California mammals

California Mouse in California

Peromyscus californicus

Native to California SNR Unranked in California

Not listed as nonindigenous in California by USGS NAS; native to its California range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

MOUSE, CALIFORNIA (peromyscus californicus) (5-29-09) cerro alto campground road, slo co, ca -01 (3577515146)California Mouse (Peromyscus californicus)California mouse foraging on the forest floor among leaf litter and pine needlesCalifornia mouse on wet rocks at night, eyes reflecting the camera flashJuvenile California mouse on sandy ground beside dry leaves, showing oversized ears
Photo: ALAN SCHMIERER · CC0MOUSE, CALIFORNIA (peromyscus californicus) (5-29-09) cerro alto campground road, slo co, ca -01 (3577515146)Photo: Miriam Sachs Martin · CC BY 4.0California Mouse (Peromyscus californicus)Photo: Alan Schmierer · CC0California mouse foraging on the forest floor among leaf litter and pine needlesPhoto: Matt D'Agrosa · CC BY 4.0California mouse on wet rocks at night, eyes reflecting the camera flashPhoto: Bob Dodge · CC BY 4.0Juvenile California mouse on sandy ground beside dry leaves, showing oversized ears

California Mouse in California, by the numbers

Occasional in California 107th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

4,749 occurrence records
97 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

4,749 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 4,691 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the California Mouse in California

Most sightings fall in November to December.

4,691 California occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January275
February341
March475
April429
May484
June452
July424
August240
September245
October261
November490
December575

Monthly california mouse occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in November–December, with a smaller rise in March–July.

Occurrence map

Where California Mouse has been recorded in California

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Hastings Natural History Reserve 236
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument 80
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 72
Cleveland National Forest 39
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park 29
Los Padres National Forest 25
Lick Observatory UCSC 25
Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve 24

Protected places with the most california mouse sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in California

CountyRecords
San Diego County 766
Monterey County 654
Los Angeles County 454
Santa Clara County 405
Santa Barbara County 357
Riverside County 308
Plumas County 250
San Luis Obispo County 205
Santa Cruz County 204
San Bernardino County 195
San Mateo County 191
Orange County 190
16 other counties 570

The complete county distribution, spread across 28 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

California Mouse records in California fit chaparral, oak woodland, and brushy canyon slopes.

Reports center on the central and southern Coast Ranges and the Peninsular Ranges. They show where people have documented the species, and they don’t rank California’s best habitat.

Reports rise most clearly in Apr–May. That pattern can reflect animal movements, weather, and observer effort, so it isn’t a population count.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

MOUSE, CALIFORNIA (peromyscus californicus) (5-29-09) cerro alto campground road, slo co, ca -01 (3577515146)
Full species profile California Mouse Peromyscus californicus Size 11.7 cm4.6 in Weight 46 g1.6 oz Lifespan Up to 5.5 yr View the full profile

More mammals in California in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"