Classification of the house mouse. House mouse, description, habitat, lifestyle, what it eats, photos, videos. Types of wild mice

There is hardly a person in the world who is not familiar with mice. Despite their cute, funny appearance, they are far from being liked by the majority of the world's population. Still, there are people who would like to know a little more about mice.

Features and habitat

Mouse animal mammal, order of rodents and suborder of mice. Rats, by the way, are very similar to mice and belong to the same suborder. The rodent order is one of the most numerous. There is no place on earth that these small animals have not conquered. They can handle any natural area; they are not afraid of either arid areas or snowy places.

They adapt to new living conditions so quickly that they cannot be frightened by any discomfort. Most often, rodents live in burrows, but they find food for themselves on the surface of the earth. Mice, for example, lead only a terrestrial lifestyle, although they have their own burrows.

The photo shows a mouse hole in the grass

The body size of an ordinary mouse is small - its length does not exceed 10 cm, and its weight is only 30 g; its muzzle is small, but its ears and eyes are large. This is understandable - mice constantly need to listen and look closely to see if there is any danger. The tail is not the most beautiful part of this animal’s body.

The fur on it is very sparse, and the length reaches half the length of the body. Moreover, if you look closely, you can see ring-shaped scales. But the mouse itself is not too worried about its beauty, because its entire body is adapted to survive in any conditions, and this is much more important.

The skeleton is strong, reliable and elastic, the color is gray with various shades, that is, exactly the one that will hide the animal from a quick glance, the movements are fast, nimble, dexterous, each part of the body is clearly honed by time for its specific functions and copes with them perfectly , otherwise the animal would not have survived to this day since the Paleocene.

A very interesting feature of the body of this rodent is the structure of the dental system. Mice have molars and two large pairs of incisors, which do not have roots, and because of this they constantly grow by 1 mm per day. So that such teeth do not grow to terrible sizes and simply fit in the mouth, mice are forced to constantly grind them down.

Mice have very interesting vision. It is well developed, because they need to see danger at a far distance. But at white mice, that is, those who live like domestic animals as pets have much weaker vision for the simple reason that they do not need to hide from danger.

It is curious that many mice have color vision, but they do not perceive the full color gamut. For example, these rodents perfectly see yellow and red colors, but they cannot distinguish between blue and green.

The photo shows a white mouse

Character and lifestyle

Since mice live in areas with different climates, they need to adapt to different living conditions, and mice have not one, but several ways of adaptation:

Active throughout the year. These animals make provisions for a rainy day all year round.
But they can do without supplies if their place of residence is shops, residential buildings or food warehouses;
Seasonal migrations - closer to winter, mice migrate from their natural habitat to places that are located near human habitation, and in the spring they move back;
In order to maintain optimal body temperature in hot or cold seasons, the mouse must move too much, and for this it absorbs a lot of food.

The entire life cycle of this rodent depends on body temperature. If a mouse does not move in winter, it will freeze, and if it does not move in summer, during the hot period of the year, then the body will produce excess heat, which can kill the animal.

Therefore, the entire life activity of a mouse consists of the fact that it moves - it gets food for itself, eats, engages in mating games and raises offspring. The main movement in mice begins with the onset of darkness. It is then that they begin to look for food, set up their home, that is, they dig holes, and protect their area from their fellow tribesmen.

Don't think it's tiny mouse- a cowardly creature. In the process of protecting her home, she can attack an animal that is much larger than the mouse itself. If a mouse lives in a place where there is constant twilight, then it is more active, and it has to rest less and in periods.

But if there are people constantly in the habitat of mice, then the mice are not too “shy” - when the room is quiet, they can go out in search of food during the daytime. However, if a mouse is kept as a pet, then it has to adapt to the owner's regime. These animals live in groups, because a single individual will not be able to make large enough reserves, find food and detect danger in time.

True, life in a mouse family is not always cloudless - serious conflicts also occur, which, as a rule, break out due to lack of food. Females are much calmer than males; they even often breed offspring together and jointly raise them.

The mouse is a wild animal and obeys the laws of his family. Its activity also depends on what place a particular animal occupies in this family. It is the leader who determines the periods of wakefulness and rest for his subordinates. In addition, weaker mice try to dig holes and get food for themselves while the head of the family is resting, so as not to catch his eye once again.

