Tiny mouse named after actor Sir Patrick Stewart takes age record

An endangered mouse roughly the weight of three pennies has grabbed the title for longest-living mouse in human care.

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.

He was born on 14 July 2013 as part of the zoo's conservation breeding and reintroduction programme.

Pat is named after Star Trek legend Sir Patrick Stewart.

Pat was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records in a ceremony on Wednesday.

"This recognition is so special for our team, and is significant for the species," said Debra Shier, associate director of Recovery Ecology at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. "It's indicative of the dedication and incredible care we as an organisation provide for each species, from the largest to the very smallest."

Only three small populations of Pacific pocket mice remain, according to the alliance.

Native to coastal scrublands, dunes and riverbanks near California's Pacific ocean, the pocket mouse's range once stretched from Los Angeles to the US-Mexico border. But due to human encroachment and habitat degradation, their numbers plummeted after 1932. They were thought to be extinct for decades, but in 1994 a small population was discovered in southern California.

In 2012, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance launched a conservation breeding programme to help save the species from extinction.

A record 31 litters of pocket mice, for a total of 117 pups, were produced by the alliance team in 2022.

The Pacific pocket mouse is the smallest mouse species in North America. Its tiny name, however, is not derived from its tiny stature but because of the cheek pouches the animal uses to carry food and nesting materials.

Though small, they play a big role in maintaining their ecosystems by dispersing the seeds of native plants and encouraging plant growth through their digging activities.

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