Plains pocket mouse in Texas

Perognathus flavescens

Native to Texas S5 Secure in Texas

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

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: US National Park Service · Public domainApache pocket mouse, a subspecies of the plains pocket mouse, eating seeds on sandy groundPhoto: Tom Kennedy · CC BY 4.0Plains pocket mouse standing among rocks and dry grass in daylightPhoto: Abby Benson · CC0Plains pocket mouse resting in dry grass litterPhoto: Emily Geest · CC BY 4.0Plains pocket mouse close-up on gravel showing tail and rounded ear

Photo: US National Park Service · Public domainApache pocket mouse, a subspecies of the plains pocket mouse, eating seeds on sandy groundPhoto: Tom Kennedy · CC BY 4.0Plains pocket mouse standing among rocks and dry grass in daylightPhoto: Abby Benson · CC0Plains pocket mouse resting in dry grass litterPhoto: Emily Geest · CC BY 4.0Plains pocket mouse close-up on gravel showing tail and rounded ear

Plains pocket mouse in Texas, by the numbers

Rare in Texas 139th most recorded of 197 mammals logged in Texas

8 occurrence records

3 with iNaturalist photos

Aug 10, 2021 Last seen in Texas

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Plains pocket mouse in Texas

Most sightings fall in July.

8 Texas occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly Texas records (table)

Month	Records
January	0
February	3
March	0
April	0
May	0
June	0
July	4
August	1
September	0
October	0
November	0
December	0

Monthly plains pocket mouse occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Texas, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Sparse observation record in Texas; presence confirmed but timing of activity not well documented.

Occurrence map

Where Plains pocket mouse has been recorded in Texas

8 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

8 Texas records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Caprock Canyons State Park	3

Protected places with the most plains pocket 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 Texas

County	Records
Briscoe County	3
Andrews County	3
Yoakum County	2

The complete county distribution, spread across 3 Texas counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Plains pocket mice in Texas turn up on the High Plains, part of this species’ broader Great Plains range: the state’s records since 2000 come from Briscoe County, around Caprock Canyons State Park, and from Andrews and Yoakum counties on the Llano Estacado. Sandy soil and grass cover in that country suit its digging, seed-caching habits.

With just 8 records since 2000, three of them iNaturalist observations, the Texas sample is too small to show a season; the dated records fall in February, July, and August. NatureServe rates the species S5, Secure, in Texas, a sign that despite how seldom it’s recorded here, the population itself isn’t a conservation concern.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Full species profile Plains pocket mouse Perognathus flavescens Size 6.9 cm2.7 in Weight 9 g0.3 oz Lifespan Up to 5 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Texas 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"