Cricetidae - New World rats, mice, voles, muskrats, lemmings, hamsters

This is the largest family of rodents and the second largest family of mammals! There are 698 species in this diverse family that includes mice, rats, voles, lemmings, and hamsters. They are found in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. They are found in a variety of habitats including swamps, grasslands, tundra, deciduous forests, coniferous forests, rainforests, deserts, wetlands, mountains, and suburban, and urban areas.

The rodents in this family range in size from tiny mice to the muskrat. Most species have rounded ears, short bodies, long tails, and big eyes. Cricetids usually have brown or gray fur. Most species have large litters of babies and can breed when they are just a few months old. Most species only live for a year or two and are prey for a number of predators. Many species are nocturnal. Some species live above ground, other species burrow underground, and other species live in trees. Some species spend a lot of time in the water. Some species are solitary and other species live in groups. Some cricetids are herbivores, other are carnivores, and some are omnivores!

World Status Key
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in the Wild Extinct
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.

US Status Key
Threatened in US Threatened in NH Endangered in US Endangered in NH Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game

New Hampshire Species		North/Central American Species
North American Deer Mouse-Peromyscus maniculatus Meadow Vole - Microtus pennsylvanicus Muskrat - Ondatra zibethicus Northern Bog Lemming - Synaptomys borealis Rock Vole - Microtus chrotorrhinus Southern Bog Lemming - Synaptomys cooperi Southern Red-backed Vole - Myodes gapperi White-footed Mouse - Peromyscus leucopus Woodland Vole - Microtus pinetorum		White-throated Woodrat - Neotoma albigula Bushy-tailed Woodrat - Neotoma cinerea Arizona Woodrat - Neotoma devia Key Largo Woodrat - Neotoma floridana San Joaquin Valley Woodrat - Neotoma fuscipes Desert Woodrat - Neotoma lepida White-toothed Woodrat - Neotoma leucodon Large-eared Woodrat - Neotoma macrotis Allegheny Woodrat - Neotoma magister Mexican Woodrat - Neotoma mexicana Southern Plains Woodrat - Neotoma micropus Stephen's Woodrat - Neotoma stephensi Golden Mouse - Ochrotomys nuttalli Mearns's Grasshopper Mouse - Onychomys arenicola Northern Grasshopper Mouse - Onychomys leucogaster Southern Grasshopper Mouse - Onychomys torridus Coues's Rice Rat - Oryzomys couesi Marsh Rice Rat - Oryzomys palustris Texas Deermouse - Peromyscus attwateri Brush Mouse - Peromyscus boylii California Mouse - Peromyscus californicus Canyon Mouse - Peromyscus crinitus Cactus Mouse - Peromyscus eremicus Northern Baja Deermouse - Peromyscus fraterculus Key Largo Cotton Mouse - Peromyscus gossypinus Osgood's Mouse - Peromyscus gratus Northwestern Deermouse - Peromyscus keeni White-footed Mouse - Peromyscus leucopus Black-eared Mouse - Peromyscus melanotis Mesquite Mouse - Peromyscus merriami Northern Rock Mouse - Peromyscus nasutus White-ankled Mouse - Peromyscus pectoralis Choctawhatchee Beach Mouse - Peromyscus polionotus Pinyon Mouse - Peromyscus truei Western Heather Vole - Phenacomys intermedius Eastern Heather Vole - Phenacomys ungava Florida Deermouse - Podomys floridanus Fulvous Harvest Mouse - Reithrodontomys fulvescens Eastern Harvest Mouse - Reithrodontomys humulis Southern Marsh Harvest Mouse-Reithrodontomys megalotis Plains Harvest Mouse - Reithrodontomys montanus Saltmarsh Harvest Mouse - Reithrodontomys raviventris
North/Central American Species
White-footed Vole - Arborimus albipes Red Tree Vole - Arborimus longicaudus California Red Tree Mouse - Arborimus pomo Northern Pygmy Mouse - Baiomys taylori Northern Collared Lemming-Dicrostonyx groenlandicus Ungava Collared Lemming - Dicrostonyx hudsonius Nelson's Collared Lemming - Dicrostonyx nelsoni Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemming-Dicrostonyx nunatakensis Richardson's Collared Lemming - Dicrostonyx richardsoni Umnak Island Collared Lemming - Dicrostonyx unalascensis Sagebrush Vole - Lemmiscus curtatus Siberian Brown Lemming - Lemmus sibiricus Brown Lemming - Lemmus trimucronatus Insular Vole - Microtus abbreviatus Beach Vole - Microtus breweri California Vole - Microtus californicus Gray-tailed Vole - Microtus canicaudus Southern Rock Vole - Microtus chrotorrhinus San Bernardino Long-tailed Vole - Microtus longicaudus Mexican Vole - Microtus mexicanus Singing Vole - Microtus miurus Pahranagat Valley Montane Vole - Microtus montanus Prairie Vole - Microtus ochrogaster Tundra Vole - Microtus oeconomus Creeping Vole - Microtus oregoni Woodland Vole - Microtus pinetorum Water Vole - Microtus richardsoni Triangle Island Vole - Microtus townsendii Taiga Vole - Microtus xanthognathus Western Red-backed Vole - Myodes californicus Revillagigedo Island Red-backed Vole - Myodes gapperi Northern Red-backed Vole - Myodes rutilus Round-tailed Muskrat - Neofiber alleni