Deermice Skull Replica measures 1×0.5×0.5 inches. Known as Peromyscus maniculatus. Deermice Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium & jaw). Made in USA. Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home decor skull, or office decor skull.
The Deermice are rodents native to North America. It is most commonly called the Deer Mouse, although that name is common to most species of Peromyscus and is fairly widespread across the continent, with the major exception being the southeast United States and the far north.
Like other Peromyscus species, it can be a vector and carrier of emerging infectious diseases such as hantaviruses and Lyme disease.
Deermice are very often used for laboratory experimentation due to their self cleanliness and easy care.
The P. maniculatus has a small body size, no longer than that of a house mouse. It is typically 119 to 222 mm long and weighs between 10 and 24 grams.
Tail length is variable in different populations and ranges from 45 mm to 105 mm. Deermice have a round and slender body. The head has a pointed nose with large, black, beady eyes.
The Deermice ears are large and have little fur covering them. The whiskers are long and prominent. They have shorter forelimbs than hind limbs
The P. maniculatus fur is grayish to reddish brown with white underparts. The Deer mouse fur is short, soft, and dense.
The finely-haired tail is bi-colored, the darker top half and the lighter bottom sharply differentiated. Generally they have hind feet that are 22 mm or less.
Female Deermice construct nests using a variety of materials including grasses, roots, mosses, wool, thistledown, and various artificial fibers.
The male Deermice are allowed by the female to help nest the litter and keep them together and warm for survival.
In a study, less than half of both male and female P. maniculatus left their original home range to reproduce. This means that there is intrafamilial mating and that the gene flow among deer mice as a whole is limited.
There have been recent studies that reveal Deermice also have OCD-like behaviors from altered gut microbiota. This phenomenon is typically shown in their abnormally large nest sizes and the behavior is present within 8 weeks of birth.
Deermice reproduce profusely and are highest in numbers among their species compared to other local mammals. Peromyscus species’ gestation periods range from 22 to 26 days.
Typical litters are composed of three to five young; litter size ranges from one to nine young. Most female Deermice have more than one litter per year. Three or four litters per year is probably typical. Males usually live with the family and help care for the young.
Deermice can reproduce throughout the year, though in most parts of their range, they breed from March to October.
Their breeding tends to be determined more by food availability rather than by season. In Virginia breeding peaks occur from April to June and from September to October.
Deer mice pups are altricial, i.e. born blind, naked and helpless; development is rapid.
Young deer mice have full coats by the end of the second week; their eyes open between 13 and 19 days and they are fully furred and independent in only a few weeks.
Females lactate for 27 to 34 days after giving birth; most young are weaned at about 18 to 24 days. The young reach adult size at about 6 weeks and continue to gain weight slowly thereafter.
Deer mouse pups usually disperse after weaning and before the birth of the next litter, when they are reaching sexual maturity.
Occasionally juveniles remain in the natal area, particularly when breeding space is limited. Most deer mice travel less than 499 ft. from the natal area to establish their own home range.
