Mammals of North Carolina:
their Distribution and Abundance
Oldfield Deermouse - Peromyscus polionotus
Cricetidae Members:
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Distribution In NC, it is known only in the extreme southwestern Piedmont, in counties bordering SC -- records only from Rutherford, Cleveland, and Mecklenburg counties.

A small range for a mouse, being limited to the southeastern states, north to extreme southern NC and TN, east to central SC, and west to AL.
Abundance Though it can be locally common in SC, it is quite rare in NC, as well as poorly known. It is probably slowly expanding its range northward. There are just a few records for the state, with the most recent being in a protected site in northern Mecklenburg County. It is State listed as Special Concern.
Seasonal Occurrence Active year-round.
Habitat Strongly favors brushy and weedy grasslands and fields, in sandy soils, as it is a burrowing species. It thus tends to avoid wet habitats, and it also typically avoids forests. It can occur along the sandy borders of cultivated fields, as well as overgrown sites. It also occurs in sandy roadsides, and possibly might be spreading northward along highway margins.
Behavior This species spends most of its time underground, in a burrow, unlike most other mice in the state. Perhaps for that reason, it isn't well known across its overall range. It is almost certainly nocturnal in its activity.
Comments The first record for the state did not come until 1976, from Rutherford County, as reported in Lee et al. (1982). Since then, it has been noted from two additional counties, to the east, but still in the Piedmont within about 30 miles of the SC line. As it is numerous in the Sandhills region of SC, it might be expected in the Sandhills region of NC in upcoming years.
Origin Native
NC List Official
State Rank S1
State Status SC
Global Rank G5
Federal Status
subspecies Peromyscus polionotus colemani
other_comName Oldfield Mouse
synonym
NC Map
Map depicts all counties with a report (transient or resident) for the species.
Click on county for list of all database records for species in that county.