Scientific Name: Chaetodipus baileyi

Temporal Activity: They are nocturnal and they do not hibernate. This mouse is active all year, although its winter activity may be reduced.

Diet: They mostly eat seeds. They use their ?pockets?, fur-lined external cheek pouches, to bring seeds to their nests where they store them for leaner times.

Predators: Owls, coyotes, badgers, and snakes

Breeding: Pregnancy peaks in spring and late summer-fall; drought may inhibit reproduction. Litter size averages 3-4 in southeastern Arizona. Nests are in underground burrows in sparsely vegetated flats and rocky slopes.

Notes: Bailey?s Pocket Mouse is the only Sonoran desert rodent able to eat jojoba seeds which are toxic to most mammals. Also, because the rodents carry their seeds in their ?pockets? and not in their mouth, the seeds do not absorb their body water. Therefore, the mice can go for a long time without water.

Photo: To be added.

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