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Photo: G. Bradley |
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UK
Safari Tip:
Get help identifying mice, voles, shrews and other land mammals with a
fully illustrated fold-out chart - click
here
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Latin name: Apodemus sylvaticus
Size: The wood mouse measures between 8 and 9cm from nose to tail, and the tail is about the same length.
Distribution: Found throughout the UK.
Months seen: All year round
Habitat: Woodlands, fields and hedgerows. Will also come into houses in winter months.
Food: Mostly seeds, nuts and berries.
Special features: Also known as the Long Tailed Field Mouse, for obvious reasons, this is the most common British mammal. The fur is a yellow-brown colour on the back, while the belly and underside fur is a creamy-white. It has big black eyes, and prominent ears.
Wood mice are notoriously fast breeders. A female wood mouse can produce six litters of up to nine young every year. The young are fully weaned after 18 days. However, wood mice have plenty of predators to keep their numbers in check, such as weasels, tawny owls, and in urban areas, domestic cats.
They generally live in an underground burrow, coming out at night to feed. Their movements are very fast, and sometimes they jump, looking like tiny kangaroos. Underground, they build up a store of food for the winter. Although they don't hibernate, they becomes less active during the
winter.
UK Safari Mammal Section
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