Golden Mouse

Ochrotomys nuttalli

LCLeast Concern

The golden mouse is a cinnamon-colored climber nesting among vines. It occurs across southeastern woodlands. Its habits explain more than a map point: It eats seeds and plant matter and uses its tail for balance after dark. The records shown here document encounters and survey effort, not population size. Together, they show where this mammal has been found and why healthy habitat matters for its future.

Range through the year

Where Golden Mouse is seen

Golden Mouse is recorded in 13 US states from 2,365 occurrence records, most heavily in Florida (875 records) and Tennessee (332).

Current range2,365 records · 13 states

Occurrence data by state and month

Golden Mouse – occurrence records by US state and month (2,365 total across 13 states)
State	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Florida	38	38	215	65	69	61	148	61	113	23	18	26	875
Tennessee	22	23	34	25	52	44	9	7	8	21	65	22	332
Louisiana	28	94	52	32	9	14	13	1	2	6	13	41	305
Arkansas	5	137	10	10	9	4	2	2	7	2	1	5	194
Texas	75	42	41	5	5	4	1	·	·	4	7	2	186
Georgia	14	16	3	13	7	10	7	2	13	7	7	10	109
North Carolina	15	4	14	7	11	6	2	17	·	7	8	2	93
Alabama	2	2	9	5	8	24	5	5	·	·	1	3	64
Kentucky	17	12	2	2	2	7	2	1	·	·	5	9	59
South Carolina	·	5	3	1	11	12	2	·	·	·	6	4	44
Illinois	1	·	·	1	1	12	1	·	2	2	22	·	42
Oklahoma	·	6	2	2	8	8	3	4	3	2	·	·	38
Mississippi	·	9	8	·	1	1	1	·	·	1	1	2	24

Based on 2,444 georeferenced US records, 2000-2026. Shading is observation density (where people record sightings), not true abundance. Alaska, Hawaii & Puerto Rico shown as insets.

Explore by state

Golden Mouse across 13 states

Occurrence records, conservation status, and the places it turns up, state by state. Open a state for detail, or visit its full page.

FloridaNativeCommon904 records
State rankUnranked
Notable placesOrdway-Swisher Biological Station · Blue Spring State Park · Half Moon Wildlife Management Area · Hillsborough River State Park
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Florida, with recorded sightings peaking in March, with a smaller rise in July.
Full Florida page →All Florida mammals →
TennesseeNativeOccasional352 records
State rankSecure
Notable placesGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · Big Hill Pond · Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area · Pickett
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Tennessee, with recorded sightings peaking in November, with a smaller rise in May–June.
Full Tennessee page →All Tennessee mammals →
LouisianaNativeCommon307 records
State rankUnrankable
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Louisiana, with recorded sightings peaking in February.
Full Louisiana page →All Louisiana mammals →
TexasNativeOccasional197 records
State rankApparently Secure
Notable placesOld Sabine Bottom Wildlife Management Area · Alazan Bayou Wildlife Management Area
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Texas, with recorded sightings peaking in January.
Full Texas page →All Texas mammals →
ArkansasNativeRare194 records
State rankSecure
Notable placesOuachita National Forest · Winona Wildlife Management Area · Sylamore Wildlife Management Area
Countiesrecorded in 13
Year-round in Arkansas, with recorded sightings peaking in February.
Full Arkansas page →All Arkansas mammals →
GeorgiaNativeOccasional112 records
State rankSecure
Notable placesFort Yargo State Park · Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.Wilderness Area · Warwoman Wildlife Management Area · Chattahoochee National Forest
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Georgia, with recorded sightings peaking in December–February, with a smaller rise in April and June.
Full Georgia page →All Georgia mammals →
North CarolinaNativeOccasional95 records
State rankSecure
Notable placesNantahala National Forest · Pisgah National Forest · McCain Tract · Green River Game Land
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in North Carolina, with recorded sightings peaking in August, with a smaller rise in January and March.
Full North Carolina page →All North Carolina mammals →
AlabamaNativeOccasional64 records
State rankSecure
Notable placesWehle Nature Preserve · Conecuh National Forest · Little River Canyon National Preserve · Wehle Nature Center
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Alabama, with recorded sightings peaking in June.
Full Alabama page →All Alabama mammals →
KentuckyNativeOccasional59 records
State rankApparently Secure
Notable placesDaniel Boone National Forest · Hancock Biological Station · Mammoth Cave National Park
Countiesrecorded in 10
Year-round in Kentucky, with recorded sightings peaking in January–February.
Full Kentucky page →All Kentucky mammals →
South CarolinaNativeCommon55 records
State rankSecure
Notable placesCaesars Head State Park · Sumter National Forest
Countiesrecorded in 8
Year-round in South Carolina, with recorded sightings peaking in May–June.
Full South Carolina page →All South Carolina mammals →
IllinoisNativeOccasional43 records
State rankImperiled
Notable placesShawnee National Forest
Countiesrecorded in 5
Year-round in Illinois, with recorded sightings peaking in November.
Full Illinois page →All Illinois mammals →
OklahomaNativeOccasional38 records
State rankImperiled
Notable placesRed Slough Wildlife Management Area & Waterfowl Refuge Portion
Countiesrecorded in 2
Year-round in Oklahoma, with recorded sightings peaking in May–June, with a smaller rise in February.
Full Oklahoma page →All Oklahoma mammals →
MississippiNativeOccasional24 records
State rankUnranked
Notable placesTishomingo State Park · Bienville National Forest
Countiesrecorded in 11
Year-round in Mississippi, with recorded sightings peaking in February–March.
Full Mississippi page →All Mississippi mammals →

