White-Footed Mouse
A white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) can be difficult to distinguish from a deer mouse, because they’re basically the same size and color. If you look closely, however, you’ll see the white-footed mouse has larger hind legs and less definition between the two colors on its tail.
It’s sometimes called a wood mouse, but that’s actually a different species native to Europe and Asia. These mice prefer to live in the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, but can be found as far west as the Rocky Mountains and as far south as the Yucatán Peninsula.
White-footed mice have excellent homing skills and can find their way home from up to two miles. They can also spread hantavirus.
Western Harvest Mouse
The Western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) lives primarily in the West from British Columbia to southern Mexico, but can be found as far east as Indiana. It’s four to six inches long including the tail, with brown fur on the upper body and white fur below.
This mouse is active all day and loves seeds. Like most mice, it doesn’t hibernate during the winter. While it prefers the outdoors, it will seek shelter in buildings during the cold months. It isn’t known to carry hantavirus.
Cotton Mouse
The cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus) inhabits U.S. woodlands and swamps, south from Texas to Florida and as far north as southern Virginia. It gets its name from building nests from raw cotton. It has grayish fur on the upper part of the body and white fur below.
Adults can be up to eight inches, including the tail. It’s nocturnal and omnivorous, feeding mostly on seeds, berries and insects. It doesn’t hibernate, but goes into a state of inactivity known as torpor during the hottest part of the summer.
