Search Mississippi Mammals
family Information
The family Cricetidae encompasses 140 genera and almost 700 species, all of which represent the New World rats and mice. Cricetids are sciurognathous (the mandible inserts directly ventral to the molariform teeth) and myomorphous (deep portion of masseter muscle passes through the infraorbital foramen). They display a variety of feeding behaviors, reproductive strategies, and habitat preferences. For example, while most are terrestrial, some cricetids are fossorial, semi-arboreal, arboreal, semi-aquatic, or aquatic (Feldhamer et al. 2007).
Cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus) Deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) Eastern harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys humulis) Eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana) Fulvous harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys fulvescens) Golden mouse (Ochrotomys nuttalli) Hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) Marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris) Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) Oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) White-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) Woodland vole (Microtus pinetorum)
