Wood mouse

Description:

Is a common murid rodent from Europe and northwestern Africa. Around 90 mm (3.54") in length. Wood mice are primarily seed eaters, particularly seeds of trees such as oak, beech, ash, lime, hawthorn and sycamore. If there is a plentiful amount of seeds on the ground, they carry them back to their nests/burrows for storage. They may eat small invertebrates such as snails and insects, particularly in late spring and early summer when seeds are least available. They also consume berries, fruits and roots. They do not hibernate; however, during severe winter seasons they fall into a sort of torpor, a decrease in physiological activity. They are mainly active during the dark, and are very good climbers. While foraging, wood mice pick up and distribute visually conspicuous objects, such as leaves and twigs, which they then use as landmarks during exploration. If a wood mouse is caught by its tail, it can quickly shed the end of it, which may never regrow. The wood mouse does not hibernate and, despite its name, it prefers hedgerows to woodland. In order to prevent predation, wood mice tend to forage in covered microsite.

Habitat:

Wood mice inhabit forests, grasslands, and cultivated fields. Almost entirely nocturnal and terrestrial, wood mice burrow extensively, build nests of plants and live in buildings during harsh seasons. It is one of the most intensively studied species in the genus. In Europe it ranges north to Scandinavia and east to Ukraine. The wood mouse is also found in northwestern Africa and on many Mediterranean islands.

Notes:

Found in the woods near the Zoete Water lakes. Can be differentiated from the domestic house mouse (Mus musculus = Mus domesticus), by the length of the hind legs: more than 2 cms, whereas in the house mouse is less than 1.6 cm. in length.