into dunes for protection.
Extinction
The exact cause of extinction is unknown, but it is presumed to have been from a combination of habitat destruction due to property development, competition with invasive rodents, and predation from feral cats.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q7127869}}
Category:Rodent extinctions since 1500
Category:Extinct animals of the United States
Category:Mammals described in 1939
{{Peromyscus-stub}}