Hazel Dormouse
Encyclopedia
The Hazel Dormouse or Common Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is a small mammal
and the only living species in the genus Muscardinus.
It is 6 to 9 cm (2.4 to 3.5 ) long with a tail of 5.7 to 7.5 cm (2.2 to 3 ). It weighs 17 to 20 g (0.599657355786903 to 0.705479242102239 ), although this increases to 30 to 40 g (1.1 to 1.4 ) just before hibernation. The Hazel Dormouse hibernates
from October to April-May.
The Hazel Dormouse is native to northern Europe and Asia Minor. It is the only dormouse
native to the British Isles
(though the edible dormouse
, Glis glis, has been accidentally introduced and now has an established population), and is therefore often referred to simply as the Dormouse in British sources.
The United Kingdom distribution of the Hazel Dormouse can be found on the National Biodivestity Network website. here
bark, fresh leaves and grasses in the undergrowth. If the weather is cold and wet, and food scarce, it saves energy by going into torpor
; it curls up into a ball and goes to sleep. The Hazel Dormouse, therefore, spends a large proportion of its life sleeping − either hibernating in winter or in torpor in summer.
Examination of hazelnut
s may show a neat round hole in the shell. This indicates that it has been opened by a small rodent
, e.g., the dormouse, wood mouse
, or bank vole
. Other animals such as squirrel
s or jay
s will either split the shell completely in half or make a jagged hole in it.
Further examination reveals that the inner rim of the hole has toothmarks which are at an angle to the hole for the dormouse. The toothmarks are parallel with rough marks on the nut surface for a wood mouse; the bank vole leaves parallel grooves with no rough marks.
A variety of different food sources available at different times of year is required to ensure the Hazel Dormouse survives.
and is protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
and the only living species in the genus Muscardinus.
It is 6 to 9 cm (2.4 to 3.5 ) long with a tail of 5.7 to 7.5 cm (2.2 to 3 ). It weighs 17 to 20 g (0.599657355786903 to 0.705479242102239 ), although this increases to 30 to 40 g (1.1 to 1.4 ) just before hibernation. The Hazel Dormouse hibernates
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
from October to April-May.
The Hazel Dormouse is native to northern Europe and Asia Minor. It is the only dormouse
Dormouse
Dormice are rodents of the family Gliridae. Dormice are mostly found in Europe, although some live in Africa and Asia. They are particularly known for their long periods of hibernation...
native to the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
(though the edible dormouse
Edible dormouse
The edible dormouse or fat dormouse is a large dormouse and the only living species in the genus Glis.-Description:...
, Glis glis, has been accidentally introduced and now has an established population), and is therefore often referred to simply as the Dormouse in British sources.
The United Kingdom distribution of the Hazel Dormouse can be found on the National Biodivestity Network website. here
Description
The Hazel Dormouse has golden-brown fur and large black eyes. It is a nocturnal creature and spends most of its waking hours among the branches of trees looking for food. It will make long detours rather than come down to the ground and expose itself to danger.Behaviour
In winter (early October), the Hazel Dormouse will hibernate in nests beneath the leaf litter on the forest floor. When it wakes up in spring (late April or early May), it builds woven nests of shredded honeysuckleHoneysuckle
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 180 species of honeysuckle, 100 of which occur in China; Europe, India and North America have only about 20 native species each...
bark, fresh leaves and grasses in the undergrowth. If the weather is cold and wet, and food scarce, it saves energy by going into torpor
Torpor
Torpor, sometimes called temporary hibernation is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually characterized by a reduced body temperature and rate of metabolism. Animals that go through torpor include birds and some mammals such as mice and bats...
; it curls up into a ball and goes to sleep. The Hazel Dormouse, therefore, spends a large proportion of its life sleeping − either hibernating in winter or in torpor in summer.
Examination of hazelnut
Hazelnut
A hazelnut is the nut of the hazel and is also known as a cob nut or filbert nut according to species. A cob is roughly spherical to oval, about 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm in diameter, with an outer fibrous husk surrounding a smooth shell. A filbert is more elongated, being about twice...
s may show a neat round hole in the shell. This indicates that it has been opened by a small rodent
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....
, e.g., the dormouse, wood mouse
Wood mouse
The wood mouse is a common murid rodent from Europe and northwestern Africa. It is closely related to the yellow-necked mouse but differs in that it has no band of yellow fur around the neck, has slightly smaller ears, and is usually slightly smaller overall: around 90 mm in length...
, or bank vole
Bank Vole
The bank vole is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around in length. The bank vole is found in western Europe and northern Asia...
. Other animals such as squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s or jay
Jay
The jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family Corvidae. The names jay and magpie are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex...
s will either split the shell completely in half or make a jagged hole in it.
Further examination reveals that the inner rim of the hole has toothmarks which are at an angle to the hole for the dormouse. The toothmarks are parallel with rough marks on the nut surface for a wood mouse; the bank vole leaves parallel grooves with no rough marks.
