Louisiana mammals

Cotton Mouse in Louisiana

Peromyscus gossypinus

Native to Louisiana S5 Secure in Louisiana

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

Hisbid Cotton Mouse Mission TX 2018-03-12 08-18-23 (27112942988)Cotton Mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus)Cotton Mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus)Cotton Mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus)
Photo: Bettina Arrigoni · CC BY 2.0Hisbid Cotton Mouse Mission TX 2018-03-12 08-18-23 (27112942988)Photo: Laura Clark · CC BY 4.0Cotton Mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus)Photo: sparkleberry · CC0Cotton Mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus)Photo: sparkleberry · CC0Cotton Mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus)

Cotton Mouse in Louisiana, by the numbers

Occasional in Louisiana 34th most recorded of 72 mammals logged in Louisiana

57 occurrence records
5 with iNaturalist photos
Dec 31, 2025 Last seen in Louisiana

Records from 2000–2026.

57 total records count every Louisiana occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 54; the monthly chart covers the 54 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Cotton Mouse in Louisiana

Most sightings fall in February.

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

Monthly Louisiana records (table)
MonthRecords
January6
February28
March0
April1
May0
June0
July8
August3
September1
October3
November3
December1

Monthly cotton mouse occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Louisiana, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Louisiana, with recorded sightings peaking in February.

Occurrence map

Where Cotton Mouse has been recorded in Louisiana

54 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

54 Louisiana records mapped

Where it's recorded in Louisiana

CountyRecords
West Feliciana County 28
East Baton Rouge County 9
Rapides County 5
Vernon County 3
East Feliciana County 3
Calcasieu County 1
Union County 1
Caddo County 1
Pointe Coupee County 1
Bienville County 1
Livingston County 1
Other localities 3

The complete county distribution, spread across 11 Louisiana counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Cotton mice have 57 Louisiana records from 2000 to 2026, and 53 of them come through GBIF against just 5 from iNaturalist, meaning small-mammal trapping surveys, not casual photographs, built nearly the entire record; West Feliciana Parish alone holds 28. NatureServe rates the population S5, secure, fitting a species that’s genuinely one of the best-studied rodents in Louisiana’s forests and wetland edges.

Records peak sharply in February, with 28 of them, nearly half the total, while March through June hold just one between them; that swing likely tracks when the largest trapping surveys ran rather than any real seasonal explosion in the mouse’s own activity.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Hisbid Cotton Mouse Mission TX 2018-03-12 08-18-23 (27112942988)
Full species profile Cotton Mouse Peromyscus gossypinus Size 10.3 cm4.1 in Weight 34–51 g1.2–1.8 oz Lifespan Up to 8 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Louisiana 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