Beach Mouse Fact Sheet

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Beach Mouse Fact Sheet
Beach mice inhabit frontal and scrub dunes along
the coast of Florida and Alabama.
Conserving beach mouse habitat also helps sea
turtles, shorebirds, and other species
including humans!!
Beach mice are nocturnal (active only at night),
and spend their daylight hours in burrows.
Beach mice are monogamous and pair for life.
This is unusual among mammals only 3 of
mammals are monogamous.
Beach mouse subspecies are most easily
distinguished by coat coloration and pattern.
All beach mice, with exception of the Santa Rosa
beach mice are state and federally protected.
The Alabama beach mouse is light brown with less
white on the face than other subspecies. A tail
stripe is present, but variable in length.
The Perdido Key beach mouse is paler than the
Alabama beach mouse and has more white on the
head. Note how the white coloration extends up
behind the ears.
Destruction of the coastal sand dune ecosystem
for development was the main factor leading to
the listing of beach mice.
The Santa Rosa beach mouse is the lightest in
color of all of the beach mice. It is pale gray
along its back and the pigment area is greatly
reduced. There is no tail stripe.
The Choctawhatchee beach mouse is more distinctly
orange-brown or yellow-brown than other
subspecies and often has considerable white on
its nose.
The St. Andrew beach mouse is a paler form than
other beach forms but is not as pale as the Santa
Rosa beach mouse. It is brownish-gray along its
back and sides, but has considerable white
coloration on its head.
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Common Beach Mouse Food Sources
Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata)
Bluestem grass (Schizachyrium maritimum)
Ground Cherry (Physalis angustifolia)
Evening primrose (Oenothera humifusa)
Dune Spurge (Chamaesyce ammannioides)
Seashore Elder (Iva imbricata)
Jointweed (Polygonella gracilis)
Beach Pea (Galactia spp.)
Seaside Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis)