Forest Dormouse
Encyclopedia
The Forest Dormouse is a species of rodent
in the Gliridae family found in eastern Europe, the Balkans
and parts of western Central Asia
. It is categorized as being of least concern in the IUCN List of Threatened Species due to its wide range and stable population trend.
.
in the west, through central, eastern and southern Europe
, the Balkan Peninsula, northward to the Baltic Sea
and eastward to the Volga River
and the Ural Mountains
in Russia
. Isolated populations occur outside this range, including in Israel
, central Iran
, Afghanistan
, the Tien Shan
mountains and Sinkiang
in China
. The forest dormouse occurs in a wide range of habitats including broad-leaved, mixed and coniferous woodland. It is also found in rocky areas, dwarf montane woodland, evergreen shrubland and wood-steppe. It is reported as reaching altitudes of up to 3,000 metres.
per year but in the southern parts, there are two. The gestation
period lasts about four weeks and there are usually four or five young per litter. The young dormice open their eyes in a fortnight and start eating solid food a week later. They leave the nest after about another three weeks and become sexually mature in the following year.
s and baby birds. Later in the year, fruit, nuts and seeds predominate. The population does not fluctuate much and the young reared each year only just makes up for those that die during hibernation. Sixty percent of young individuals and the majority of elderly adults (over the age of four) do not survive the winter. Another cause of mortality is storms which may cause the death of juveniles in unprotected nests. Dormice are also predated upon by pine and stone marten
s, wildcat
s, owl
s and crow
s.
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
in the Gliridae family found in eastern Europe, the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and parts of western Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. It is categorized as being of least concern in the IUCN List of Threatened Species due to its wide range and stable population trend.
Morphology
The forest dormouse is about 110 millimetres long with a fluffy grey tail nearly as long as its body. The fur on the upper parts of the body is grayish-brown and on the underparts, yellowish-white. There is a black stripe surrounding the eye and extending to the small ear. The whiskers form a bushy tuft about ten millimetres long. There are six pads on each pawPaw
A paw is the soft foot of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws or nails. A hard foot is called a hoof. Paws are used to pad feet for walking and increase friction.- Common characteristics :...
.
Distribution and habitat
The range of the forest dormouse is from SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in the west, through central, eastern and southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Balkan Peninsula, northward to the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
and eastward to the Volga River
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
and the Ural Mountains
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Isolated populations occur outside this range, including in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, central Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, the Tien Shan
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan , also spelled Tien Shan, is a large mountain system located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Victory Peak , ....
mountains and Sinkiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The forest dormouse occurs in a wide range of habitats including broad-leaved, mixed and coniferous woodland. It is also found in rocky areas, dwarf montane woodland, evergreen shrubland and wood-steppe. It is reported as reaching altitudes of up to 3,000 metres.
Biology
This species hibernates and in the northern parts of its range there is only one litterLitter (animal)
A litter is the offspring at one birth of animals from the same mother and usually from one set of parents. The word is most often used for the offspring of mammals, but can be used for any animal that gives birth to multiple young. In comparison, a group of eggs and the offspring that hatch from...
per year but in the southern parts, there are two. The gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
period lasts about four weeks and there are usually four or five young per litter. The young dormice open their eyes in a fortnight and start eating solid food a week later. They leave the nest after about another three weeks and become sexually mature in the following year.
Ecology
When it comes out of hibernation in the spring, the forest dormouse eats buds, shoots and the green parts of plants and also small invertebrateInvertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s and baby birds. Later in the year, fruit, nuts and seeds predominate. The population does not fluctuate much and the young reared each year only just makes up for those that die during hibernation. Sixty percent of young individuals and the majority of elderly adults (over the age of four) do not survive the winter. Another cause of mortality is storms which may cause the death of juveniles in unprotected nests. Dormice are also predated upon by pine and stone marten
Beech Marten
The beech marten , also known as the stone marten or white breasted marten, is a species of marten native to much of Europe and Central Asia, though it has established a feral population in North America. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN on account of its wide distribution, its large...
s, wildcat
Wildcat
Wildcat is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa.-Animals:Wildcat may also refer to members of the genus Lynx:...
s, owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s and crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s.