A forest mouse is that of an animal?

This is the type of mice of medium size. 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 larger. The head, in comparison with the body, is a large, pointed muzzle with rather large eyes. Ears are long (up to 22 mm), membranous, roundish. They are on the side of the muzzle, sometimes not only reach the eyes, but also close them. Hind legs rather long with narrow foot. The claws are very sharp.

The fur on the back is soft. Mostly the upper body of mice is brown in color. Although there are individuals who have fur of yellow tones or red. For young creatures more dull and fuzzy color is characteristic. Their abdomen is whitish. On the chest between the front paws there is a speck in the form of a smear.

Where lives a small rodent with long ears?

The forest mouse lives in Russia, Ukraine, North America, Asia, Pakistan. He prefers not to live in open steppe areas without reservoirs. For her, home is the forest in the mountains or on the plains, as well as beams, bushes and river valleys. Sometimes you can meet in coniferous forests or in general on woodland. It can settle near a person in economic buildings, most often in the winter.

Ration

What does the forest mouse eat? The main components of the diet are the seeds of tree species. In second place among the preferences in food - berries, insects, as well as green plants. Stocks make animals both in burrows, and in hollows and roots of those same trees.

Inhabitation and reproduction of the rodent

Mice are active mainly at night and at dusk. Prefer to settle in hollows, located high enough. But in most cases they live under the roots of trees, fallen trunks, under stones, impending precipices. Especially deep holes 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. Can reproduce up to 4-5 times a year. In hibernation does not lie.

Pest or helper?

The mouse forest harms both the natural renewal of hardwood trees and forest plantations. Seed was completely destroyed by these rodents seeds of beech, linden, maple. They eat seeded seeds, damage already risen, harm agricultural plantations. But still there is one positive side of the existence of this kind of mice - a role in the food chain. Simply without them, birds of prey, snakes and even hedgehogs could not survive, especially in the winter season.

Mouse forest is a carrier of pathogens such diseases as tularemia, erysipelas, paratyphoid and others.

Similar species

From the house mouse the forest differs in that it does not have a denticle on the back of the upper incisors. If we compare it with the baby mouse, then the representatives of the species under consideration are much larger. The Asian does not have a white belly, as there is a forest belly. The mountain mouse, in comparison with the forest, is much larger.

Geographic changes and subspecies

Depending on the environment, the appearance of the mouse and the color may vary slightly. Towards the south, they become larger in size, color brighter, and a yellow patch on the chest appears in a larger number of rodents. By the way, the sizes of this stain, especially at mountain individuals also increase.

Starting from Sweden and up to the average Urals, the forest mouse is mostly dark in color. Already beyond the Urals you can meet representatives with a dim color. In the south of Ukraine and in the Crimea, mice with a light shade of wool predominate, in the Caucasus - with red hair.

A small conclusion

Now you know who such a forest mouse is, you see a photo of it in our article. We also told where she lives, what she eats, how it harms people. We hope that this information was useful to you.