Nutrition

Typically, these animals, which live in their natural environment, feed on grains, grain stalks, and seeds. They like any plant food - tree fruits, grass seeds and everything that can be obtained from a plant. If this rodent lives near human habitation, then its menu is much more varied.

Here bread, vegetables, and sausage are already eaten - the mouse is not capricious in its choice. It also happens that mice eat their weaker brothers, but this happens if the mice are locked together in a cage and there is nowhere else to get food. Rats do the same.

If you manage to buy a mouse as a pet, then you can feed it with cereals, bread, cheese, vegetables, as well as any plant food, but it is better to stick to a diet that is close to the natural diet of these animals. You should feed your pet once a day; overfeeding these babies can lead to diseases.

Reproduction and lifespan

Mice mating occurs without long and lengthy foreplay. As a rule, the male smells the female, finds her and mates. After some time, the female brings from 3 to 10 mice. Mice are born blind and naked, but they develop too quickly. Already at 30 days, the small female becomes sexually mature, and the male reaches sexual maturity at 45 days.

This is easily explained by the fact that the life of this rodent is not long at all, only 2-3 years. But, since a female can bear offspring 3-4 times a year, the population is restored in abundance.

House mice live close to humans, thanks to which they have spread across all continents and have become a very numerous species of mammals. In addition, mice are used as model organisms in laboratory experiments and are bred as pets.

Description of the rodent

The body length of the house mouse is 6.5-9.5 cm. The length of the tail is about 60% in relation to the length of the body, its surface is covered with horny scales, which are arranged in rings, as well as short sparse hairs. The weight of adult individuals is from 12 to 30 g. The ears are round and small. The fur is dark or brownish-gray, the belly is ash-gray or white. Desert mice are lighter in color, their fur is yellowish-sandy, and their bellies are white. Domesticated mice come in white, black, yellow, blue-gray and variegated colors. Females have 5 pairs of nipples.

Under natural conditions, house mice feed mainly on the seeds of wild and cultivated plants. They prefer seeds of cereals, legumes and asteraceae. In addition, they feed on insects, their larvae, and carrion. Green parts of plants make up up to 1/3 of the total feed volume. When there is enough food, reserves are made.

House mice consume about 3 ml of water per day and are very sensitive to dehydration.

Living next to humans, mice eat all available food, sometimes even soap, candles, and glue. Your diet includes grain, rice, oats, meat, chocolate, and dairy products.

The homeland of the house mouse is northern India or northern Africa or Western Asia; in all these regions the species is known in fossil form. Later, together with people, the house mouse spread throughout the world and today it is a cosmopolitan animal.

House mice do not live only in the Far North, Antarctica and in the mountains at high altitudes. Their prevalence is somewhat limited by low air temperature and high humidity. In Russia, house mice do not live in the northeast of Siberia, on the Taimyr Peninsula, near the Yenisei and Lena, in the mountain tundra.

The number of house mice varies with the seasons; at the end of winter it is smallest, and with the beginning of spring and the breeding season, the number of individuals grows and reaches its maximum in autumn.

Common types of house mouse

Approximately 130 subspecies of the house mouse have been described, which are grouped into main subspecies according to their habitat regions:

Interestingly, in the times of Ancient Rome, mice were not distinguished from rats; the former were called Mus Minimus, and the latter – Mus Maximus.

Sexual dimorphism in house mice is weakly expressed; females and males practically do not differ from each other.

The house mouse is an inhabitant of a wide variety of landscapes. The species is very closely related to people, that is, it belongs to synanthropic species, and often lives in residential buildings and outbuildings.

In the northern regions, seasonal migrations are typical for mice. So, at the end of summer and autumn, they move en masse closer to feeding areas: residential buildings, vegetable and grain storage facilities, and warehouses. The range of such migrations reaches 3-5 km. House mice usually overwinter in forest belts, stacks and stacks. In spring, rodents return to their natural habitats, fields, vegetable gardens and orchards.

In the deserts and semi-deserts of the southern part of their range, house mice live all year round outside human habitation, being close to oases and reservoirs.

Under natural conditions, house mice live on soft, moist soils, where they dig small burrows: up to 1 m in length, 20-30 cm in depth and 1-3 entrances. In winter, the burrow deepens to 50-60 cm. The diameter of the nesting chamber is 10-25 cm; mice line it with soft plant rags. They may also occupy the burrows of other rodents (mole voles, gerbils). Next to humans, house mice live under the floor, in attics, and in heaps of garbage. The nest is built from any available materials: paper, scraps of fabric, wool, feathers, artificial fibers, and kept clean. In nature, they lead a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle; when around people, they adapt to their activities. When moving, they adhere to constant routes and create noticeable paths with heaps of droppings and dust.

