Peromyscus Explained

Peromyscus is a genus of rodents. They are commonly referred to as deer mice or deermice, not to be confused with the chevrotain or "mouse deer". They are New World mice only distantly related to the common house and laboratory mouse, Mus musculus. From this distant relative, Peromyscus species are distinguished by relatively larger eyes, and also often two-tone coloring, with darker colors over the dorsum (back), and white abdominal and limb hair-coloring. In reference to the coloring, the word Peromyscus comes from Greek words meaning "booted mouse". They are also accomplished jumpers and runners by comparison to house mice, and their common name of "deer mouse" (coined in 1833) is in reference to both this agility as well as their two-toned coloring.^[1]

The most common species of deer mice in the continental United States are two closely related species, P. maniculatus and P. leucopus. In the United States, Peromyscus is the most populous mammalian genus overall, and has become notorious in the western United States as a carrier of hantaviruses.^{[2] [3]}

Reservoir of human disease

Hantavirus

Deer mice came to the attention of the public when it was discovered that some species, such as eastern and western deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus and P. sonoriensis, respectively) are primary reservoir species for Sin Nombre hantavirus.^{[2] [4] [5]}

Lyme disease

A 2008 study in British Columbia of 218 deer mice showed 30% (66) were seropositive for Borrelia burgdorferi,^[6] the agent of Lyme disease.

Other diseases

Ehrlichiosis and babesiosis are also carried by deer mice.^[7]

SARS-CoV-2 transmits efficiently in deer mice.^[8]

Use as a laboratory animal

While wild populations are sometimes studied,^[9] Peromyscus species are also easy to breed and keep in captivity, although they are more energetic and difficult to handle than the relatively more tame M. musculus. For certain studies, they are also favored over the laboratory mouse (M. musculus) and the laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus). Apart from their importance in studying infectious diseases, Peromyscus species are useful for studying phylogeography, speciation, chromosomes, genetics, ecology, population genetics, conservation^[10] and evolution in general. They are also useful for researching repetitive-movement disorders.^{[11] [12] [13] [14]} Their use in aging research is because Peromyscus spp., despite being of similar size to the standard laboratory mouse, have maximum lifespans of 5–7 years, compared to the 3-year maximum lifespan of ad libitum-fed laboratory strains or wild-caught M. musculus.

The Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center at the University of South Carolina was established by Professor Wallace Dawson in 1985 to raise animals of the peromyscine species for research and educational use. This institute maintains populations of several different species (including Peromyscus californicus, Peromyscus maniculatus, Peromyscus melanophrys, Peromyscus eremicus, and Peromyscus aztecus). A variety of mutations affecting their behavior, biochemistry, and the color of their coats is exhibited in these genetic lines.

An American scientist once asked, "How do you go out there and vaccinate a bunch of deer mice against Hantavirus by hand?"^[15] In 2017, Rocky Mountain Laboratories started a deer mouse (Peromyscus) colony.^[16] The BSL-4 laboratory had used deer mice as a model for research on self-spreading vaccines.^{[17] [18]} SARS-CoV-2 transmits efficiently in deer mice.^[19]

