Saturday, March 5, 2016

Saturday Sightings- White-footed Mouse



Happy Saturday Everyone!  We are taking a break from the birds for this blog post to talk about this cute little guy.

The white-footed mouse is native to North America from Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia in Canada, the southwest USA and Mexico.  This species relies primarily on seeds and nuts, such as acorns and pecans for food.  These they store, when abundant, in their nests for winter, carrying their finds in internal cheek pouches much like squirrels.  During the summer, they eat fruits to some extent, insects, snails and other invertebrates. 

Where numerous in an area, they can become destructive of stored and shocked grains and consequently need to be controlled. But in most places they are of little or no economic significance if such natural predators as owls, snakes, and weasels are not destroyed.   The white-footed mouse is mainly nocturnal, territorial and solitary.  They can climb and swim well, with a good sense of direction, as well. 
Fun fact: white-footed mice drum on hollow reeds or dry leaves with their fore paws, producing a prolonged musical buzz, for which the meaning is unclear.
 
Have a great upcoming week!


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