Hazel dormouse
| Hazel dormouse Temporal range: Middle Miocene – Recent |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Gliridae |
| Subfamily: | Leithiinae |
| Genus: |
Muscardinus Kaup, 1829 |
| Species: | M. avellanarius |
| Binomial name | |
|
Muscardinus avellanarius (Linnaeus, 1758) |
|
 |
|
| Geographic range | |
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 in) long with a tail of 5.7 to 7.5 cm (2.2 to 3.0 in). It weighs 17 to 20 g (0.60 to 0.71 oz), although this increases to 30 to 40 grams (1.1 to 1.4 oz) just before hibernation. The hazel dormouse hibernates from October to April–May.
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.
The hazel dormouse is native to northern Europe and Asia Minor. It is the only dormouse native to the British Isles, and is therefore often referred to simply as the "dormouse" in British sources, although the edible dormouse, Glis glis, has been accidentally introduced and now has an established population. Though Ireland has no native dormouse, the hazel dormouse has recently been found in County Kildare, and appears to be spreading rapidly, helped by the prevalence of hedgerows in the Irish countryside. The first record of the dormouse in Ireland was noted in Co. Kildare in 2010.
The United Kingdom distribution of the hazel dormouse can be found on the National Biodivestity Network website. A 2016 study finds that hazel dormice in Britain have declined by over one third since 2000. Woodland habitat loss and management and a warming climate are seen as material threats to their future status.
The hazel dormouse is protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
In winter (October to November), the hazel dormouse will hibernate in nests on the ground, in the base of old coppiced trees or hazel stools, under piles of leaves or under log piles as these situations are not subject to extreme variations in either temperature or humidity. Dormice are almost completely arboreal in habit but much less reluctant to cross open ground than was thought even recently. When it wakes up in spring (late April or early May), it builds woven nests of shredded honeysuckle 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.
...
Wikipedia