California Pocket Mouse

The California pocket mouse (Chaetodipus californicus) is a species of nocturnal and primarily solitary rodent in the family Heteromyidae. == Distribution == Chaetodipus californicus is native to California in the western United States and northern Baja California state in north-western Mexico. It is found in habitats, such as California chaparral and woodlands, in Southern California throughout the Southern Sierra Nevada, Southern California Coast Ranges, and the Transverse Ranges; and in Southern California and northern Baja California in the Peninsular Ranges. Eight known subspecies of C. californicus exist throughout its distribution. They are C. c. californicus, C. c. femoralis, C. c. dispar, C. c. mesopolius, C. c. ochrus, C. c. bernandinus, C. c. bensoni, and C. c. merinensis. They can be found around Berkeley in Alameda Co.; Dulzura, San Diego Co.; Carpenteria, Santa Barbara Co.; Sierra San Pedro Martir, Baja California; Santiago Springs, Kern Co.; San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino Co.; Soledad, Monterey Co.; and Indian Harbor, Monterey Co. The distribution boundaries for the Southern subspecies are less well known than the Northern ones. Despite their being relatively widespread over the majority of central and southern California, the known habitat of the Californian pocket mouse is shrinking due to climate…