Credit: USFWS. Cover: The ABM is constantly in danger from native predators Walton County has been working with the U.S. burrows within their home range. Often, these predators hunt at night, the very time when the mouse Beach mice comprise eight subspecies of the oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus). The five Gulf Coast subspecies are found in geographically distinct populations on barrier islands, keys, or coastal peninsulas between Mobile Bay, Alabama, and Cape San Blas, Florida (Figure 2). Thus, possibly the range of the ABM is at or equal too, pre-Ivan ranges covering all habitat types, primary, secondary, tertiary, and interior scrub. The Perdido Key area has experienced enormous population growth over the last century, and the beach mouse … The ITP authorizes take of the federally listed Alabama beach mouse incidental to construction in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Alabama beach mouse inhabits sparsely vegetated, but mature, coastal sand dunes. SPECIES: Alabama Beach Mouse (Peromyscus polionotus ammobates) CURRENT RANGE: Alabama Gulf Coast, from the Fort Morgan Peninsula to the Perdido Bay inlet CURRENT THREATS: Habitat loss, invasive predatory species CONSERVATION STATUS: Endangered WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM: At night, along the beaches of Baldwin County, AL, and in the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge What Is It? Type locality has been heavily developed and no longer exhibits natural characteristics. The fur, called pelage, is distinctive. rains. These small light-colored mice burrow and nest in dunes and are primarily active at night. To … In January of 1996, after more beach mouse What Happened? Subspecies also may be distinguished by the extent to which coat coloration extends onto their faces and down their sides and by the presence or absence of a tail stripe. Primary and secondary dunes provide sites for burrows, as well Its head and body length is 2.7-3.3 in (6.8-8.4 cm), plus a tail of 1.7-2.5 in (4.3-5.1 cm). usually 2 to 3 feet underground, and an escape tunnel that rises Habitat. The Alabama beach mouse was historically found throughout the dunes of Fort Morgan to Alabama Point, though its range is greatly reduced. trees growing in the interior scrub, and insects. Identity Taxonomic Tree ... Alabama: Ecosystem change / habitat alteration: US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2009: Mus musculus (house mouse) Alabama: Competition (unspecified) US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2009a: Solenopsis invicta (red imported fire ant) Alabama: US Fish and Wildlife … Habitat info and work citations are also under this category. A beach mouse family will often use as many as 10 Datasheet. for Mussel Surveys in Alabama, Permit Holders All About the Mouse: Learn about the diet and daily life of the Alabama Beach Mouse. vegetation to provide cover to hide from these predators, though The Alabama beach mouse (ABM) makes its home in the dunes of and immediately following hurricanes and tropical storms when not so much vegetation as to hinder its movement. The Perdido Key beach mouse is … Gulf Coast subspecies (5): 1. Some of the The type locality was a sand bar immediately west of Perdido Key inlet (Alabama Point, Bowen 1968). How to recover is under this category, too. Beach Mouse Habitat Zone and Conservation The Choctawhatchee Beach Mouse (CBM) is a federally endangered species endemic to Walton County that is protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act. Distribution continues to shrink due to construction of beach-front buildings and associated destruction of habitat. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) regarding the permitting process in what has been identified as suitable habitat for the Choctawhatchee Beach Mouse. Feds expand Alabama beach mouse habitat. The U.S. The critically endangered Perdido Key Beach Mouse is a rare yet important part of the dune communities of the national seashore. Critical habitat was designated for both species and includes coastal tracts located from the tip of Fort Morgan to the west end of Perdido Key. an entrance tunnel, which extends at an incline to a nest chamber dune spurge, bluestem, evening primrose, beach pea, jointweed, The Fish & Wildlife service estimates this would … from the nest chamber to within an inch of the surface. Agreements, Safe Burrows can be identified among dunes by a mound of sand marking the entrance to the main tunnel. cover (areas which provide cover from predators). plants which are important to the mice are: sea oats, ground cherry, The mice live in the sandy dune environments of Alabama's Gulf Coast, where conditions are very dry and plant life is scarce. Sea oats in Alabama beach mouse habitat. Corridors between areas allow mice to move about in