Mesquite Mice live in dense mesquite thickets known as bosques. Although mesquite is the dominant plant in bosques, other desert plants such as palo-verde, prickly pear, and cholla cacti, and grasses, mix with the mesquite. Learn more about the Peromyscus merriami, more commonly known as a Mesquite Mouse, in this easy-to-read species overview by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.