Family: Heteromyidae, Pocket Mice and Kangaroo Rats view all from this family

Description Soft-furred. Color variable: pinkish buff to pale ochraceous salmon above, overlaid with black in varying degrees (some forms are nearly black). White or faintly buffy below. Buffy line on sides. Tail more than 3/4 length of head and body. L 4 7/8-6 3/4" (123-170 mm); T 2 7/8-3 3/4" (72-95 mm); HF 5/8- 7/8" (17-22 mm).

Similar Species Little Pocket Mouse is smaller, with shorter tail.

Breeding Mating season starts late February-early March; females have been found pregnant in April. 1-7 young per litter (average 3-5).

Habitat Desert scrub; in greasewood, rabbit bush, ephedra, and shortgrass; sometimes in short junipers and in creosote bush flats.

Range Much of Arizona.

Discussion The Arizona Pocket Mouse is primarily nocturnal, but is sometimes abroad in daylight. This species feeds almost entirely (95 percent) on seeds, with insects and green vegetation forming the remainder. Creosote bush seeds are the most important, followed by Pectocarya, heronbill, and plantain. The animals apparently find the seeds by digging at random in the sand. This pocket mouse most often occurs with Merriam's Kangaroo Rat, but is also associated with Harris' Antelope Squirrel, the Round-tailed Ground Squirrel, and the Desert Kangaroo Rat.