House mice are agile, nimble animals, they run fast (reach speeds of up to 12-13 km/h), climb, jump and even swim, but they do not go far from the nest. Under natural conditions, each house mouse occupies an individual area of up to 1200 m² for a male and up to 900 m² for a female, or they live in groups of one dominant male and females with offspring.

Under favorable conditions, house mice breed throughout the year. Over the course of a year, females bear 5-10 litters, each containing 3-12 babies. Males, in order to attract females, emit ultrasounds in the range of 30-110 kHz, which are similar in complexity to bird songs. Pregnancy lasts 19-21 days. Mice are born blind and naked. On the 10th day of life, they are completely covered with fur, their eyes open 2 weeks after birth, and in the third week the babies begin to live independently. They become sexually mature at 5-7 weeks of life.

Life expectancy in natural conditions is 12-18 months, in captivity – up to 2-3 years.

Natural enemies

House mice are hunted by cats, foxes, small mustelids, mongooses, large lizards, snakes, birds of prey, crows, and shrikes. Rats also often kill and eat their smaller counterparts.

But house mice can also be predators. So, they were brought to the South Atlantic island of Gough, took root and multiplied to a number of 700,000 individuals. Later, large mice began to attack albatross chicks; in a year they destroy more than 1 million chicks.

House mice have poor eyesight but very acute hearing. They are capable of perceiving sound with a frequency of up to 100 kHz (the upper threshold of human hearing sensitivity is 20 kHz). In dimly lit places they navigate using vibrissae. A keen sense of smell helps mice in finding food, orienting themselves in space, and recognizing their relatives.
The house mouse's harm to humans consists of eating grain crops, contaminating food and animal feed with feces and urine, damaging furniture, electrical wiring, clothing, and books. The fight against house mice was one of the reasons for the domestication of cats by humans. In addition, house mice carry many infections dangerous to humans, for example, pseudotuberculosis, vesicular rickettsiosis, leptospirosis, tularemia, and plague.
At the same time, house mice also bring benefits to humans, since they are bred as domestic and laboratory animals, “food” animals for terrariums. Mice are used in preclinical research as experimental animals and model organisms due to their ability to reproduce rapidly.
In 2013, a monument to a laboratory mouse was erected in Novosibirsk as recognition of the role of the rodent in genetics and experimental medicine (see photo).

If you find a mouse in your home, this may be a cause for concern, because it is possible that it is not alone. Mice can spoil food and things and spread diseases, so try to get rid of them as soon as possible. Set up mouse traps or bait to quickly rid your home of mice, then clear and seal off any passages through which they might enter. Take preventative measures and you can say goodbye to mice!

Steps

Signs of the presence of mice in the house

Look for droppings. Check for mouse droppings in problem areas such as kitchen cabinets or pantry. Look for dark droppings that are shaped like grains of rice, about 0.5 to 0.6 centimeters long. Fresh droppings appear moist and dark, while old droppings have a lighter gray tint.

The presence of droppings may also indicate that there is a gap or hole in the room through which mice can enter the home.

Listen for scraping or squeaking in the mornings and evenings during sunrise and sunset. Mice are nocturnal and are most active between 30 minutes after sunrise and 30 minutes before sunset. Pay attention to soft scratching and scratching sounds near walls or in areas where you suspect mice may be present. If you hear a repeated creaking or noise, there may be a few mice in your home.
- The noise made by mice can often be heard in basements, attics or kitchens.
Look for dime-sized holes at the base of the walls. If mice are infested in the walls, they can chew through the drywall to get inside the house. Check for holes with straight edges in corners and under cabinets. If you find openings like these, mice could easily enter your home through them.
- Be sure to inspect the exterior walls, as mice can enter your home from the street.
Warning: If you find larger holes with jagged edges, this may indicate that rats have entered the house.