Diet
It feeds on a wide variety of arboreal foods:- flowers for nectar and pollen
- fruits - berry and nuts
- insects - especially aphidAphidAphids, also known as plant lice and in Britain and the Commonwealth as greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies, are small sap sucking insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions...
s and caterpillarCaterpillarCaterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s - buds of young leaves
- HazelHazelThe hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
- the main food for fattening up before hibernation, although the tree is also an important provider of insects. - HornbeamHornbeamHornbeams are relatively small hardwood trees in the genus Carpinus . Though some botanists grouped them with the hazels and hop-hornbeams in a segregate family, Corylaceae, modern botanists place the hornbeams in the birch subfamily Coryloideae...
and blackthornBlackthornPrunus spinosa is a species of Prunus native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa. It is also locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America....
fruit where hazel is scarce
A variety of different food sources available at different times of year is required to ensure the Hazel Dormouse survives.
Habitat
- Woodland
- Hedgerows - These are species rich and connected to woodland. Ideally they are three to four metres high, and left at least seven years before cutting, because many shrubs do not begin to fruit until that time period has passed.
- Nestboxes
- They usually only travel less than 70 metres from their nest.
Protection status
The Hazel Dormouse is a European Protected SpeciesEuropean Protected Species
European Protected Species are species of plants and animals protected by law throughout the European Union. They are listed in Annexes II and IV of the European Habitats Directive....
and is protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Plants of value to dormice
- HazelCorylus avellanaCorylus avellana, the Common Hazel, is a species of hazel native to Europe and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Iberia, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, north to central Scandinavia, and east to the central Ural Mountains, the Caucasus, and northwestern Iran. It is an important component of...
- principal food source, supports insects. Forms an understory of poles, especially when coppiced, which makes it useful for its arboreal activity. The Hazel Dormouse's Latin name avellanarius means 'hazel'. - OakOakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
- insect and flower food. Acorns are of little value. - HoneysuckleHoneysuckleHoneysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 180 species of honeysuckle, 100 of which occur in China; Europe, India and North America have only about 20 native species each...
- bark is nesting material. Flowers and fruit are food. - BrambleBrambleBrambles are thorny plants of the genus Rubus, in the rose family . Bramble fruit is the fruit of any such plant, including the blackberry and raspberry. The word comes from Germanic *bram-bezi, whence also German Brombeere , Dutch Braam and French framboise...
- flowers and fruits provide food over a long period. Thorns give protection for nests. Dormice thrive on blackberries. - Sycamore - insect and pollen, and a habitat. However they cast a dense shade which decreases the understory.
- Ash - seed keys whilst they are still on the tree
- Viburnum lantanaViburnum lantanaViburnum lantana is a species of Viburnum, native to central, southern and western Europe , northwest Africa, and southwestern Asia. The vigorous deciduous european treelike shrub is common along waysides. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 4-5 m tall...
- fruits and flowers - YewTaxusTaxus is a genus of yews, small coniferous trees or shrubs in the yew family Taxaceae. They are relatively slow-growing and can be very long-lived, and reach heights of 1-40 m, with trunk diameters of up to 4 m...
- fruits are a favoured food - HornbeamHornbeamHornbeams are relatively small hardwood trees in the genus Carpinus . Though some botanists grouped them with the hazels and hop-hornbeams in a segregate family, Corylaceae, modern botanists place the hornbeams in the birch subfamily Coryloideae...
- seeds - BroomBroomA broom is a cleaning tool consisting of stiff fibers attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a variety of brush with a long handle. It is commonly used in combination with a dustpan....
- flowers (in early Summer) - Sallow - unripe seeds, supports many insects
- BirchBirchBirch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
- seeds - Sweet chestnutSweet ChestnutCastanea sativa is a species of the flowering plant family Fagaceae, the tree and its edible seeds are referred to by several common names such Sweet Chestnut or Marron. Originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, it is now widely dispersed throughout Europe and parts of Asia, such as...
- chestnut an excellent foodsource, the flowers are eaten as well - BlackthornBlackthornPrunus spinosa is a species of Prunus native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa. It is also locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America....
- fruits are eaten - Hawthorn - flowers are an important food in the spring. The fruit is eaten occasionally
Threats
- Predation from Eurasian badgerEurasian BadgerThe European Badger is a species of badger of the genus Meles, native to almost all of Europe. It is classed as Least Concern for extinction by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and large population....
, foxFoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
, stoatStoatThe stoat , also known as the ermine or short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip...
, weaselWeaselWeasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs.... - Trampling, e.g., deerDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, humanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus... - Lack of food source, e.g., from too frequent hedge-trimming, or competition from other species, e.g., squirrelSquirrelSquirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s - Destruction of forestForestA forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
and hedgerow habitats, or their diverse range of species, as a broad spectrum of food is required across the calendar year. - droppings from large animals
External links
- Peoples Trust for Endangered Species site describing the Hazel Dormouse and its conservation
- Information and images from the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
- Extensive information and pictures
- Pet care
- A lot of facts, links and book reviews about the dormouse
- Dormouse nest-box construction