GRASSHOPPER MOUSE

either of two species of insect-eating mice constituting the genus Onychomys of the family Cricetidae (order Rodentia), found in dry, open country of western North America. The two species are the northern grasshopper mouse (O. leucogaster) and the southern grasshopper mouse, or scorpion mouse (O. torridus). They are stout-bodied rodents with gray or reddish brown fur and white underparts, and they are 9 to 13 cm (3.5 to 5 inches) long without the white-tipped, 3- to 6-centimetre tail. Grasshopper mice live in the burrows of prairie dogs and other ground dwellers and emerge at night to hunt for insects and small rodents. They are beneficial in helping to control insect populations.