pocket mouse

American  

noun

1. any of numerous burrowing rodents, especially of the genus Perognathus, chiefly inhabiting arid regions of the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico, having fur-lined cheek pouches and a long tail.

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pocket mouse British  

noun

1. any small mouselike rodent with cheek pouches, of the genus Perognathus, of desert regions of W North America: family Heteromyidae

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Etymology

Origin of pocket mouse

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

During the colder winter months, Pacific pocket mice hibernate in their burrows for much of the time.

From NewsForKids.net

At nine years and 209 days old, the Pacific pocket mouse named Pat pocketed the Guinness World Record on Wednesday, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced.

From BBC

But our limited ability to do so means we cannot go without freshwater for nearly so long as the pocket mouse.

From Scientific American

Along the Californian coast, he trapped pocket mice and watched condors soar; in the Mojave Desert, his team chronicled American kestrels swooping for insects and caught cactus mice hiding among rocks.

From Science Magazine

I looked down, searching for endangered Pacific pocket mice, before my eye caught something much larger in the waves: a whale spout.

From Washington Post