Chadwick Beach cotton mouse

The Chadwick Beach cotton mouse ( Peromyscus gossypinus restrictus ) is an extinct subspecies of the cotton mouse ( Peromyscus gossypinus ) of the genus Weißfußmäuse. They occurred in a very small area on the peninsula Manasota Key in Florida.

Features

The Chadwick Beach cotton mouse was smaller and lighter than the nominate form. The total length is 172 mm, tail length 72.5 mm, the Hinterfußlänge 22.3 mm, length 22.3 mm, the ears and the greatest length of skull 27.6 mm. The width of the zygomatic bone is 13.9 mm, the width between the eye sockets 4.4 mm, the Nasallänge 10.9 mm and the length of the teeth in the upper jaw 3.9 mm. The top surface has a pinkish- cinnamon color, which goes particularly at center back in a reddish brown. The underside is white with a light pink - buff blurring on the chest. The tail top is brown and the underside is buff. The back strip is narrower than in the nominate.

Occurrence

The type locality mentioned in the original description Chadwick Beach in Englewood in Sarasota County is now called Englewood Beach and is located in the southern part of Englewood in Charlotte County.

Habitat and behavior

The Chadwick Beach cotton mouse preferred maritime forests with a closed tree layer and Palmettopalmen, live oaks and cedars pencil as a character trees. In addition, it was found on coastal dunes, which are dominated by the grass Uniola paniculata ( "sea oats "). Like all cotton mice was the Chadwick Beach cotton mouse nocturnal. Nothing more is known about their way of life.

Status

The Chadwick Beach cotton mouse is known only from 15 specimens that were collected in March 1938 by Luther C. Goldman. It is now considered extinct, because despite intensive searches in Sarasota County and Charlotte County in the years 1984, 1985, 1988 and 1989 no copy has been demonstrated. Causes for the disappearance of this mouse could have been the clearing of forests in the extreme south of Sarasota County and the predation by feral cats.