Guardian Nature School Team Contact Blog Project Noah Facebook Project Noah Twitter

A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife

Join Project Noah!
nature school apple icon

Project Noah Nature School visit nature school

Edible dormouse

Glis glis

Description:

The edible dormouse is the largest of all dormice, being around 14 to 19 centimetres (5.5 to 7.5 in) in head-body length, plus a 11 to 13 centimetres (4.3 to 5.1 in) tail. It normally weighs from 120 to 150 grams (4.2 to 5.3 oz), but may almost double in weight immediately prior to hibernation. It has a generally squirrel-like body, with small ears, short legs, and large feet. Its fur is grey to greyish-brown in colour over most of the body, with a clear line separating off the white to pale buff underparts. Unlike most other dormice, there are no dark markings on the face, aside from faint rings around the eyes. The tail is long and bushy, with fur slightly darker than that on the body. Females have from four to six pairs of teats. The edible dormouse is capable of limited autotomy; if another animal grasps the tail, the skin breaks easily and slides off the underlying bone, allowing the dormouse to escape. The exposed vertebrae then break off and the wound heals over, forming a fresh brush of hair.

Species ID Suggestions



Sign in to suggest organism ID

No Comments

bananaman
Spotted by
bananaman

Rijeka, Primorsko-goransko županija, Croatia

Spotted on Aug 4, 2011
Submitted on Sep 18, 2011

Related Spottings

Dormouse Common treeshrew Common Treeshrew Common Tree shrew

Nearby Spottings

Destroying Angel Cyclamen Spotting Jersey Tiger
Noah Guardians
Noah Sponsors
join Project Noah Team

Join the Project Noah Team