File:Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse (8797200631).jpg

The Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudonius preblei) (Preble's or PMJM) is a small mammal approximately 9-inches in length with large hind feet adapted for jumping, a long bicolor tail (which accounts for 60% of its length), and a distinct dark stripe down the middle of its back, bordered on either side by gray to orange-brown fur. This largely nocturnal mouse lives primarily in heavily vegetated, shrub dominated riparian (streamside) habitats and immediately adjacent upland habitats along the foothills of southeastern Wyoming south to Colorado Springs along the eastern edge of the Front Range of Colorado. The Preble's mouse enters hibernation in September or October and doesn't emerge until May. Its diet changes seasonally and consists of insects, seeds, fungus, fruit and more.

In May of 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the completion of a 12-month status review in response to two petitions to delist the mouse. Habitat loss continues to threaten the existence of the mouse throughout its range in Colorado and Wyoming. As a result, the Preble's retains its protections as a threatened species under the Act.

In this photo, the mouse is shown in torpor, a form of hibernation/sleep.