Western Harvest Mouse

The western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) is a small neotomine mouse native to most of the western United States. Many authorities consider the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse to be a subspecies, but the two are now usually treated separately. == Distribution == Its range extends from southwest British Columbia and southeast Alberta continuously to west Texas, northeast Arkansas, northwest Indiana, southwest Wisconsin, and the interior of Mexico to Oaxaca. == Description and comparison with similar species == The harvest mouse has brownish fur with buff sides, a white belly, and an indistinct white stripe on the fur along the spine. Adults grow up to 11 to 17 centimetres (4.3 to 6.7 in) in length with a tail length of 5 to 10 centimetres (2.0 to 3.9 in). Their height (from the ground to the highest point of their back) is between 1.5 and 2.0 centimeters. A mature mouse weighs anywhere from 9 to 22 grams (0.32 to 0.78 oz). There is no sexual dimorphism in this species. Similar species are the plains harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys montanus), which has a more distinct but narrower stripe on its spine, and the fulvous harvest mouse (R. fulvescens), which has a longer tail.…