There are many rodents in the kingdom Rodentia. One of these rodents is the Mexican Spiny Pocket Mouse. This mouse is different but not that different from other mice. Just like other mice, this mouse has predators. Mainly snakes and birds try to kill and eat this mouse. But what’s different about this mouse is that it has pouches in its cheeks to carry food. Obviously, this mouse is a tiny bit different.

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This mouse has an average description of a mouse. It is a medium sized mouse with a length of 1.7-14.6 inches long. They weigh up to 6.9 ounces. On the outer face, the fur is more spiny and harsh then on the body. On the top half of the body it is brown and on the bottom half it is white.

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The Mexican Spiny Pocket Mouse lives in North, Central, and South America. You can find them in deserts, grasslands, and forests-mainly in sandy areas. These animals have bipedal locomotion which means to walk on their hind legs. This helps them get away faster from predators. The mouse also has sensitive hearing to hear for predators around them.

This species is on the Red List of threatened species. They are on this list because of habitat destruction and loss of plant communities. The land has been tooken from these mice for the development of cultivation, grazing, and more. The species is on the edge of extinction. They have been listed “endangered” by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in California.

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Mexican Spiny Pocket Mice are granivores. Granivores are seed and grain eaters. Every night, these rodents come out of their burrows, in the desert, to dig for seeds. They stuff the seeds in their cheeks to save for later.

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This mouse is different but not too much different. Just like other mice, it is having habitat loss because of the development of businesses and more. It also has many predators that want to kill and eat it. They live in familiar places such as the U.S. Obviously this mouse is not too much different from other mice.

Author: Mariah K.

Published: 10/2012

Sources:
http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/liomirro.htm

http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/grze_16_00976.html