Alabama Beach Mouse
Alabama Beach Mice only live in coastal dune areas, primarily on Ono Island and Fort Morgan.
Did you know?
These small light-colored mice burrow in dunes and are primarily active at night. Their diet consists of various plant seeds and insects. They prefer sand slopes with patches of sea oats, beach grass, and interior sand dune ridges. Thriving beach mouse populations are an indicator of healthy dune ecosystems which help protect coastal habitats, especially during hurricanes. The Alabama beach mouse faces several natural and human-made threats including severe weather events, invasive species , coastal development and predation by both native and non-native species.
What do they look like?
Being nocturnal animals, they have large eyes and big ears to help them as they leave their burrows at dusk and remain active at night. They are much less active on full moonlit nights though to avoid becoming a late night snack for predators. They only weigh about 46 ounces, and are about 4-6 inches long. They mate for life and both parents care for the young. The average lifespan is 5-9 months, only giving birth to about four babies and its said that only two survive. Adult Alabama beach mice are brown above, sometimes with a darker stripe down its back and white below. Their tail is pinkish in color, not longer than the body and may have a faint black tail stripe. Juvenile and subadult Alabama beach mice may be gray above and white below, but transition to brown when approaching adult status. They have slender body, bicolor fur, a tapered or pointed nose, small rounded ears and black eyes.
Where do they live?
The Alabama beach mouse makes its home in the dunes of coastal Alabama. The mouse relies on a mix of habitat types to survive. Primary, secondary, tertiary and interior scrub dunes provide sites for burrows, food and water. Scrub dunes, that are further inland, provide safe haven during and immediately following tropical storm events when primary and secondary dunes are temporarily impacted or lost. Corridors between these dunes allow mice to move freely in search of food or burrow sites. Beach mice build complex burrows which are dug into the sloping sides of these sand dunes. The burrow contains three main parts: an entrance tunnel, which extends down an incline, a nest chamber which is usually 2 to 3 feet underground and an escape tunnel that rises from the nest chamber to within an inch of the surface. Beach mice can quickly pop open this plug of sand and escape if threatened or disturbed. Within their home range, a beach mouse family will often use and maintain as many as 10 burrows. The Alabama beach mouse depends on an assortment of foods throughout the year, including the seeds of dune plants, acorns from oak trees growing in the interior scrub and insects.
Where are they located?
The current range is split into two populations - the Fort Morgan population, which extends from the tip of Fort Morgan peninsula to the west side of Little Lagoon Pass, in the City of Gulf Shores and the Gulf State Park population, which is mainly located in Gulf State Park and limited adjacent areas in the City of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama.