The striking olive dorsum of the Olive-backed Pocket Mouse is set off by a yellowish stripe on the side and a white underside. This is the only species of pocket mouse east of the Rocky Mountains whose range extends well into Canada. It inhabits grassland, shrub-steppe, and desert scrub habitat. In cold weather, it may retreat to a grass-lined nest in its burrow and become torpid, suspending activity for a period of time until the weather improves. It appears to prefer loose sandy or sandy-loam soils, where it sandbathes to clean its fur and fur-lined cheek pouches. Like other pocket mice, the Olive-backed Pocket Mouse feeds primarily on seeds that can be stuffed into its cheek pouches and transported to the tunnel system.

Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account