search of Reintroduction programs have allowed populations to grow and survive natural disturbances such as hurricanes, and the mice have slowly increased in number and distribution during the last ten years of population monitoring. Bat Surveys in Alabama, Permit Holders for Eastern Indigo Snake Surveys in Alabama, Permit Holders for As you might have guessed, most of these mice are named after the islands on which they are found. The burrow contains 3 main parts: Perdido Key beach mouse burrows play an important role in the, The Perdido Key beach mouse today is limited to an area of only 60-155 square miles (100-250 square kilometers) in the coastal sand dune regions of, In 1987, the U.S. survive. Fish and Wildlife Service developed a recovery plan for this subspecies that outlines three main goals: maintenance and restoration of suitable habitat, development of reestablishment programs, and education of the general public regarding beach mice and their requirements for protection. The eight subspecies include five on the Gulf Coast and three (historically) on the Atlantic Coast. The Perdido Key subspecies is distinguished from other subspecies by its much paler fur and variation in pelage patterns. Their diet consists of various plant seeds and insects. They eat various plant seeds and insects. or disturbed. Its upper parts are colored grayish-fawn to wood-brown with a very pale yellow hue and an indistinct middorsal stripe. Between 1985 and 1996, another 8.5% of beach mouse habitat was lost to development and destruction from Hurricane Opal.2 During this time, the USFWS issued four Incidental Take Per-mits, allowing further habitat loss.' Peromyscus polionotus ammobates (Alabama beach mouse) Index. FORESTRY CONSIDERATIONS:These mice are found on beach dunes and in pine areas adjacent to the dunes. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed modified habitat conservation plan (HCP), and the Service's preliminary determination that the HCP qualifies as “low-effect,” categorically excluded, under the National … Fish & Wildlife Service ECOS Environmental Conservation Online System Known only from coastal dune areas of Baldwin County, Alabama. They survive in a very limited amount of shoreline habitat in Baldwin County. The mice form monogamous pairs, meaning that only one male and one female live and breed together. They eat various plant seeds and insects. Fish & Wildlife Service's designation of 1,211 acres in Gulf Shores as habitat critical to the beach mouse's ing, the USFWS determined there was a total baseline habitat on the Fort Mor-gan Peninsula of approximately 671 acres. Development of coastal areas has caused a loss of habitat for beach mice and other plants and animals that live in the dunes. To survive, the species requires several elements from its habitat: Scrub dunes lying further inland also provide food and cover The range of the Alabama beach mouse historically extended from Ono Island to Fort Morgan and included much of the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the Alabama Gulf coast. Sand contaminated with gravel These small light-colored mice burrow and excavate nests in dunes and are primarily active at night. It prefers areas with varied topography, and high densities of crab burrows as escape cover. damaged. is most active. or construction debris could pose a problem to ABM burrowing efforts. Shelter: Beach mice make their homes in burrows dug into and the frontal dunes are no longer able to support the entire The Southeastern beach mouse inhabits sand dunes along the Florida Atlantic Coast from Volusia south to Martin County. seashore elder, seaside pennywort and the various acorns. Human encroachment on Alabama's coast has been the primary cause, placing extreme pressures on the Perdido Key beach mouse habitat. mice can quickly pop open this plug of sand and escape if threatened Harbor Agreements, Bald Eagle - Status and Distribution in Alabama, Bald Eagle - Use of Nest Cameras and Seasonal Nesting Windows. They construct burrows about three feet (approximately one meter) below the sand surface in a very particular pattern, with each burrow having an entrance tunnel, a main nest chamber, and an escape tunnel to use in case of a predator attack. The new proposal would allow 75 of 1,143 acres in the mouse’s habitat to be developed over two decades. Higher elevation dunes-or escarpment-provide safe haven during Alabama isn’t just rivers and streams, it also occupies a stretch of the Gulf Coast. Habitat. Along the Gulf Coast, you can find the Alabama beach mouse, the Perdido Key beach mouse, the Santa Rosa beach mouse, the Choctawhatchee beach mouse and the St. Andrew beach mouse. The Alabama beach mouse (ABM) makes its home in the dunes of coastal Alabama. (Alabama beach mouse) Toolbox. 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