BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Zapus princeps
Western Jumping Mouse
| Scientific Name: | Zapus princeps J.A. Allen, 1893 | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Western Jumping Mouse | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Taxonomy Comments: | NatureServe 2026: "Following the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM 2024) and Malaney et al. (2017), Zapus princeps saltator is elevated to species status." | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | M-ZASA | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S5 (Feb 2024) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2005) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Breeds soon after females emerge from hibernation. Gestation lasts 18 days. Most young are born late June-early July. Apparently only 1 litter/year. Litter size estimated at 2-7 (average 5). Some females bear 1st litter at 1 year (Falk and Millar 1987). | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: | Primarily solitary. Home range in Utah averaged 0.2-0.6 ha in different areas in different years (Cranford 1983). Adult density was 8-32/ha in different areas. | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
Y / N / N / na / |
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| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Mountain meadows, marshes, along banks of streams and ponds, in dense cover of tall grasses and herbs. Nests in burrow in well-drained mound or elevated bank (Jones et al. 1983) or on surface among vegetation. | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Granivore: Adult, Immature
Invertivore: Adult, Immature |
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | In spring, feeds on insects and other invertebrates. By mid-summer, diet may shift to mostly grass seeds and small fruits. | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Hibernates/aestivates: Adult, Immature
Nocturnal: Adult, Immature |
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| Global Phenology Comments: | Adults may enter hibernation September-October. Throughout winter, periods of hibernation alternate with arousal from torpor. In eastern Wyoming, emerges from hibernation mid-May to mid-June; may not emerge until late June or July at high elevations in Utah. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 26/ / 38 | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Western North America. Southern Yukon to eastern North Dakota and northeastern South Dakota, south to east-central California, central Nevada, Utah, and north-central New Mexico (Hart et al. 2004). | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Apr 14, 1993 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
MacDonald, S.O. 2003. The small mammals of Alaska: a field handbook of the shrews and small rodents. Draft 22 May 2003. |
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Nagorsen, D. W. 2005b. The rodents and lagomorphs of British Columbia. Royal B.C. Mus. Handb., Victoria, BC. 410pp. |
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Wilson, D. E., and S. Ruff. 1999. The Smithsonian book of North American mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 750 pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1993. Species Summary: Zapus princeps. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 5, 2026).