The name dormouse derives from its habit of spending much of
its time asleep – ‘dor’ comes from the French ‘dormir’, meaning ‘to sleep’ (the
scientific name of this animal is Muscardinus avellanarius).
The dormouse is six to nine centimetres in length and weighs
15 to 30 grams. It has golden fur on the back and is paler underneath. It has
large eyes and a long fluffy tail. Dormice live in wooded areas where they feed
on fruit, nuts and seeds.
Dormice spend up to three-quarters of their lives asleep, much
of that time accounted for by winter hibernation. They wake in Spring and may
breed at any time between May and October, producing up to seven young in a
litter.
When awake dormice are very active, as they need to be both
to escape the predation of foxes (etc) and birds of prey, and to gather enough
food to fatten themselves for the next winter.
© John Welford
No comments:
Post a Comment