The spiny pocket mouse is characterized by long, flexible hairs and spines on its back.These spines differentiates C. spinatus from pocket mice in other genera.[2] Their ears are small and round. They have long tails that are 126% of the length of their head and body. Their coat colors vary among islands but are generally brown on the tops of their bodies and tan on their sides. A spiny pocket mouse weighs about 13–18 g (0.46–0.63 oz). Their body length ranges from 164 to 225 mm (6.5 to 8.9 in).[3]
Spiny pocket mice are found in Southern Nevada, and in the islands of the Gulf of California at elevations up to 900 m (3,000 ft). They also range from southeast California to the south by the cape of Baja California Peninsula (Mexico), where they are native. Because of its wide distribution and absence in agricultural areas, the spiny pocket mouse population faces little risk of extinction.[1]
This mouse's diet varies according to the habitat it lives in. Their diet probably consists of seeds and green vegetation at times of rainfall. Since water is scarce in its habitat, it likely obtains most of its water from food.[1]
The spiny pocket mouse is nocturnal. This characteristic allows the spiny pocket mouse to live in rough, rocky desert landscapes by taking refuge during the hot days.[1] "They sleep, breed, and raise their young in burrows."[according to whom?] Their main predator are feral cats.[1]
^Lackey, James Alden (6 November 1991). "Chaetodipus spinatus"(PDF). Mammalian Species. The American Society of Mammalogists. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
Patton, J. L. (2005). "Heteromyidae". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 844–858.
