Distantly related to common house mice and laboratory mice, Peromyscus maniculatusm, or deer mice get their name from their white feet, along with their agility and speed. A New World mouse genus, known commonly as deer mice, Peromyscus are closely related to white-footed mice, brush mice and many other Pereomyscus, who have adapted to the diverse regional habitats of North America. With the exception of the southeastern US and far northern Canada, deer mice occupy almost every type of US habitat from forests to grasslands and represent the most widely distributed and abundant mammal in North America.