<- Back To Species Index

Ancestor: Mus musculus interstellaris (Ship Mouse)

Descendants: Pig-nosed Mice
Web-footed Mice
Grassmice

Size: 18cm (head-hind), 26cm (head-tail)

Dietary Needs: Eats primarily seeds (e.g. catnip, hemp) and grains (wild descendants of commercial grains), which it stashes in multiple hiding spots for the dry season. They also eat fruit and a few invertebrate grubs.

Life Cycle: Like their ancestors the females have a short oestrus cycle and the males use ultrasonic calls to attract females.  They have a short maturity at a little over two months, allowing for two or three litters on years with good conditions. Pinkies are  blind and helpless, born in nests built deeply within large tufts of grass, or in shallow burrows lined with bedding made of dry grass, fur and pest-repellent herbs and flowers. There are usually around 7 per litter, most of which don't survive their first year.

Other: These mice employ burrowing more than their ancestors, usually in soil that is firm but soft such as that on the flood plains. They might also dig in sandy soil. Sometimes this is to find food such as worms, but they might burrow to excavate a nesting spot if there is too much competition for conventional nesting spots, or for a place to get out of the sun when there isn't cover.

However they also live in close association with dense matted grass cover, where they can often be faintly heard foraging. Under such cover even if detected by a cat they can be difficult to reach through, with the grass acting like a net offering a barrier between the cat and mouse, giving the mouse more opportunity to escape after the cat has made it's pounce.

These mice have longer limbs and will occasionally use their feet in a digitgrade manner (though they are mostly plantigrade). They are very fast, agile and can change direction quickly. They can also jump better than the ancestor mouse, which they also use as a form of evasion.

They are behaviourally adaptive between solitary and communal living. Communal living gives them safety in numbers, but groups tend to disperse if food shortage arises. They use tail twitches as part of their communication when living with other mice.