One of the oldest rodents is dormouse - an animal that has much in common with proteins and mice at the same time. Features of its structure depend on the lifestyle and habitat. Life expectancy in nature ranges from 2 to 6 years.
Appearance
Sony are small in size. Their body is slightly elongated, round shiny eyes stand out on a narrow head with a pointed nose. The ears are quite large, bare, with rounded tips.
On the face of Sonya are very sensitive long mustache - vibrissa. Their length is about 20 to 40 percent of the entire length of the body. Each antennae can make a movement due to the contraction of the subcutaneous muscles. This is a peculiar
organ of touch, with the help of which the animal probes the space surrounding it. The limbs are thin and short, with four fingers on the front legs and five on the hind legs. Thick and very soft hair of the animal has a small and uniform length throughout the body.
Habitat
Sonya is an animal who prefers to live most often on trees, in hollows, sometimes in earthen burrows, dug more often under the roots of trees, under stones and in crevices of rocks. These animals live mainly in forests, gardens and groves.
Lifestyle & Nutrition
Most members of this family sleep during daylight hours, and only at dusk do they get out of their shelters. Thanks to this feature, they got their name. With the onset of cold weather, drowsiness fall into a daze and in this state can spend the whole winter. During this period, their body temperature decreases, their metabolism slows down. Some animals wake up during the thaw, eating their stocked food during a break from sleep. They do not make other reserves and survive the winter due to the accumulated fat during the summer and autumn.
The basis of the diet of these animals are the fruits of plants and various seeds, less often insects. On occasion, they also do not refuse eggs and young chicks. It is interesting to observe how the dormouse takes food (a photo of the animal engaged in this process is available in this article). Holding the food firmly with its front legs, the dormouse brings it to her mouth. These animals may well become tame, but only if caught at a young age. The main thing that is not recommended to do is to touch them with your hands. Sonyes do not like this very much.
Types of sleepyheads
On the territory of European countries there are 4 genera of these animals - hazel, forest, garden and dormouse. In total, the family of sleepyheads has 9 genera and 28 species. They mainly populate the northern part of Africa, Japan, and China. They are also found in Altai and in Asia Minor.
Hazel dormouse - of all rodents, it is the prettiest, and among the representatives of this family - the smallest animal. The length of his body is 7–8 cm. The animal differs from its congeners by a yellowish-red color. The young hazel dormouse has a particularly bright fur coat color. The rodent got its name due to its habitat, a prerequisite for which is the presence of dense thickets of hazel, rose hips, viburnum and other shrubs. Refers to woody species, rarely descending to the ground. Thanks to the tenacious paws, it moves very quickly and quickly along trunks and branches.
Garden dormouse is a larger animal (up to 14 cm), with a very peculiar color. The upper body is gray-brown in color, and the abdomen is white. The eyes are surrounded by black rings, giving the face a very smart and expressive look. Although mostly garden dormouse live in deciduous forests of mountainous areas, they are often found in conifers, penetrating north further than other representatives of this family. Prefers to settle in gardens, near human habitation.
Sonya-polchok is one of the largest. Its size can sometimes reach 19 cm. The fur of this animal is very thick, the back is colored dark, the sides are lighter, and the abdomen and the inner surface of the legs are silver-white. The eyes are bordered by a brown ring. The tail is covered with thick fur, decorated with a white longitudinal strip below. Of all the rodents, perhaps the most gluttonous is this dormouse (see the photo of the animal below).
She will eat as long as able to do it. At the heart of her diet are acorns, nuts, but often she has predatory tendencies when a regiment attacks small animals, destroys nests, eats chicks.
Forest dormouse has much in common with the regiment. She has the same fluffy tail, which fluffs up if the animal is angry. The gray-brown color of the fur coat is more like a garden sleepyhead. Only in individuals living in the southern regions, it is brighter - the neck has a yellow-orange color and spots of the same color are located on the cheeks of the animal. Body length is 11 cm, tail is about the same.
For captivity, hazel dormouse is most suitable - an animal that does not show aggression, quickly gets used to the person and becomes tame.