SAN DIEGO — At nine years and 180 days, Patrick – a Pacific Pocket Mouse – was crowned the world’s oldest living mouse.
Born on July 14, 2013, at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Patrick – named after actor Patrick Stewart - was part of the zoo’s conservation breeding program.
"It’s been a huge commitment but it's extremely rewarding," said Debra Shier, PH.D., Brown Endowed Associate Director of Recovery Ecology at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
"To be able to celebrate Pat and verify that he’s old was really amazing," added adjudicator with Guinness World Records, Michael Empric.
Pacific Pocket Mice are the smallest mouse species in North America.
The drastic decline in their population prompted the zoo to create a conservation program in 2012 to save the species from extinction.
"It’s been a herculean effort to do conservation with this species. They’re very little known, they get very little attention but they can be very important for ecosystem function," said Shier.
In captivity, the mice may live four to six years. They can live one to two years in the wild.
The mice disperse seeds and improve plant growth through digging.
Zoo staff says the recognition helps experts focus on lesser-known species.
Last year, the team helped produced a record 31 litters – that’s a total of 117 pups. Many of the mice will be reintroduced into their native habitat this spring.