California mammals

Canyon mouse in California

Peromyscus crinitus

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.

AI-generated image: canyon mouse crouched alert on desert rock at dusk. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Canyon mouse foraging between desert rocks at dusk. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Canyon mouse close view on a desert rock showing its large ears. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
AI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracycanyon mouse crouched alert on desert rock at duskAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyCanyon mouse foraging between desert rocks at duskAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyCanyon mouse close view on a desert rock showing its large ears

Canyon mouse in California, by the numbers

Common in California 36th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

3,117 occurrence records
1 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

3,117 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 3,086 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Canyon mouse in California

Most sightings fall in March to June.

3,086 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
January108
February262
March332
April388
May425
June438
July196
August114
September155
October194
November176
December298

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Canyon 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
Death Valley National Park 375
Golden Valley Wilderness Area 134
Inyo Mountains Wilderness Area 109
Mojave National Preserve 105
Joshua Tree National Park 82
Mojave Trails National Monument 27
Lava Beds National Monument 22
Golden Trout Wilderness 16

Protected places with the most canyon 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
Inyo County 1,199
San Bernardino County 1,049
Kern County 307
Riverside County 201
Imperial County 115
San Diego County 66
Mono County 56
Lassen County 31
Los Angeles County 29
Siskiyou County 23
Modoc County 16
Alpine County 6
8 other counties 19

The complete county distribution, spread across 20 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Canyon mouse records collect around rock rather than open sand. California’s Mojave and Colorado deserts hold the main clusters, including canyon country near Death Valley and the Joshua Tree region.

Reports build through spring, with another smaller lift in early fall as desert heat eases. Nearly all records come from museum and survey collections, so field schedules matter greatly. The two-season pattern shows when mice were documented, not when they were absent from rocky habitat.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

AI-generated image: canyon mouse crouched alert on desert rock at dusk. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Full species profile Canyon mouse Peromyscus crinitus Size 8.4 cm3.3 in Weight 16 g0.6 oz Lifespan Up to 7.7 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"