The genus
Peromyscus contains species commonly referred to as
deer mice. This is a genus of
New World mouse only distantly related to the common house mouse,
Mus musculus. The most common species of deer mouse in the continental
United States are two closely related species,
P. maniculatus, and
P. leucopus. In the USA,
Peromyscus is also the most populous
mammalian species overall.

The genus Peromyscus has been an important model in the studies of phylogeography, speciation, chromosomes, genetics, and evolution in general. In recent years, it has become notorious in the western United States as a carrier of the hantavirus.
There is a different mammal by the name of "Mouse Deer," a relatively primitive ungulate of minuscule size. The deer mouse is common in the American Southwest, particularly in New Mexico, where the species is known to carry Hantavirus.
Species
- Peromyscus
- californicus group
- eremicus group
- hooperi group
- crinitus group
- maniculatus group
- leucopus group
- aztecus group
- boylii group
- truei group
- melanophrys group
- furvus group
- megalops group
- mexicanus group
External links