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Florida Deermouse

Podomys floridanus

French: Péromyscus de Floride / German: Florida-Maus / Spanish: Raton ciervo de Florida

Other common names: Florida Mouse

Taxonomy. Hesperomys floridanus F. M. Chapman, 1889, Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida, USA.

Podomys initially was named as a subgenus in Peromyscus . Recent evidence suggested that Podomys was phylogenetically situated under Peromyscus, thus questioning its status as a valid genus as recognized here. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to Florida (SE USA).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 98-119 mm, tail 80-101 mm, ear 16-22 mm, hindfoot 24-28 mm; weight 27-47 g. The Florida Deermouse is medium-sized, with relatively large ears and eyes and distinct orange patch on cheek. Dorsum is brownish to brownish gray, venter is white, and sides and check region are bright ocherous. Tail is dark above and lighter below. Feet are white. It reportedly has a “skunk-like” odor. It can be distinguished from the Oldfield Deermouse ( Peromyscus polionotus) by larger overall size and from the Cotton Deermouse (PF. gossypinus) by brighter color and orangish face and sides.

Habitat. Most xeric forest and scrubland regions of Florida, including sand pine scrub, sandhills dominated by pine ( Pinus, Pinaceae) and oak ( Quercus, Fagaceae), scrubby flatlands, and coastal scrub habitats. In some areas, Florida Deermice are closely tied to presence of gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus), whose burrows are used for denning and nesting sites.

Food and Feeding. Diet is primarily composed of acorns, insects, seeds, nuts, fungi, and other plant materials.

Breeding. The Florida Deermouse is thought to reproduce year-round. Gestation lasts c.3—4 weeks (longer when lactating). Litters have 1-5 young (average 2-3). Young are weaned at 3—4 weeks. In the wild, only a small percentage of a population lives longer than one year.

Activity patterns. The Florida Deermouse is nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Average daily movement of Florida Deermice was 16-25 m, depending on habitat type, and average home ranges were 2601 m* for females and 4402 m?* for males.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Bradley et al. (2007), Carleton (1980, 1989), Humphrey et al. (1985), Jones (1990), Jones & Layne (1993), Layne (1966, 1970, 1990), Osgood (1909), Platt et al. (2015).