Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse

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[[Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse]]

Other common name(s): Red-bellied harvest mouse

Scientific Name: Reithrodontomys raviventris meaning "grooved-toothed mouse
with a red belly"
There are two subspecies: R.r. raviventris lives in the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay, and R.r. halicoetes lives in the Suisun and San Pablo marsh.

Size: Average adult size is three inches (118 to 175 mm)

Weight: 8 - 14 grams (0.3 - 0.5 oz)

Lifespan: 8 - 12 months

Habitat: dense salt marshes with pickleweed, gumplant and fat hen (which is a perfect description of the Suisun Marsh!).

Diet: Herbivore
· Main food source: seeds, grasses and forbs (broad-leaved herbs), as well as insects. In winter fresh grasses are preferred. The rest of the year they feed on pickleweed and salt grass. They are able to eat food and water with high salt levels.

Physical Appearance: the salt water harvest mouse has a long, bicolored tail,
large ears, grooves in the outer surface of its upper incisor teeth, and buff or brown in color. The "red belly" is normally only found in the southern species.
· Fur: Buff or brown. Generally only the southern species found in the San Francisco
Bay has a cinnamon- or rufus-colored belly.
· Teeth: Grooved upper front teeth

Behavior: Salt water harvest mice spend most of their time hiding in the protection
of dense marsh vegetation, especially pickleweed. They are mainly active at night (nocturnal), and they are active year around. They swim and climb very well. They do not dig burrows; instead the build grass nests, or reuse abandoned bird's nests.

Reproduction: Breeding season is from March through November.
· Litter size: approximately 3-4 young per litter, usually once per year

Extra Facts:
· They are on the Federal Endangered Species list.

This website was created by Molly M. in Period 2, 2002-2003
Other great websites about Salt Water Harvest Mice:
Wildlife of the Suisun Marsh, Salt Harvest Mouse- California Interagency Ecological
Program http://www.iep.water.ca.gov/suisun_eco_workgroup/workplan/report/wildlife/shmouse.html
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Service - Salt Water Harvest Mouse
http://sacramento.fws.gov/es/animal_spp_acct/salt_marsh_harvest_mouse.htm
Top photo from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Region
http://pacific.fws.gov/visitor/california.html (found in Google images 4/15/03)
Bottom photo from Suisun Marsh Wildlife Photos-Ca. Dept. of Water Resources
http://www.iep.water.ca.gov/suisun/photos/wildlife.html