There are approximately 200 species of mice that live all over the world. deer mice are a particular species of mice that prefer to live in forests, prairies, and fields. it has been observed that deer mice that live in trees tend to have longer tails because they use their tails for balance. deer mice that live in prairies and fields tend to have shorter tails so they are less likely to be caught when running away from predators. if a forest fire occurred in an ecosystem eliminating the majority of the trees and short-tailed mice are naturally selected over long-tailed mice, the evolution of the mice can be primarily attributed to