Peromyscus leucopus
Silhouette: Nina Skinner · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
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 Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 20th most-seen of the 27 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–April and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-footed Mouse in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–June and August–February, 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.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate White-footed Mouse sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%) and Acadia National Park (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 Great Smoky Mountains National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
