A small deer mouse from California which is unusual in forming long-term pair bonds, with males contributing to the raising of the young.

Life span
Probably less than 2 years in the wild, but can live up to 8 years in captivity.

Physical description
A deer mouse, with short brown fur, a pale underbelly and legs, large black eyes, a long bare tail and quite large rounded ears.

Distribution
Central and Southern California south to North-western Baja California.

Habitat
Woodland and scrubland.

Diet
Seeds, nuts, berries, fruits, insects and other small invertebrates

Behaviour
Deer mice (or white-footed mice) such as the California mouse are mainly nocturnal, nesting during the day in hollow logs, thick vegetation or burrows. They have a home range of about 0.15 hectares, shared by a pair which defend it aggressively against other individuals.

Reproduction
Females usually give birth to 2 young, at the coldest time of the year, after a gestation period of 21-27 days. Unusually, the pairs are monogamous - the males mate with only one female and stay with their mate over the long term, sharing the parenting costs equally. Experiments have shown that males perform all the tasks that females do, except for suckling, and that this helps the pair raise significantly more young than if the father abandoned the mother. The young are born blind and naked, and are nursed for 21-24 days before they are ready to leave the nest and disperse.

Conservation status
Not currently threatened.

Voice
Squeaks, buzzings and foot drumming.