Show all 13 states Show fewer

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

SizeGolden Mouse beside a 1.8 m adult, drawn to scale

Body length: 10–10 cm4 in–4 in
Weight: 22–22 g0.8–0.8 oz

Silhouettes drawn to scale against a 1.8 m5 ft 11 in adult.

Elevation

From 200 georeferenced records, the Golden Mouse is recorded from sea levelsea level to 1,176 m3,858 ft, with half of sightings below 152 m499 ft.

1,050–1,200 m3,445–3,937 ft

900–1,050 m2,953–3,445 ft

750–900 m2,461–2,953 ft

600–750 m1,969–2,461 ft

450–600 m1,476–1,969 ft

300–450 m984–1,476 ft

150–300 m492–984 ft

0–150 m0–492 ft

Each band shows the share of georeferenced sightings that fall within it. Records cluster where people live and hike, so low, populated elevations are over-represented. Read this as observation density, not true abundance.

Observation peakMay61 records

Seasonality from research-grade observation dates across the US (61 records, all years). Reflects when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Best encounter

Where and when to see a Golden Mouse

Your best chance: Florida, in May.

Where: FloridaFL
When: May

Trophic relationshipsFood web What a Golden Mouse eats, and what eats it.

Eaten by1

Timber RattlesnakeCrotalus horridus

This speciesGolden Mouse

Grazes on plants

Eats

A sample of documented feeding relationships, filtered to species that also occur in the US. Diet and predators vary by region and season, and this is not a complete list, many animals eat, and are eaten by, more than what has been formally recorded here.

Life history

The Golden Mouse (22 g0.8 oz) is a herbivore that carries a 30-day gestation, and bears about 2.7 young per litter. Maximum recorded longevity is 8.4 years.

Life cycle

Gestation30 days
Birthlitter of 2.7 young
Typical lifespan8.4 years
Maximum recorded longevity8.4 years

Reproduction

Gestation: 30days
Litter size: 2.7youngaverage
Litters / year: 4.2litters
Max longevity: 8.4years

Diet composition

Herbivore

By foraging composition: 100% seeds & grain.

100%

Seeds & grain100%

Most active at night.

Typical values for the species, not local measurements. Maximum longevity is the longest lifespan on record; most individuals live far less.

Commonly confused with

Animals people sometimes mistake for the golden mouse, and how to tell them apart.

Photo:Mark ApgariNaturalist (CC BY 4.0)

White-footed Mouse

Peromyscus leucopus

How to tell apart White-footed mouse has a duller grayish-brown coat and stays mostly on the ground, while the golden mouse shows a rich cinnamon-orange coat and climbs into vine tangles and shrubs.

View species page Compare side by side

Photo:Bettina ArrigoniWikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Cotton Mouse

Peromyscus gossypinus

How to tell apart Cotton mouse is larger with a duller gray-brown coat and favors swampy ground, while the golden mouse is smaller, brighter cinnamon-gold, and nests off the ground in vines.

View species page Compare side by side

Photo:Ken KneideliNaturalist (CC0)

Eastern Harvest Mouse

Reithrodontomys humulis

How to tell apart Eastern harvest mouse is smaller and duller grayish-brown, and builds a small woven grass nest near the ground rather than the golden mouse's elevated nests in vines and shrubs.

View species page Compare side by side

Life in its habitat

It eats seeds and plant matter and uses its tail for balance after dark. It’s tied to places supplying food and shelter. That connection explains much of its range.

What records reveal

Records cluster in Florida and Tennessee, but effort shapes that pattern. Survey effort varies, and accessible places receive more attention. A gap can’t prove absence.

Looking ahead

Connected woodland edges provide cover. Conservation works best when it protects connected habitat and reduces avoidable deaths. Surveys can reveal change without confusing records with animal numbers.

Sources

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
PhyloPicCC0 / CC-BY per itemthe to-scale silhouettesNina Skinner (Cricetidae) · Andrew A. Farke (human silhouette, CC-BY 3.0)
AnAge (HAGR)CC-BY 3.0longevity, maturity, and gestation figures
IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI)CC0 · public domainthe food web
Amniote Life-History DatabaseCC0 · public domainreproduction figures
EltonTraitsCC0 · public domaindiet and foraging-activity data