Species

• Peromyscus
  • californicus group
    • California deermouse – P. californicus
  • eremicus group
    • Cactus mouse – P. eremicus
    • Burt's deer mouse– P. caniceps
    • Dickey's deer mouse – P. dickeyi
    • Eva's desert mouse – P. eva
    • Northern Baja deer mouse– P. fraterculus
    • Angel Island mouse – P. guardia – possibly extinct
      • P. g. guardia – last seen 1991
      • P. g. mejiae – extinct (1973)
      • P. g. harbisoni – extinct (1963)
      • P. guardia subsp. indet. from Estanque Island – extinct (1998)
    • San Lorenzo mouse – P. interparietalis
    • Mesquite mouse – P. merriami
    • Pemberton's deer mouse – P. pembertoni – extinct (1931)
    • False canyon mouse – P. pseudocrinitus
  • hooperi group
    • Hooper's mouse – P. hooperi
  • crinitus group
    • Canyon mouse – P. crinitus
  • maniculatus group
    • Eastern deer mouse − P. maniculatus
    • Yukon deer mouse – P. sp.
    • Gambel's deer mouse – P. gambelii^[20]
    • Northwestern deer mouse – P. keeni
    • Southern deer mouse – P. labecula^[20]
    • Black-eared mouse – P. melanotis
    • †Giant island deer mouse – P. nesodytes – extinct
    • Oldfield mouse or beach mouse – P. polionotus
      • P. p. allophrys
      • P. p. ammobates
      • Pallid beach mouse P. p. decoloratus – extinct (1959)
      • P. p. leucocephalus
      • P. p. niveiventris
      • P. p. peninsularis
      • Anastasia Island beach mouse P. p. phasma
      • P. p. trissyllepsis
    • Santa Cruz mouse – P. sejugis
    • Slevin's mouse – P. slevini
    • Western deer mouse – P. sonoriensis^[20]
  • leucopus group
    • White-footed mouse – P. leucopus
    • Cotton mouse – P. gossypinus
      • Key Largo cotton mouse P. g. allapaticola
      • †Chadwick Beach cotton mouse P. g. restrictus – extinct (1938)
  • aztecus group
    • Aztec mouse – P. aztecus
    • Transvolcanic deer mouse – P. hylocetes
    • Oaxacan deer mouse – P. oaxacensis
    • Gleaning mouse – P. spicilegus
    • Winkelmann's mouse – P. winkelmanni
  • boylii group
    • Brush mouse – P. boylii
    • Orizaba deer mouse – P. beatae
    • Carleton's deer mouse – P. carletoni^[21]
    • Ensink's deer mouse – P. ensinki^[22]
    • Greenbaum's deer mouse – P. greenbaumi^[22]
    • Kilpatrick's deer mouse – P. kilpatricki^[23]
    • Nimble-footed mouse – P. levipes
    • Tres Marías Island mouse – P. madrensis
    • Chihuahuan mouse – P. polius
    • La Palma deer mouse – P. sagax
    • Schmidly's deer mouse – P. schmidlyi
    • Nayarit mouse – P. simulus
    • San Esteban Island mouse – P. stephani
  • truei group
    • Pinyon mouse – P. truei
    • Texas mouse – P. attwateri
    • Perote mouse - P. bullatus
    • Zacatecan deer mouse or southern rock mouse – P. difficilis
    • Osgood's mouse – P. gratus
    • Northern white-ankled mouse – P. laceianus^[24]
    • Northern rock mouse – P. nasutus
    • El Carrizo deer mouse – P. ochraventer
    • Southern white-ankled mouse – P. pectoralis
  • melanophrys group
    • Plateau mouse – P. melanophrys
    • Puebla deer mouse – P. mekisturus – possibly extinct
    • Tawny deer mouse – P. perfulvus
  • furvus group
    • Blackish deer mouse – P. furvus
    • Wide-rostrum deer mouse – P. latirostris^[25]
  • megalops group
    • Brown deer mouse – P. megalops
    • Black-wristed deer mouse – P. melanocarpus - assignment to the species group tentative
    • Black-tailed mouse – P. melanurus
  • mexicanus group
    • Mexican deer mouse – P. mexicanus
    • Baker's deer mouse – P. bakeri
    • Carol Patton's deer mouse – P. carolpattonae^[26]
    • Gardner's deer mouse – P. gardneri^[27]
    • Big deer mouse – P. grandis
    • Guatemalan deer mouse – P. guatemalensis
    • Naked-eared deer mouse – P. gymnotis
    • Maya mouse – P. mayensis
    • Talamancan deer mouse – P. nudipes
    • Nicaraguan deer mouse – P. nicaraguae
    • Salvadoran deer mouse – P. salvadorensis
    • Stirton's deer mouse – P. stirtoni
    • Chimoxan deer mouse – P. tropicalis^[28]
    • Yucatán deer mouse – P. yucatanicus
    • Chiapan deer mouse – P. zarhynchus

External links

• The song of the deer mouse
• Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center (University of South Carolina)
• Deer Mice Fact Sheet from the National Pest Management Association—with information on habits, habitat and health threats
• Hantavirus at the Washington State Department of Health
• Peromyscus photos

