House Mouse
Mus musculus · Mammal, Vertebrate, Warm-blooded, Wild/Feral
Animal Family
Muridae, order Rodentia, class Mammalia
Animal Category
Wild Prey / Invasive Species
Breed / Variety
Standard wild-type house mouse
Conservation Status
Least Concern, population trend is stable and abundant globally.
About This Creature
Small rodent with a pointed snout, large rounded ears, small dark eyes, and a nearly hairless tail. Typically grayish-brown to light gray fur with a lighter belly. Head-and-body length ranges from 75 to 100 mm, with a tail of 50 to 100 mm.
Physical Characteristics
Slender body, four-toed front paws and five-toed hind paws, soft fur coat, whiskers for tactile sensing, incisors that grow continuously and require constant gnawing.
Behavior & Temperament
Crepuscular and nocturnal, highly adaptable, mostly solitary or living in loose communal hierarchies, communicates via ultrasonic vocalizations and scent marking.
Habitat & Diet
Origin Region
Originally Central Asia, now cosmopolitan across the globe in association with human habitations
Habitat
Urban/Suburban, Agricultural, Terrestrial and semi-fossorial
Diet & Nutrition
Omnivorous, primarily feeding on seeds, grains, and fruits, but will scavenge almost any human food source.
Lifespan & Health
Lifespan is typically under 1 year in the wild, up to 2-3 years in captivity; heavily preyed upon by cats, birds of prey, and snakes; high reproductive rate with multiple litters per year.
Special Characteristics
Exceptional ability to squeeze through tiny gaps, fast reproduction rates, serves as a common model organism in scientific research.
Ecological Information
Acts as an important prey base for numerous predators, can be a major agricultural pest and vector for pathogens, contributes to seed dispersal.
Notes
Looks like a mouse could be also a shrew