Family dormice and hazel mice Gliridae
Dormice are small cute rodents with long, bushy tails. They feature large eyes, mobile ears, and sensitive vibrissae. Their acute visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile senses make them well adapted to the life in the dark; they skillfully move on thin branches, using their long, flexible digits with strong, sharp claws. Front paws of these rodents are extremely well developed. Dormice have sticky pads on their feet, which helps the animals to climb trees. Long, bushy tail serves for balancing when the dormouse runs on tree branches. Dormice live in temperate, subtropical, and tropical broadleaved and mixed forests, as well as in parks, gardens, and agricultural areas. In the night, they feed in trees and sometimes on the ground, spending daytime in tree hollows or bird nesting boxes. Their diet includes seeds, nuts, berries, and insects. Before hibernation in autumn, dormice almost double their weight. They hibernate for about half a year. Their hibernation is very deep, with significant decrease of body temperature and metabolism rate. Fat laid down in autumn provides sufficient reserves for the long, deep hibernation. Mating season in dormice occurs in spring time when animals emerge after hibernation. Gestation lasts 3 to 4 weeks. The litter consists of 2 to 8 offspring which reach sexual maturity by next spring.
The edible dormouse Glis glis
The body length of the edible dormouse, also known as fat dormouse, ranges from 13 to 18 cm, with the tail measuring about 10 cm. The bodies of the edible dormice are covered in long, thick, soft fur. This species inhabits mature deciduous and mixed woodlands in the plains and mountains of southern and eastern Europe. The edible dormouse prefers areas with prevalence of oak, red beech, walnut, and wild fruit trees. This rodent feeds on acorns, walnuts, chestnuts, beechnuts, various berries, and fruits. When foraging at night, the edible dormouse masterfully leaps in branches and rocky cliffs; it also runs on the ground in small leaps. Gestation in the edible dormouse females lasts about 25 days. The female builds a nest where it gives birth to 5 or 6 (sometimes up to 9) young weighing 2.5 grams. The young develop slowly; lactation in the mother lasts about one month. Edible dormice often establish family home territories; family group typically consists of the mother and her offspring. Two or three females in the family group may help each other with raising offspring.
