Image: Peromyscus polionotus phasma

Description: The endangered Anastasia Island Beach Mouse is one of several Florida subspecies of oldfield mouse which lives among this sparse vegetation of the coastal dune ecosystem. Looking like tan cotton balls with tails and big eyes, they blend in very well with the sand. They burrow and excavate nests in dunes, preferring sand-covered slopes with patches of sea oats. The mice spend the day in the coolness of their burrows and roam the dunes at night looking for insects and seeds from the dune grasses. Increased development along the beach has fragmented their habitat, and intense use by vehicles and pedestrians have damaged sand dunes. Increased population has also brought in house cats which prey on the beach mice. By 1986 the Anastasia Island beach mouse was found only at the island's two protected,but widely separated, beaches-- Anastasia Island State Recreation Area and Fort Matanzas National Monument. In 1992 a third population was reestablished at Guana River State Park using breeding pairs from the other two sites. All three populations are currently stable, but increased human population, habitat destruction, or an environmental disaster could tip the balance. Since they are nocturnal, it is rare to see one, but look for it's tiny tracks along the edges of the dunes in the early morning.
Title: Peromyscus polionotus phasma
Credit: http://www.nps.gov/archive/foma/home/images/mouse2.jpg
Author: United States National Park Service
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No