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Dune wildlife

Beach Mice

Escambia County is home to two species of beach mice: the Santa Rosa Island Beach Mouse (Peromyscus polionotus leucocephalus), found on Pensacola Beach from Fort Pickens through Eglin Air Force Base, and the federally listed Perdido Key Beach Mouse (Peromyscus polionotus trissyllepsis), which lives exclusively on Perdido Key.

Beach mice are nocturnal. They shelter in small underground burrows during the day and forage among the dunes at night, mainly eating seeds from a variety of plants. As they forage, they disperse seeds through the dune ecosystem. Healthy, stable dunes help protect the mainland during tropical storms and hurricanes.

Beach mouse ambassador in an observation container.
Beach mice are adapted to life among coastal dunes.
About 12.5 gTypical weight (0.45 ounces)
About 10 cmAverage length, including the tail
9 months–1 yearTypical lifespan in the wild
Up to 6 yearsPossible lifespan in captivity

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Beach mouse webcam

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Beach mouse subspecies

Eight subspecies are listed below: seven living subspecies and the extinct Pallid Beach Mouse. Open a profile to read its range and notes.

Map showing beach mouse subspecies distribution along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
Beach mouse distribution map. The profiles below also describe each subspecies’ range.
Alabama Beach MouseABM · P. p. ammobates

Historical range: Ono Island to Fort Morgan.

Perdido Key Beach MousePKBM · P. p. trissyllepsis

Range: Perdido Key State Park to Johnson Beach in Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Santa Rosa Island Beach MouseSRIBM · P. p. leucocephalus
  • Range: Fort Pickens in Gulf Islands National Seashore to Okaloosa County.
  • The only beach mouse subspecies in this list that is not federally listed.
  • Has the lightest fur color of the beach mouse subspecies.
Choctawhatchee Beach MouseCBM · P. p. allophrys
  • Historical range: Henderson Beach State Park to East Crooked Island on Tyndall Air Force Base.
  • No longer found at Henderson Beach State Park.
  • The source document reports a declining population and concern about its persistence at Grayton Beach.
St. Andrews Beach MouseSABM · P. p. peninsularis

Range: East Crooked Island on Tyndall Air Force Base to St. Joseph Peninsula.

Southeastern Beach MouseSEBM · P. p. niveiventris

Historical range: Ponce Inlet in Volusia County south to Hollywood Beach in Broward County.

Pallid Beach MousePBM · P. p. decoloratus · Extinct
  • Also known as the Ponce de Leon Beach Mouse.
  • Historical range: Ponce Park in Volusia County and Bulow in Flagler County.
  • None have been observed since 1959. Possible causes include habitat destruction and fragmentation, predation by free-roaming cats, and competition from invasive species such as house mice.
Anastasia Island Beach MouseAIBM · P. p. phasma
  • Current range: Anastasia Island, from Anastasia State Park at the north end to Fort Matanzas National Monument at the south end.
  • Its historical range extended farther north to Mickler’s Landing and potentially the St. Johns River. Habitat loss has limited its range.

How biologists monitor beach mice

Monitoring methods provide different kinds of information about beach mouse presence, species, and population status.

Track tubes

Biologists place track tubes along coastal dunes from Gulf County to Escambia County, on state, federal, and private property. A station uses a baited PVC tube lined with cardstock and an eco-friendly ink pad to record footprints. Tracks in the tube or in sand within three meters can indicate beach mouse presence. Track size helps biologists distinguish among rodent species.

Sites are checked monthly or every other month. Track tubes are noninvasive and show where mice are present and how detections change over time; they do not estimate population size. Yearly maps show the percentage of stations where tracks were detected. A significant decline can prompt the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to trap mice for a population estimate.

Track tube and tracking card during a monitoring check.
Track tubes and their cards are checked during monitoring visits.

Bucket cameras

When biologists need to identify animals visiting a track tube, they can place a game camera inside a baited bucket or nearby. The recorded footage can confirm whether beach mice are present.

Live trapping

For population assessments, translocations, and the captive breeding program, biologists use Sherman live traps baited with sunflower seeds in primary and secondary dunes. Traps are set about two hours before dusk and checked around midnight. A trapping effort typically lasts five days and is conducted about every five years.

Population assessments help biologists understand how populations are doing. When a subspecies is low and at risk, translocation can move mice to the declining population’s location to support repopulation and genetic diversity.

Track tube measurement and species identification

Compare track width to help distinguish beach mouse tracks from those of other rodents. The measurements below are shown in millimeters.

  1. House mouse reference photo.
    House Mouse

    Track width: < 5.48 mm

  2. Perdido Key beach mouse reference photo.
    Perdido Key Beach Mouse

    Track width: 5.48–6.7 mm

  3. Cotton mouse reference photo.
    Cotton Mouse

    Track width: 6.7–8.3 mm

  4. Cotton rat reference photo.
    Cotton Rat & Other Rats

    Track width: 8.3–10.9 mm

Captive population

Before Hurricane Ivan in 2004, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist collected eight mice as founders for a captive breeding program, now hosted by Brevard Zoo in Melbourne. New mice are added over time to support genetic diversity, and excess mice are returned to the wild. The program helps keep a population available for reintroduction to Perdido Key if a catastrophic event causes mice to disappear from the island.

Education ambassadors

Escambia County received Perdido Key Beach Mice to serve as education ambassadors and help the public learn why they matter. These mice prefer primary and secondary dunes in coastal scrub, where they dig burrows and forage for seeds. They are most active at night, which helps them avoid predators and excessive daytime heat. The ambassador mice let the public see live beach mice in a controlled setting.

Perdido Key Beach Mouse Life History Poster (PDF)

Beach mouse questions

Why are beach mice important?

Beach mice disperse seeds in dune ecosystems, helping stabilize dunes that protect the mainland during hurricanes and other storms. They can also indicate dune health: if dunes are not stable enough for mice to burrow, mice may be absent from the area.

How do biologists monitor endangered beach mice?

Biologists use track tubes to detect footprints, bucket cameras to identify animals, and live trapping for population assessments and conservation work.

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