California mammals

Pinyon mouse in California

Peromyscus truei

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.

Pinyon mouse under loose bark showing large ears and long tailPinyon mouse on rocky soil with scattered seedPinyon mouse on weathered wood showing the long tailClose view of a pinyon mouse head and large ears
Photo: Don Loarie · CC BY 4.0Pinyon mouse under loose bark showing large ears and long tailPhoto: Amber M. King · CC BY 4.0Pinyon mouse on rocky soil with scattered seedPhoto: Don Loarie · CC BY 4.0Pinyon mouse on weathered wood showing the long tailPhoto: Don Loarie · CC BY 4.0Close view of a pinyon mouse head and large ears

Pinyon mouse in California, by the numbers

Common in California 50th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

5,469 occurrence records
61 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

5,469 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 5,451 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Pinyon mouse in California

Most sightings fall in March to August.

5,451 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
January277
February236
March480
April574
May623
June684
July525
August446
September341
October401
November556
December308

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Pinyon 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
San Joaquin Experimental Area 552
Death Valley National Park 135
Russell Research Station (UC) 126
Hastings Natural History Reserve 97
Mojave National Preserve 84
Joshua Tree National Park 65
Owens Peak Wilderness Area 58
Kiavah Wilderness Area 43

Protected places with the most pinyon 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
Madera County 600
Contra Costa County 496
Kern County 450
San Bernardino County 422
Monterey County 296
Inyo County 267
Santa Clara County 242
Alameda County 208
Los Angeles County 199
San Benito County 177
Fresno County 162
Mono County 159
42 other counties 1,791

The complete county distribution, spread across 54 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Pinyon mouse records trace California’s rocky desert uplands, including country around Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and the Mojave National Preserve. Those places share broken slopes, canyon walls, and scattered shrubs or woodland cover, giving this agile climber more useful shelter than an open sand flat would.

Reports occur throughout the year and reach their high point in June, with May close behind. The broad spread fits a mouse that can be detected in several seasons, though warm-weather fieldwork probably adds to the summer total. Records show where people documented it; they don’t measure how many mice occupy each desert range.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Pinyon mouse under loose bark showing large ears and long tail
Full species profile Pinyon mouse Peromyscus truei Size 10.2 cm4 in Weight 33 g1.2 oz Lifespan Up to 5.4 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"