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Pallid beach mouse

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Pallid beach mouse

Presumed Extinct (1959)  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
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

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.

Distribution

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It was known from two locations in Florida: Ponce Park, Volusia County and Bulow, Flagler County.

Description

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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

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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.

References

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  1. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 21 March 2023.