Check for mouse tracks under interior or exterior walls. Mice tend to use the same paths as they move around the house, and you may be able to spot problem areas. As a rule, these paths run along the interior or exterior walls of the house. If mice frequently visit a particular place, they may leave behind greasy marks from rubbing against the walls.
- There may also be droppings or traces of urine on the paths used by mice.
- Pay attention to any subtle or sudden movements in the house - these could be mice.
Look for signs of nests in the attic or basement. During the breeding season, mice make nests in which they raise their offspring. Look for round nests made of cardboard, fabric and other materials in the attic, crawl space and under cabinets. If you find a nest like this, contact a rodent control professional immediately to help you get rid of mice properly.
- Mice chew through cardboard boxes and clothing to make their nests. Look for small holes in the piles of clothes at the back of your closet.
- A musty smell can also be a sign of a mouse nest.
Catching mice
1. Buy a humane trap if you don't want to kill mice. Place a mousetrap in a path frequently used by mice or near problem areas near a wall. Place a piece of peanut butter or cheese inside the trap so that the smell of the bait will attract rodents. Although humane traps come in a variety of designs, you can tell if you've caught a mouse by simply looking at the trap. Once the mouse is trapped, release it at least 3 kilometers from the house so that it does not return.
  - Wear gloves when handling the trap and placing bait to prevent mice from being deterred by your scent.
  - Some humane mouse traps catch one animal at a time, while others can trap multiple rodents at once. Choose the mousetrap that best suits your needs.
  - Experiment with different types of bait (for example, marshmallows or jelly) to determine which scent attracts mice best.
2. Use a regular spring mousetrap, which immediately kills the mouse. Place a mousetrap near a wall or other place where you find traces of mice. Place some bait in it, such as peanut butter or jelly. With one hand, pull the wire frame into a U shape. With your other hand, install the metal rod onto the latch with the bait. When a mouse attracted by the bait steps on the trap, the frame will slam shut and kill it.
  - Throw away the snap trap immediately after the mouse enters it and disinfect the area where it was placed.
  - Be careful when installing the mousetrap, as the spring wire can snap shut quickly.
  - Do not place spring mousetraps in areas within reach of pets or small children, as they may be injured.
  Advice: Place newspaper under each mousetrap to avoid staining the floor.
3. Replace mousetraps every 2-3 days. Check twice a day to make sure there are no mice caught in the traps. If the mousetrap remains empty for several days, move it to another location where mice may be present. Mice often use the same paths, so they are more likely to return to the same place they have been before.
  - Every night, mice move 6–9 meters away from their home. If you find a mouse nest in your home, place mouse traps near it.
4. Use poison bait as a last resort. Traps with poison bait can be purchased at a hardware store. Place traps in areas where you find evidence of mice, such as under a closet or in the basement. The mouse will eat the bait and slowly die as the poison takes effect.
  - Some poison traps trap mice so that they cannot escape after eating the poisoned bait.
  - Keep poisoned traps out of the reach of small children and pets to prevent them from eating the poisoned bait.
  - Keep the poison away from food to prevent it from contaminating it.
Preventing mice from appearing in the house
1. Clean your house more often. After eating or preparing food, immediately clean up after yourself and wash the dishes. Don't leave food on the table overnight as mice can get to it. Sweep or vacuum contaminated areas daily to prevent mice from infesting your home.
  - While keeping your home clean will not completely eliminate mice, it will deprive them of possible food sources.
  - Get rid of clutter - Mice are usually attracted to dark, secluded areas.

Mice are the largest family in the class of mammals. These rodents are distributed throughout the world, except Antarctica and high mountain regions.

There are various types of mice in nature. The smallest mice are about 5 cm in size, and the largest members of the family reach 35 cm. Most mice are gray in color, hence the expression “mouse color”.

What types of mice are there? Why are rodents dangerous to people? What mice can be kept as pets? The article provides descriptions and photographs of representatives of the mouse family, information about their characteristics and lifestyle.

Features of representatives of the mouse order

The mouse family belongs to the order of rodents. Science knows 519 species of these animals. A typical representative of the mouse family is a small animal with small ears and short hair that is gray, reddish, brown or black. In nature, there are also white albinos with red eyes.

Mice are very fertile. The female carries the cubs for 25 days and produces up to five litters per year. Each litter contains 8-12 small mice. The mouse feeds its young with milk for about three weeks. After 20 days, their incisors form and they begin to feed on their own. Mice develop very quickly; within three months after birth they are ready to bear offspring. The average lifespan of a mouse is about 2 years.

Mice lack a collarbone, which allows these rodents to fit into the narrowest crevices. In addition, the animal quickly adapts to any living conditions and can go without water for a long time. All this makes mice very tenacious.

