The northern Chihuahuan Desert is blessed with a variety of mice of the genus Peromyscus. Although often people shudder at the idea of mice, these big-eyed cuties are very different than the introduced Old World house mouse. Sometimes they'll venture inside a house at season's change, but they mostly stick to the great outdoors.
The biggest problem they seem to cause is to students trying to learn
to identify them. Closely related, these mice seem at first glance to all look the
same; yet, they're really quite different. You just kinda need to know what to look
for: big, medium, or smallish ears; long, medium, or short tails; tail hairs short and
even or flaring out toward the tip of the tail—the types of things that don't jump
out at a student, but in combination clearly identify themselves: Pinyon Mouse, Rock
Mouse, Cactus Mouse, Deer Mouse, White-footed Mouse. Once familiar with their looks,
they're as distinctive as Joe with his big nose, Jerry with his flaming red hair,
or Tom with his dumbo ears. Well, almost, anyway.
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.