Pacific Pocket Mouse Sand Bathing

This video shows a Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus) sandbathing at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in 2015.

Once thought to be extinct, the Pacific pocket mouse was rediscovered in 1993 and is currently found at three population sites along the southern California coast. USGS researchers and their partners developed a comprehensive long-term monitoring plan to assess the status and trends of Pacific pocket mouse and identify important drivers of population dynamics. Initiated in 2012, this research program continues to provide data that enables managers to make informed decisions for management and recovery of this critically endangered species.