Notes and References

1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deer%20mouse Deer mouse etymology from Merriam-Webster. Accessed April 6, 2025
2. https://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/phys/virology.htm CDC – Hantavirus
3. http://www.sc.edu/research/pdf/Bioengineering.pdf What if ...
4. It's Official—The Deer Mouse Is Deadly. Newsmagazine . 18 July 1994. 21 . 31. 43.
5. 9847363. 1999. Netski. D. Thran. BH. St. Jeor. SC. Sin Nombre virus pathogenesis in Peromyscus maniculatus. 73. 1. 585–91. 103864. Journal of Virology. 10.1128/JVI.73.1.585-591.1999.
6. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/08vol34/dr-rm3401a-eng.php Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR) – Vol.34 CCDR-01 – Public Health Agency of Canada
7. Crossland, J. and Lewandowski, A. (2006). Peromyscus – A fascinating laboratory animal model . Techtalk 11:1–2.
8. Griffin . B. . 14 June 2021 . SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in the North American deer mouse . Nature. 12 . 1 . 3612 . 10.1038/s41467-021-23848-9 . 34127676 . 8203675 . 2021NatCo..12.3612G .
9. Tietje. William D.. Lee. Derek E.. Vreeland. Justin K.. 2008. Survival and Abundance Of Three Species Of Mice In Relation to Density Of Shrubs and Prescribed Fire In Understory Of An Oak Woodland In California. The Southwestern Naturalist. 53. 3. 357–369. 10.1894/PS-35.1. 2008SWNat..53..357T . 54586518.
10. Cobo-Simón. Irene. Méndez-Cea. Belén. Portillo. Héctor. Elvir. Fausto. Vega. Hermes. Gallego. Francisco Javier. Fontecha. Gustavo. 2019. Testing the effectiveness of conservation management within biosphere reserves: the case of the Mexican deer mouse (Peromyscus mexicanus) as a bioindicator. Integrative Zoology. 14. 5. 422–434. 10.1111/1749-4877.12371. 30585414. 58592507 .
11. Joyner CP, Myrick LC, Crossland JP, Dawson WD . 11406688. 1998. Deer Mice As Laboratory Animals. 39. 4. 322–330. ILAR Journal . 10.1093/ilar.39.4.322. free.
12. Dewey, M.J. . Dawson, W.D. . amp . 10.1002/gene.1011. Deer mice: "The Drosophila of North American mammalogy". 2001. Genesis. 29. 3. 105–9. 11252049. 40389176 .
13. Book: Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources (U.S.). Committee on Animal Models for Research on Aging. National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Animal Models for Research on Aging. Mammalian Models for Research on Aging. registration. 1981. National Academies. 978-0-309-03094-6.
14. 19713521. 2009. Linnen. CR. Kingsley. EP. Jensen. JD. Hoekstra. HE. On the origin and spread of an adaptive allele in deer mice. 325. 5944. 1095–8. 10.1126/science.1175826. 2736094. 2009Sci...325.1095L. Science.
15. Web site: Vaccines of the future could be as contagious as viruses . 5 June 2017 . popsci.com . 5 June 2017.
16. Williamson . B. . 17 May 2021 . Continuing Orthohantavirus Circulation in Deer Mice in Western Montana . Viruses. 13 . 6 . 1006 . 10.3390/v13061006 . free . 34072112 . 8226622 .
17. Nuismer . S. . 21 September 2020 . Bayesian estimation of Lassa virus epidemiological parameters: Implications for spillover prevention using wildlife vaccination . PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 14 . 9 . e0007920 . 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007920 . free . 32956349 . 7529244 .
18. Web site: Scudellari . Megan . Journal Club: Can transmissible vaccines have a major role in eradicating disease? . en . 10.1073/journal-club.2387 . 14 November 2016. 1 July 2025 .
19. Fagre . A. . 21 May 2021 . SARS-CoV-2 infection, neuropathogenesis and transmission among deer mice: Implications for spillback to New World rodents . PLOS Pathogens. 17 . 5 . e1009585 . 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009585 . free . 34010360 . 7418741 .
20. Bradley, R. D. . etal. October 2019 . Mitochondrial DNA sequence data indicates evidence for multiple species within Peromyscus maniculatus. Special Publications, Texas Tech University. 70 . 1–59.
21. Bradley, R. D. . etal. 2014 . Morphometric, karyotypic, and molecular evidence for a new species of Peromyscus (Cricetididae: Neotominae) from Nayarit, Mexico. Journal of Mammalogy . 95 . 176–186. 10.1644/13-MAMM-A-217. free.
22. Bradley . Robert D. . Ordóñez-Garza . Nicté . Thompson . Cody W. . Wright . Emily A. . Ceballos . Gerardo . Kilpatrick . C. William . Schmidly . David James . 2022 . 10.1093/jmammal/gyab128 . 255–274 . Two new species of Peromyscus (Cricetidae: Neotominae) from the Transverse Volcanic Belt of Mexico . Journal of Mammalogy . 103 . 2. 35422678 . 8996035 .
23. Bradley, R. D. . etal. 2017 . A new species in the Peromyscus boylii species group (Cricetidae: Neotominae) from Michoacan, Mexico . Journal of Mammalogy . 98 . 154–165. 10.1093/jmammal/gyw160. 88766413. free.
24. Bradley, R. D. . etal. 2019 . Molecular and morphological data reveals multiple species in Peromyscus pectoralis. Journal of Mammalogy. 96 . 2. 446–459. 10.1093/jmammal/gyv049. 26937045. 4668931 . free.
25. Avila-Valle, Z. A. . etal. 2012 . Geographic variation and molecular evidence blackish deer mouse complex (Peromyscus furvus, Rodentia: Muridae). Mammalian Biology. 77 . 166–177. 10.1016/j.mambio.2011.09.008.
26. Alvarez, S. T. . etal. October 2019 . Two new species of Peromyscus from Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala. Special Publications, Texas Tech University. 71 . 543–558.
27. Lorenzo, C. . etal. January 2016 . Revision of the Chiapan deer mouse, Peromyscus zarhynchus, with the description of a new species . Journal of Mammalogy . 97 . 3 . 910–918 . 10.1093/jmammal/gyw018. free .
28. Perez-Consuegra, S. G. . Vazquez-Dominguez, E. . 2015 . Mitochondrial diversification of the Peromyscus mexicanus species group in Nuclear Central America: biogeographic and taxonomic implications. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 26 . 4 . 300–311 . 10.1111/jzs.12099. free .