The presence of thin whiskers helps the animals to navigate the area. Rodents have two pairs of constantly growing sharp incisors. If their size reaches 2 cm, the rodents may die, so they need to chew something, grinding down their incisors.

The genes of mice are 80% identical to those of humans. Due to this property, mice, mostly white, are used in laboratory scientific and medical research.

Rodent lifestyle and nutrition

Mice are mostly nocturnal. They have polyphasic activity: sleep alternates with periods of wakefulness from 25 to 90 minutes.

The animals are very mobile, they can move at speeds of up to 13 km per hour. They usually run along certain routes. Their routes of movement can be determined by the droppings they leave behind.

Rodents live in groups consisting of a male and several females with cubs. Each family has its own plot. Males are very aggressive towards other males. Grown-up offspring are usually expelled from the family.

In nature, animals make nests from grass, settle in holes or hollows of trees, stocking up on food for the winter. Once indoors, they settle under the floor, between the walls, and in attics.

The animals feed on plant seeds and small invertebrates. They can also eat bird eggs and small chicks. Mice living in the house eat any food, chew candles, soap, plastic items, and paper. These animals are capable of causing serious damage to humans.

The greatest harm that a wild mouse can cause to humans is the various dangerous diseases it carries:

typhus;
intestinal infections;
Bubonic plague;
Lentospirosis;
salmonellosis;
sodocosis;
rabies;
tularimia.

Scientists have not ruled out the possibility that mice can transmit breast cancer. Diseases can be transmitted through food contaminated by rodents, water, bites, or air in a room heavily contaminated with rodent waste.

Description of wild mouse species with photos

Representatives of different species of mice differ from each other in size, color and habitat. The following species of wild mice live in Russia:

Wood mouse

The wood mouse lives on the edges of mixed and deciduous forests or in meadows among tall grass. The size of the rodent is about 10 cm, and the length of the tail reaches up to 7 cm. The mouse has round ears, its color can be from red to dark brown (see photo). The long-eared animal moves very quickly and can climb high into trees.

The rodent settles in tree hollows, under roots and fallen trees. The wood mouse overwinters in burrows that are up to 2 meters deep. Minks have several chambers for food supplies, a nesting compartment and 2-3 exits.

The animal feeds on fallen tree seeds, acorns, nuts, berries, and grass sprouts. The diet is supplemented with small invertebrates.

The animal reproduces 2-3 times a year, bringing 5-8 cubs. The number of animals depends on the harvest of food and climatic conditions.

House mouse

The house mouse lives in human housing or adjacent buildings: barns, warehouses, sheds. Can climb to the upper floors of apartment buildings. It is usually a gray or black mouse that reaches 6-10 cm in length. The length of its tail is up to 60% of the size of the body.

In the spring, house mice move outdoors, and with the onset of cold weather they return indoors. In homes, animals cause a lot of inconvenience: they chew furniture, wiring, walls, and spoil food.

Field mouse

Field mice are those that live in meadows and fields. They are widespread in Europe, Siberia, the Far East and Mongolia.

Voles are dark or tan in color with darker stripes and have a white belly and paws. Their size reaches 7-12 cm. The tail of the animals is relatively small. They go out for food mainly at night, since during the day they risk becoming victims of numerous predators, for example the common snake. They feed on plant foods and small insects. These mice are very fertile and tenacious.

Gerbil mouse

The gerbil was brought to Russia from America for laboratory research. Now there are more than 100 species of this animal. Dwarf and Mongolian gerbils live in Russia.

Sand mice are often kept as ornamental pets. They have a red color with a black stripe and a white belly. Some animals have a fluffy brush at the end of their tail.

Yellow-necked mouse

The yellow-necked mouse is found in Russia, Moldova, Belarus, China, and Ukraine. This mouse got its name because of its unusual coloring: the animal itself is painted red, and its neck is surrounded by a yellow stripe. The animal is listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region.

The size of these mice is 10-13 cm. The long tail is the same length. Rodents feed on plant foods. They can harm gardens by destroying shoots of fruit trees.

Grass mice

Grass mice live in Africa. These rodents are the largest among their relatives. Their size reaches 35 cm along with the length of the tail. Weight can be more than 100 g. The color of the animals has grayish or brownish shades with dark splashes. The animals nest in burrows or bushes. They can live in rooms and houses. Grass mice live in large colonies. They feed on vegetation. They can completely destroy agricultural crops.

