Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius ssp. preblei)
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Dipodidae
Listing Status:
General Information
The Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Preble's or PMJM) is a small mammal approximately 9 inches in length with large hind feet adapted for jumping, a long bicolored tail (which accounts for 60% of its length), and a distinct dark stripe down the middle of its back which is bordered on either side by gray to orange-brown fur. To evade predators, the mouse can jump up to three feet.
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This map represents our best available information about where a species is currently known to or or is believed to occur; however, it should NOT be used as an official species list for Section 7 Consultation purposes. To obtain an official species list for this purpose, please visit the Information, Planning, and Conservation (IPaC) System (click here: http://ecos.fws.gov/ipac)
- States/US Territories in which the Preble's meadow jumping mouse, U.S.A. (CO, WY) is known to or is believed to occur: Colorado , Wyoming
- US Counties in which the Preble's meadow jumping mouse, U.S.A. (CO, WY) is known to or is believed to occur: View All
- USFWS Refuges in which the Preble's meadow jumping mouse, U.S.A. (CO, WY) is known to occur:
ROCKY FLATS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
- For more information: http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/preble/
| Status | Date Listed | Lead Region | Where Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05/13/1998 | Mountain-Prairie Region (Region 6) | U.S.A. (CO, WY) |
» Recovery
Recovery Plan Information Search| Date | Citation Page | Title | Document Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/31/2004 | 69 FR 16944 16946 | 90-Day Finding for a Petition to Delist the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse in Colorado and Wyoming and Initiation of a 5-Year Review | |
| 06/23/2000 | 65 FR 39117 39119 | Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed Special Regulations for the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse; Availability for Comment of the Draft Record of Compliance and Reopening of Comment Period |
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 02/01/2008 | Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse 5-Year Review |
» Critical Habitat
| Date | Citation Page | Title | Document Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/15/2010 | 75 FR 78430 78483 | Revised Critical Habitat for the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse in Colorado; Final Rule | Final Rule | Final designated |
| 10/08/2009 | 74 FR 52066 52107 | Revised Critical Habitat for the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) in Colorado: Proposed rule. | Proposed Rule | Not Required |
| 06/23/2003 | 68 FR 37276 37332 | Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei); Final Rule | Final Rule | Not Required |
| 07/17/2002 | 67 FR 47154 47210 | Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) | Proposed Rule | Not Required |
To learn more about critical habitat please see http://criticalhabitat.fws.gov
» Conservation Plans
| HCP Plan Summaries |
|---|
| Bellvue WTP Ponds Toe Drains |
| Briargate/La Plata |
| Continental Homes (Pinery Glen) |
| Dahle |
| Denver Water Board |
» Petitions
| Date | Citation Page | Title | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05/24/2013 | 78 FR 31679 31712 | 12-Month Finding on Two Petitions To Delist the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse | |
| 02/02/2005 | 70 FR 5404 5411 | 12-Month Finding on a Petition To Delist the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) and Proposed Delisting of the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse | |
| 03/31/2004 | 69 FR 16944 16946 | 90-Day Finding for a Petition to Delist the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse in Colorado and Wyoming and Initiation of a 5-Year Review | |
| 12/18/2003 | 68 FR 70523 70526 | 90-Day Finding for a Petition to Delist the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse in Colorado and Wyoming | |
| 03/15/1995 | 60 FR 13950 13952 | ETWP; 90-Day Finding for a Petition to List the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse as Threatened or Endangered |
» Life History
Habitat Requirements
Preble’s meadow jumping mouse inhabits well developed riparian habitat with adjacent, relatively undisturbed grassland communities, and a nearby water source. Well developed riparian habitat includes a dense combination of grasses, forbs and shrubs; a taller shrub and tree canopy may be present. PMJM has been found to regularly use uplands at least as far out as 100 meters beyond the 100-year flood plain. The PMJM constructs day nests composed of grasses, forbs, sedges, rushes, and other available plant material. They may be globular in shape or simply raised mats of litter and are most commonly above ground but also can be below ground. Nests are typically found under debris at the base of shrubs and trees or in open grasslands. An individual mouse can have multiple day nests in both riparian and grassland communities and may abandon a nest after approximately a week of use. Hibernation nests occur underground both within and outside of the 100-year floodplain. Hibernacula have been located under willow, chokecherry, snowberry, skunkbrush, sumac, clematis, cottonwoods, Gambel’s oak, thistle, and alyssum. PMJM typically enter hibernation nests between September and October and emerge the following May. The PMJM does not store food, but survives on fat stores accumulated prior to hibernation.
Food Habits
While fecal analyses have provided the best data on PMJM diet to date, they overestimate the components of the diet that are less digestible. These analyses indicate that the diet of the Preble’s jumping mouse shifts seasonally; it consists primarily of insects and fungi after emerging from hibernation in May, shifts to fungi, moss, and pollen during mid-summer (July and August), with insects again added in September. The shift in diet along with shifts in mouse movements suggests that the PMJM may require specific seasonal diets, perhaps related to the physiological constraints imposed by hibernation. It is likely that seeds also compose a significant part of the diet and PMJM have been observed climbing grass stalks to forage on the seed heads.
Movement / Home Range
Dispersal by Preble’s meadow jumping mouse is thought to be limited; the farthest movement by an individual that has been documented was 0.7 miles within a 24-hour period. However, the PMJM is able to move miles along stream corridors over its lifetime.
Reproductive Strategy
The Preble's meadow jumping mouse usually has two litters per year, with an average of five young born per litter. Preble’s are long-lived for a small mammal, in comparison with many species of mice and voles that seldom live a full year. Along South Boulder Creek, Boulder County, Colorado, seven individuals originally captured as adults were still alive two years later, having attained at least three years of age.
Other
Habitat loss, alteration, degradation, and fragmentation resulting from urban development, flood control, water development and other human land uses, especially in riparian habitat, have adversely impacted PMJM populations.
» Other Resources
NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.
ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.
