This is a medium sized mouse species. They are slightly larger than brownies. The body is an average length of 70 to 100 mm, the tail is about the same, sometimes even more. The head, in comparison with the body, is a large, pointed muzzle with rather large eyes. Ears are long (up to 22 mm), webbed, rounded. They are laterally adjacent to the muzzle, sometimes they not only reach the eyes, but also close them. The hind legs are quite long with a narrow foot. Claws are very sharp.
The fur is soft on the back. Mostly the upper body of mice is brown. Although there are individuals in which the fur is yellow or red. Younger creatures are more dull and blurry. Their abdomen is whitish. On the chest between the front paws there is a speck in the form of a smear.
Where does a small rodent with long ears live?
The forest mouse lives in Russia, Ukraine, North America, Asia, Pakistan. Prefers not to live in open steppe areas without ponds. For her, forests in the mountains or on the plains, as well as beams, shrubs and river valleys, become her home. Sometimes it can be found in coniferous forests or generally in treeless forests. It can settle near a person in farm buildings, most often this happens in the winter.
Diet
What does a forest mouse eat? The main components of the diet are tree seeds. In second place among food preferences are berries, insects, and also green plants. The animal makes reserves both in holes, and in hollows and roots of those same trees.
Rodent habitat and breeding
Mice are active mainly at night and at dusk. They prefer to settle in hollows located high enough. But in most cases they live under the roots of trees, fallen trunks, under stones, overhanging cliffs. Especially deep burrows do not dig and do not create intricate catacombs, only a few nesting chambers and two or three exits.
The number of mice varies depending on climatic parameters. It can breed up to 4-5 times a year. Does not hibernate.
A pest or an assistant?
The forest mouse harms both the natural regeneration of deciduous trees and afforestation. It was recorded that these rodents completely exterminated beech, linden, and maple seeds. They eat sown seeds, damage already sprouted seeds, and damage agricultural plantations. But still there is one positive side of the existence of this species of mice - a role in the food chain. Simply without them, birds of prey, snakes and even hedgehogs would not be able to live, especially in the winter season.
Wood mouse is a carrier of pathogens of diseases such as tularemia, erysipelas infection, paratyphoid and others.
Similar views
The forest mouse differs from the house mouse in that it lacks a clove on the back side of the upper incisors. When compared with a small mouse, the representatives of the species in question are much larger. The Asian has no white belly, as is the forest belly. The mountain mouse, in comparison with the forest mouse, is much larger.
Geographic changes and subspecies
Depending on the environment, the appearance of the mouse and color may vary slightly. Towards the south, they become larger in size, the color is brighter, and a larger spot of rodents appears on the chest yellow spot. By the way, the size of this spot itself is also increasing, especially in mountain individuals.
Starting from Sweden to the middle Urals, the forest mouse is mainly of a dark color. Already beyond the Urals, you can meet representatives with a dimmer color. In the south of Ukraine and in the Crimea mice dominate with a light shade of wool, in the Caucasus - with red.
Little conclusion
Now you know who such a forest mouse is, you see a photo of it in our article. We also told where it lives, what it eats, how it harms people. We hope you find this information useful.