Decorative house mice

Thanks to the work of breeders, a variety of domestic decorative mice have been bred. They differ in type of coat and color. The fur of a domestic ornamental animal can be curly, long, or satin. Even hairless mice have been bred that have no hair at all.

The animals can be painted in the standard mouse color, or in blue, silver, red and other shades. Mice with Siamese, sable or chinchilla colors are in demand. Depending on the characteristics, the coloring is:

At home, small decorative mice are kept in cages with small cells or glass terrariums. They create a living corner in which feeders, drinking bowls, and items for games are placed. They are not picky about food. This could be cereals, grains, herbs, vegetables, dairy products or special feed purchased in specialized stores. To grind down their incisors, the animals are given stale bread crusts and tree branches.

Most often, white mice are kept in homes. The white mouse is larger than the decorative mouse and smaller than its wild relative. An albino mouse has red eyes and a pink nose.

It was an unbearable July heat. At midday, life around froze and only the ringing singing of the lark flowed cheerfully from the sky. The steppe grasses had time to bloom and produce seeds and now stood limp or dry, their yellow-brown tufts drooping to the ground. Along the nearby huge wheat field, as if on the sea, “waves” rolled from the slightest breath of wind, filling the air with the quiet rustling of the ears. Large hard grains peeked out from the cramped spikelet houses and were ready to fall out to the ground at any moment.

In the border area between the field and the steppe, fairly overgrown with various weeds, a special little world was created and, despite the heat, here, under the canopy of dense vegetation, life was in full swing. Anxious voles scurried about everywhere, slow caterpillars crawled, playful ground beetles ran, and long-legged flea beetles jumped from leaf to leaf. Nimble house mice also lived here in deep holes.

One day at dawn, the inhabitants of this cozy little world were frightened by the noise and roar of engines - combine harvesters entered the fields and harvesting began. A frightened hare jumped out of the crops and disappeared into the nearest forest belt, steppe larks rose up, and mice and voles hid in the farthest corners of their deep holes.

A day passed and everything was over - the grain was threshed and taken away, the mown straw was piled into huge stacks, and only short stubble remained on the field. A couple more days passed and powerful tractors plowed the land with their plows, turning it into a bare black desert. Many animals died during deep plowing of the field, and those who survived became hungry and uncomfortable here. And the surviving houses had to change their apartments, moving to forest belts, straw stacks and weeds.

The animals that live in the stacks are lucky - they do not have to worry about the future, since it is dry here - in the rainy, stormy autumn season, warm and cozy - in the snowstorm and frost. And there is always plenty of food!

The fate of mice that remain to spend the winter in thickets of grass at the edges of fields and in forest belts is completely different. They have to constantly take care of both food for the winter and reliable housing.

What do house mice eat in nature? The house mouse is a typical seed eater and feeds on high-calorie seeds of wild and cultivated plants. Of these, the most attractive are the seeds of cereals and legumes, asteraceae and other plants. A significant proportion of the diet consists of insects and their larvae, but succulent food, depending on the availability of drinking water, can account for up to a third of the total volume of food consumed. When feeding on dry seeds, mice cannot do without water and die after some time. The animal needs about 3 ml of water per day. Through metabolism, they can satisfy only up to 20% of their water needs, the rest comes from succulent feed or from various bodies of water.

The need of mice for water largely depends on environmental conditions. At high, more than 80%, relative air humidity and a temperature of 30°C, the animals in the experiment easily tolerated deprivation of water and wet food for a very long time. When the relative air humidity decreased to 30%, they died after 15-16 days.

House mice are weak diggers, so they prefer to settle on soft, not very dry soils. They often occupy old burrows or use natural voids and cracks in the ground for housing.

Summer burrows, constructed with 1-2 entrance holes, reach a length of one meter and end with a nesting chamber located at a depth of 15-30 cm. In winter, they deepen their burrows to 50-60 cm and sometimes up to a meter. In the nesting chamber, mice construct a soft bedding from plant debris. The diameter of the nesting chamber can vary from 10-15 to 20-25 cm. In such a chamber, the house houses carefully construct a winter spherical nest. The outer layer contains large stems of various herbs and leaves of many trees. The animals line the inside of the nest being constructed with delicate stems or leaves of cereals, reeds and other plants split into thin strips.

Under natural conditions, each house mouse has an individual area reaching 1200 m2 for males and 900 m2 for females. But their area can vary greatly and depends on the type of vegetation, the abundance of food, microrelief, the number of mice and other factors.

