Plains Pocket Mouse
Perognathus flavescens

• Order: Rodentia
• Family: Heteromyidae (Pocket Mice and Kangaroo Rats)
• Species: Perognathus flavescens (pair-ogg-NAY-thus flah-VESS-sens)
• Common English Names: Plains Pocket Mouse

The population at White Sands is notably light colored, as seen in this photograph. (Image courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service).

Remarks

There are questions as to whether there is one species or two closely related species. Those that accept two species limit the name P. flavescens to populations east of the Pecos; mice west of the Pecos are assigned to P. apache, with the common name of Apache Pocket Mouse.

Last Update: 19 Jul 2009