Peromyscus leucopus
Silhouette: Nina Skinner · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) is a rodent native to North America from southern Canada to the Southwestern United States and Mexico. It is a species of the genus Peromyscus, a closely related group of New World mice often called "deermice". In the Maritimes, its only location is a disjunct population in southern Nova Scotia. It is also erroneously known as the woodmouse, a name which instead describes the unrelated Apodemus sylvaticus, particularly in Texas.
Adults are 90–100 mm (3.5–3.9 in) in length, not counting the tail, which can add another 63–97 mm (2.5–3.8 in). A young adult weighs 20–30 g (0.7–1.1 oz). While their maximum lifespan is 96 months, the mean life expectancy for the species is 45.5 months for females and 47.5 for males. In northern climates, the average life expectancy is 12–24 months. The species is similar to the eastern deer mouse (P. maniculatus).
White-footed mice are omnivorous, and eat seeds and insects. They are particularly voracious predators of the pupal stage of the invasive gypsy moth (also termed the spongy moth). They are timid and generally avoid humans, but they occasionally take up residence... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Squam Lakes Natural Science Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Blue Hills Trailside Museum Habitats | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Museum of Life and Science | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-footed Mouse sighting in Boston on a given day, based on 83 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 13th most-seen of the 25 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-footed Mouse in Boston on a given day, against under 5% in April and August–September, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-footed Mouse sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 8 cities where we can rate White-footed Mouse sightings, Boston has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Philadelphia (United States, about 10%) and Washington (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-footed Mouse is recorded against all the mammals logged in Boston (83 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