House mice are extremely undemanding when it comes to choosing housing, which is one of the reasons for their wide distribution. They live in vegetable gardens and gardens, groves and floodplains, deserts and human buildings in villages and large cities.

Having settled indoors, mice arrange permanent and temporary shelters in crevices and secluded places as they explore new territory. Mouse nests are built in the most protected corners from prying eyes. Most often - under the floor, in heaps of garbage and household waste, in attics. Sometimes they settle in boxes with food and, together with them, often travel across the country over considerable distances, unexpectedly appearing in the most unexpected places. Together with man and thanks to him, mice mastered and conquered not only new countries, but also entire continents, settling America and Australia.

Sometimes mice find themselves in situations where there is plenty of food, but there is not enough space to build a nest. Then they unite and build a common nest, where up to three to four dozen animals of various ages coexist peacefully.

In nature, house mice are crepuscular animals. But once they get into a person’s home or other building, they easily rearrange their daily routine. Now their activity depends on the lighting of the premises and the activities of people. Under artificial and round-the-clock lighting, mice remain active both day and night, and it decreases only during the period of human activity.

In places where the animals are little disturbed, during the day they alternate periods of activity with periods of rest. After 25-90 minutes of wakefulness, the house houses rest for some time, and then again take up the search for food and improvement of the nest. There are up to 15-20 such active periods per day.

Traveling along their underground communications, especially in low light conditions, the animals adhere to their constant, well-known routes. Over time, clearly visible paths with heaps of droppings and dust, held together by mouse urine, form in such places.

House mice are very active animals. They not only run around, but also climb almost vertical surfaces. They can also swim well and, if necessary, easily swim across small water obstacles, quickly working with their paws and lifting their muzzle high.

How do house mice manage to easily adapt to a wide variety of habitats, how do they navigate in complete darkness and find their way home?

House mice solve all life's problems thanks to their selfless helpers - their senses: sensitive hearing, subtle sense of smell, touch and vision.

Black beady eyes are not particularly sharp. And what can you discern in a dark closet or thick grass on a moonless night? In addition, like all small rodents, brownies are farsighted, because accommodation in the eyes is almost absent. The lens is very large, reaching 30% of the weight of the eyeball, which helps these nocturnal animals capture maximum light.

The role of smell in the life of animals is varied: searching for food and orientation in space, recognizing partners and finding odorous paths. A sensitive nose helps mice find a piece of fresh lard or a crust of bread hidden in the closet. By a barely perceptible smell, they discover the path laid by its relatives. Each mouse has sweat and special apocrine glands on its paws. While moving, the house house automatically leaves the secretion of its odorous glands on the trail, thus marking its territory.

Through odors, house mice are able to transmit over a distance some signals intended for neighbors. For example, when they are very frightened, a substance appears in their urine, which, once on the ground and other objects, causes fear and flight of nearby animals. This alarm signal is quite persistent and remains on objects for a quarter of a day, constantly informing all mice about the danger of this place. The reaction of animals to such a scent mark is not unambiguous and depends on who left it - a male or a female. If a signal substance is left by a male, everyone reacts to it, but only representatives of this sex respond positively to a substance left by a female, while males treat it with complete indifference. The ability to produce a signal substance appears in babies at the age of three weeks from birth.

Mouse urine is very concentrated and contains many excretory products. This is what explains the appearance of a specific mouse smell in the rooms where these small rodents live.

House mice have very acute hearing. They immediately pick up the quiet squeak of their relatives coming from a considerable distance. The slightest extraneous rustle always makes them wary. The range of frequencies perceived by animals is very wide. Mice can hear sounds well with a frequency of up to 40 kHz, while in humans the upper threshold of auditory sensitivity lies within 20 kHz.

Mice not only hear well, but they can also “speak.” They do not use their voice often, so as not to once again attract the attention of numerous enemies.

Having found itself in trouble or a trap, the mouse informs its fellow tribesmen about this with a special cry, which can be translated as: “I’m in pain!” Its duration is the same in mice of different ages, but the frequency of the cry is different: in mice under the age of 1-1.5 months it is about 4 kHz, in adults it is much higher and can reach 30 kHz.

