| Scientists know that Peromyscus sagax lives in Michoacán, a state that borders the Pacific Ocean west of Mexico City, but they do not know the extent of its range. Peromyscus gratus and Peromyscus levipes are found there, too, but DNA studies reveal that these mice do not interbreed. They are distinct genetically and therefore are ranked as separate species. The ability to analyze the genetic structure of living things is shedding new light on their interrelationships - and revealing how much is yet to be learned about them.
Head and Body: 70-170 mm; Tail: 40-205 mm
15 to more than 110 g
Elliot, D.G., 1903. Field Columbian Musem, Zoology Series (Publ. 71), 3:142.
Mammal Species of the World (opens in a new window).