Oldfield Mouse

Peromyscus polionotus

Also known as: Oldfield Deermouse, Choctawhatchee Beach Mouse, Beach Mouse

LCLeast Concern
Peromyscus polionotus oldfield mouseAlabama beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus ammobates), a pale coastal subspecies of the oldfield mouse, crouched on light sandLive oldfield mouse at the edge of grass cover
Photo: Roger W. Barbour, United States Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domainPeromyscus polionotus oldfield mousePhoto: US Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domainAlabama beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus ammobates), a pale coastal subspecies of the oldfield mouse, crouched on light sandPhoto: Roger W. Barbour, United States Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domainLive oldfield mouse at the edge of grass cover

The oldfield mouse is a pale burrowing mouse of sandy ground. It occurs across southeastern open habitats. Its habits explain more than a map point: It eats seeds and insects and digs branching burrows. 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.

US Range
Explore by state

Oldfield Mouse across 4 states

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

  • FloridaNativeOccasional3,169 records

    State rankSecure

    Notable placesGulf Islands National Seashore · Anastasia State Park · Ordway-Swisher Biological Station · Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

    Countiesrecorded in 12

    Year-round in Florida, with recorded sightings peaking in May, with a smaller rise in January.

    Full Florida page →All Florida mammals →
  • GeorgiaNativeOccasional1,024 records

    State rankSecure

    Countiesrecorded in 12

    Year-round in Georgia, with recorded sightings peaking in May.

    Full Georgia page →All Georgia mammals →
  • AlabamaNativeRare213 records

    State rankSecure

    Notable placesWehle Nature Preserve · Pike County Pocosin Complex · Conecuh National Forest

    Countiesrecorded in 11

    Year-round in Alabama, with recorded sightings peaking in May, with a smaller rise in September.

    Full Alabama page →All Alabama mammals →
  • South CarolinaNativeOccasional105 records

    State rankSecure

    Countiesrecorded in 6

    Year-round in South Carolina, with recorded sightings peaking in February–June, with a smaller rise in December.

    Full South Carolina page →All South Carolina mammals →

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.

Elevation

From 200 georeferenced records, the Oldfield Mouse is recorded from sea levelsea level to 191 m627 ft, with half of sightings below 52 m171 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.

Best encounter

Where and when to see an Oldfield Mouse

Your best chance: Florida.

Where
FloridaFL
Trophic relationshipsFood web What a Oldfield Mouse eats, and what eats it.
Eaten by2
Common CoachwhipColuber flagellumNorth American RacerColuber constrictor
This speciesOldfield Mouse
Black CherryPrunus serotinaDune Marsh-elderIva imbricataLittleleaf MilkpeaGalactia microphyllaGulf BluestemSchizachyrium maritimumGulf Coast SearocketCakile constrictaSea OatsUniola paniculata
Eats6

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 Oldfield Mouse (14 g0.5 oz) is an omnivore that first breeds around 0.1 years, carries a 24-day gestation, and bears about 3.6 young per litter. Maximum recorded longevity is 5.5 years.

Life cycle

  1. Gestation24 days
  2. Birthlitter of 3.6 young
  3. Sexual maturity0.1 yr (female)
  4. Typical lifespan5.5 years
  5. Maximum recorded longevity5.5 years

Reproduction

Gestation
24days
Litter size
3.6youngaverage
Litters / year
2.7litters
Age at first breeding
0.1years

Diet composition

Omnivore

By foraging composition: 50% invertebrates, 20% seeds & grain, 20% fruit, 10% scavenged.

  • Invertebrates50%
  • Seeds & grain20%
  • Fruit20%
  • Scavenged10%

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 oldfield mouse, and how to tell them apart.

Life in its habitat

It eats seeds and insects and digs branching burrows. It’s tied to places supplying food and shelter. That connection explains much of its range.

What records reveal

Records follow dunes, scrub, and old fields, not population density. Survey effort varies, and accessible places receive more attention. A gap can’t prove absence.

Looking ahead

Development, storms, lighting, and predators threaten beach forms. Conservation works best when it protects connected habitat and reduces avoidable deaths. Surveys can reveal change without confusing records with animal numbers.

Sources

  1. GBIF – Peromyscus polionotus
  2. Wikipedia – Oldfield mouse
  3. Wikidata – oldfield mouse
  4. Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI, CC0)
  5. OpenTopoData – SRTM elevation lookup

Data & sources

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