The sense of touch plays a special role in the life of mice. Being in the complete darkness of holes and basements, they try to move so that their whiskers located on the face constantly touch solid objects - be it the ground or a brick wall. Long sensitive whiskers promptly inform their owner about encountered obstacles or an unexpectedly appeared hole. If the vibrissae are removed, the mouse begins to touch irregularities and protrusions of the walls, hit obstacles, injuring its face. With the help of their whiskers, mice feel the cracks, as if assessing whether it is possible to crawl through them?

Those areas of the body that are difficult to clean herself, her neighbors sometimes help her clean.

It has long been noted that house mice, like most other mammals living in groups, have a certain social order. Hierarchical relationships are established among the members of the settlement, based on the ability of individuals to distinguish and remember the individual differences of their neighbors, using visual, sound and smell signals.

It is very difficult to study the social structure in mouse settlements in nature. Experimental studies provide a clearer picture. In one of the experiments, when six males were placed in an enclosure with an area of about 10 m, within three hours a three-level hierarchy was established in their “team”. The two strongest males ended up at the highest level of the social structure. Some males occupied the second rung of the hierarchical ladder, and the subordinate animals found themselves in the worst position. They spent most of their time on the periphery of the site and were active only when the dominant animals were resting.

When a stranger appears, the owner of the site sniffs him and always becomes very excited. First of all, he begins to demonstrate his power: arching his body and ruffling the fur on the back of the neck, thereby significantly increasing his size. In this form he looks quite menacing. Moving in an arc around the alien, it furiously whips its undulating tail against the floor. Such often repeated strong blows are clearly audible and resemble a quiet drum roll. A few more moments and the attack on the stranger follows, the outcome of which is predetermined...

The appearance of females in the enclosure stimulates an increase in the aggressiveness of males, especially dominant ones, which leads to more frequent fights between them. Young immature individuals are not included in conflicts between adult animals.

House mice can hardly be called homebodies. When living conditions change and a sharp reduction in the amount of available food, which is observed in the second half of summer and autumn, animals make mass migrations from fields to places with more food: to residential buildings, warehouses, vegetable and grain storage facilities. The range of autumn migrations can reach 3-5 km. The migration of mice occurs gradually: each sharp drop in air temperature causes a new wave of invasions...

Having settled in human buildings, mice become omnivores and are content with the food that is available in abundance. They feel equally good eating grain in granaries, meat and meat products at a meat processing plant, or any available feed, settling in the closet of a rural house.

With the arrival of spring, the opposite picture is observed, when mice leave their winter quarters, moving to natural habitats. Seasonal fluctuations in the number of house mice, often reaching two to five times, are also associated with changes in living conditions.

The minimum number of animals is observed at the end of winter - beginning of spring. With the beginning of the plant growing season, mice begin to reproduce and, as a result, their numbers gradually increase. From the second half of summer, when the grown-up babies of the first generation begin to breed, the number of mouse folk now increases very quickly, reaching a maximum in the fall.

In populated areas where mice breed all year round, such an abrupt increase in numbers does not occur, but increases no more than 2-3 times.

How do little mice manage to explore new territories so quickly and quickly increase their numbers there?

One of the reasons for this phenomenon is their ability to produce from 5 to 7-10 generations within a year. In nature, they breed throughout the warm season, and in stacks - all year round. The gestation period of house mice is also short, amounting to only 18-20 days. The number of cubs in a litter varies widely, but the average is 5-7 cubs. Babies grow quickly and already at 2 months of age they begin to reproduce.

The southern regions of Ukraine are inhabited by the closest relatives of house mice – Kurganchik mice. For a long time, scientists could not determine their systematic position: whether they should be considered a subspecies of the house mouse, or a separate species. Now their species independence is beyond doubt.

These little animals got their name for their ability to build special mounds, in which they begin to store large quantities of seeds of various plants in advance, even in the summer. For the future mound, mice collect up to 7-10 or more kilograms of spikelets of cultivated and wild cereals, cornflower inflorescences and other plants in the form of large heaps, which are sprinkled with a layer of earth on top. Sometimes such storage facilities reach impressive sizes. A mound can be several meters long, one meter wide and up to 80 cm high. Such large mounds are built together by up to 20 mice, and small ones, 50-80 cm in diameter, are built alone or by a family. Simultaneously with the mounds, the animals construct a system of passages with nesting chambers underneath them.

House mice are the most harmful rodents of our fauna. They damage stocks of various products in granaries, closets, warehouses - wherever they manage to penetrate. Although man throughout his centuries-old history has been waging an irreconcilable struggle with the gray parasites, we will have to share our home and table with them for a long time...