Choctawhatchee beach mouse
Peromyscus polionotus allophrys
(Photo courtesy of Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit)
Taxonomic Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus/Species: Peromyscus polionotus
Subspecies: Peromyscus polionotus allophrys
Common Name: Choctawhatchee beach mouse
Listing Status
Federal Status: Endangered
FL Status: Federally-designated Endangered
FNAI Ranks: G5T1/S1 (Globally: Demonstrably Secure, Sub sp. Critically Imperiled/State:
Critically Imperiled)
IUCN Status: Not ranked
Physical Description
The Choctawhatchee beach mouse is a small old-field mouse that can reach a length of up to 5.5
inches (14 centimeters). Its dorsal (back) side is a light brown color which extends to around the
nostrils, while the belly is white. The tail is usually all white and can reach a length of two
inches (5.1 centimeters) (Florida Natural Areas Inventory 2001).
Choctawhatchee beach mouse
1|Page
Life History
The diet of the Choctawhatchee beach mouse primarily consists of seeds and fruit of dune plants,
and insects. Beach mice are nocturnal and disperse out of their burrows at night to forage.
Very little information is available about the life history of the Choctawhatchee beach mouse, so
information about the old-field mouse species (Peromyscus polionotus) is generally accepted as
the same. Breeding peaks during the winter months, but can occur year around if there is
adequate food available. Beach mice are monogamous and will mate with only one partner at a
time. The total gestation period for a beach mouse is 23 days, with the female giving birth to
four pups per litter. Females are also capable of breeding 24-hours after giving birth (Bird et al.
2009). Pups are weaned 18 days after being born (NatureServe 2011). Beach mice reach sexual
maturity at around 30 days of age (Foust 2002).
Habitat & Distribution
The Choctawhatchee beach mouse range is
limited to Florida from Choctawhatchee
Bay in Okaloosa County to St. Andrew Bay
in Bay County. Populations on
conservation lands are found in the sand
dunes on Shell Island, Grayton Beach, and
Topsail Hill (Florida Natural Areas
Inventory 2001).
Threats
The main threat facing the Choctawhatchee
beach mouse is the continued development
along beaches. Development along beaches
can cause destruction or degradation to sand
dunes limiting areas of habitat for the beach
mouse, and increasing fragmentation,
leading to isolation of populations. Increased human traffic on sand dunes is also a threat for the
beach mouse, as the increased traffic damages vegetation on dunes that the beach mice depend
on for food and shelter. Hurricanes also pose a risk to the beach mouse as they can cause
damage and destruction to their sand dune habitat with the accompanying intense winds and
storm surge. Other threats include increased predation from feral and free-ranging cats, foxes,
raccoons, and coyotes.
Conservation & Management
The Choctawhatchee beach mouse is protected as an Endangered species by the Federal
Endangered Species Act and as a Federally-designated Endangered species by Florida’s
Endangered and Threatened Species Rule.
Choctawhatchee beach mouse
2|Page
-Federal Recovery Plan
Other Informative Links
Animal Diversity Web
Florida Natural Areas Inventory
International Union for Conservation of Nature
NatureServe Explorer
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
University of Florida
University of South Carolina
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
References
Bird, B. L., Branch, L. C., & Hostetler, M. E. (n.d.). Beach Mice. Retrieved June 2, 2011, from
IFAS Extension: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw173
Florida Natural Areas Inventory. 2001. Field guide to the rare animals of Florida.
http://www.fnai.org/FieldGuide/pdf/Peromyscus_polionotus_allophrys.PDF
Foust, D. 2002. "Peromyscus polionotus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed August
10, 2011
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Peromyscus_polionot
us.html.
NatureServe. 2011. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application].
Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: August 10, 2011 ).
Choctawhatchee beach mouse
3|Page