HARVEST MOUSE

either of two genera of small, climbing mice, the American harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys) or the Old World harvest mouse (Micromys minutus). Eighteen species of American harvest mice, belonging to the family Cricetidae (order Rodentia), are found from southern Canada to northern South America, generally in areas of short grass. A nocturnal rodent, it lives in a globe-shaped nest built of vegetation in grass, planted grain, shrubs, or trees. It is primarily a seedeater, of little economic importance. From 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) long, excluding the long, slender tail, it is pale brown to blackish with whitish or buffy underparts. The salt-marsh harvest mouse (R. raviventris), found only in California, is an endangered species. The Old World harvest mouse, of the family Muridae, is a bright yellowish or reddish brown mouse with white underparts. An inhabitant of tall grasses and other vegetation in Europe and Asia, it may live in a burrow, in piles of hay or straw, or in a round nest built of grass and suspended in a bush or other plant. The Old World harvest mouse is active by day and feeds on seeds and insects. Among the smallest of rodents, it attains a length, exclusive of the scantily haired tail, of 6 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3 inches).