Pallid beach mouse
Extinct subspecies of rodent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
| Pallid beach mouse | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Neotominae |
| Genus: | Peromyscus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | †P. p. decoloratus |
| Trinomial name | |
| †Peromyscus polionotus decoloratus A.H. Howell, 1939 | |
Distribution
It was known from two locations in Florida: Ponce Park, Volusia County and Bulow, Flagler County.
Description
The average pallid beach mouse was 4 to 8 centimetres (1.6 to 3.1 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.
