The salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris), also known as the red-bellied harvest mouse and some times called as saltmarsh harvest mouse, is an endangered rodent endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area salt marshes in California. There are two distinct subspecies, both endangered and listed together on federal and state endangered species lists. The northern subspecies (Reithrodontomys raviventris halicoetes) is lighter in color and inhabits the northern marshes of the bay, and the southern subspecies (Reithrodontomys raviventris raviventris) lives in the East and South Bay marshes. They are both quite similar in appearance to their parent species, the Western harvest mouse. Its endangered designation is due to its limited range, historic decline in population and continuing threat of habitat loss due to development encroachment at the perimeter of San Francisco Bay.
Read more about Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse: Description and Comparison To Similar Species, Lifestyle, Habitat, Range, Conservation, Reference in 2009 Economic Stimulus Debate
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