Dictionary:

dormouse

  (dôr'mous')

Any of various small, squirrellike Old World rodents of the family Gliridae.

[Middle English, probably alteration (influenced by mous, mouse) of Anglo-Norman dormeus, inclined to sleep, hibernating, from Old French dormir, to sleep. See dormant.]

(Myoxidae)

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Suborder: Sciurognathi

Family: Myoxidae

Thumbnail description
Variable in size; thick fur on body and bushy tail (except for Myomimus), large eyes, short, curved claws

Size
Body 2.4–7.5 in (6.1–19 cm); tail 1.6–6.5 in (4–16.5 cm); weight 0.5–7 oz (15–200 g).

Number of genera, species
8 genera; 26 species

Habitat
Woodland and forest, steppe and rocky areas.

Conservation status
Critically Endangered: 1 species; Endangered: 4 species; Vulnerable: 5 species; Lower Risk/Near Threatened: 5 species.

Distribution
Europe; Africa; central and western Asia; Japan.

Evolution and systematics

The earliest fossil remains of this family were discovered in Europe and date from the Eocene era (about 40 million years ago). Pleistocene fossils of Leithia, a giant dormouse, have been found in Sicily and Malta.

Phylogenetically, dormice have been grouped with the mountain beaver, Aplodontidae, and squirrels, Sciuridae: in appearance and behavior, dormice most closely resemble squirrels.

Taxonomically, this family is made up of three subfamilies, 8 genera, and 26 species. The largest subfamily, Graphiurinae, consists of a single genus Graphiurus, the so-called African dormice, whose 14 species are all found in sub-Saharan Africa. The subfamily Leithiinae has four genera; forest dormice Dryomys; garden dormice Eliomys, mouse-tailed dormice Myomimus, and desert dormice Selevinia. The latter genus, consisting of a single species, Selevinia betpakdalaensis, has been the subject of some taxonomic debate. This naked-tailed rodent has been placed either within the Muridae, in a distinct family, or as a subfamily of the Myoxidae. Holden (1993) believed it was most closely related to the mouse-tailed dormice and put it within the same subfamily.

Physical characteristics

In appearance, dormice have a squirrel or sometimes chipmunk-like shape. They vary considerably in size between species: an edible dormouse (Myoxus glis) is nearly two and a half times the length of a Japanese dormouse (Myoxus japonicus), for example. Most dormice are highly adapted to a predominantly arboreal existence—only mouse-tailed dormice appear to live exclusively on the ground. The feet are well adapted to grasping on to trees. On the soles, they have cushioned pads for gripping, and the four toes on the front feet and five toes on the hind feet all have strong, curved claws. The hind feet can be turned backwards, like those of a squirrel, enabling the animal to hang head-first from a branch to feed on the lowest fruit, and to run down stems with some dexterity.

The fur is generally soft and thick and in most species, the tail is bushy and long. Its primary function appears to be in assisting with balance, since it is not prehensile. Dormice will readily shed their tails to escape from predators. Ground-dwelling mouse-tailed dormice have thin, naked tails.

Adaptations for a largely nocturnal existence usually include large eyes, sensitive vibrissae, and an acute sense of hearing; the rounded ears are not, however, especially large.

Distribution

This Old World family is found through most of Europe apart from far northern parts; North Africa and the rest of the continent south of the equator; and western and more patchily, central Asia. The single species in the Far East is the Japanese dormouse, found only, as its name suggests, on islands of Japan. The two Balearic dormice species in the Hypnomys

genus are probably extinct, extirpated from these western Mediterranean islands by human settlers and their animals about 5,000 years ago.

Habitat

Most dormice occupy forest, woodland, or scrub habitat. True to their name, forest dormice are among the most arboreal, living in dense forests at up to 8,200 ft (2,500 m) in altitude. Hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) are also reluctant to come to ground, preferring to stay in the canopy of largely deciduous woodland. They may remain high in tall trees for several days at a time, or spend long periods feeding on low-hanging fruits close to the ground.

Edible dormice inhabit deciduous or mixed woodland. Both this species and the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) are also found in orchards. The latter species, also called the orchard dormouse, is also able to live on the ground, since small numbers are discovered in fields, swamps, steppe, and even places where there are no trees. However, their title is something of a misnomer, since most live in forest habitat.

African dormice live in a wide range of forested habitats, ranging from thick forest where they may even be diurnal, to thinly wooded riverbanks of mountainous, rocky areas. The desert dormouse lives in desert scrub. Only the little-studied mouse-tailed dormice appear to live on or under the ground. In southeastern Europe, Roach's mouse-tailed dormouse (Myomimus roachi) has been trapped in a variety of open habitats, but never in forest.

Behavior

Dormice live at lower densities than most rodents of equivalent size. Outside the mating season, they appear to show little territoriality. Most species studied coexist in small groups, with juveniles typically making up half their number. Artificial nest boxes are often found with several inhabitants of both sexes inside. Families tend to stay together through winter hibernation; but a wild male, probably leaves a female after mating, in order to pursue other estrous females.

Home feeding ranges are very variable. At one extreme, hazel dormice rarely venture more than 230 ft (70 m) from their daytime nest. African dormice range far wider, and, in common with most species, males travel greater distances than females. In spectacled dormice (Graphiurus ocularis), the male occupies an average of 34.3 acres, (13.9 ha) while the female roams over 21 acres (8.5 ha).

At the start of the mating season, males exhibit territorial aggression towards each other. The hazel dormouse flicks its tail like a squirrel as a warning sign to intruders. Edible dormice mark their space with glandular secretions and fight with great savagery. Garden dormice share sleeping and feeding sites. Males adopt a dominance hierarchy shortly after the animals emerge from hibernation.

All species studied communicate using a range of calls. Five or six separate calls have been identified for forest dormice, including an alarm squeak. Other calls have sexual or aggressive functions.

During periods of inactivity, dormice seek a variety of places in which to shelter. Day nests are often constructed in tree hollows, with the animal weaving a round ball of vegetation, consisting of leaves, grass, moss, lichen, and shredded bark, bound together with saliva, and lined with hair or feathers. Sometimes, a ball nest is made in the branches of a tree; at other times the animal will use a bird or squirrel nest as a foundation for its own nest, or it will tuck the nest behind the bark of the tree. Garden and African dormice in particular also use rock crevices. Artificial nestboxes are adopted readily by many species.

Ironically, it is during the period of sustained inactivity that dormice are most likely to come into contact with humans. Their search for a secure, enclosed hibernation site with stable temperatures leads them into some bizarre places. While hazel dormice make their winter nests in tree stumps or on the ground, rather than in trees where temperatures fluctuate and desiccation is a threat, edible dormice may also choose woodpecker holes, artificial nest boxes, and barns. Japanese dormice are known to select cottage roofs and birdhouses while African dormice sometimes winter inside house furniture.

Most species undergo periods of hibernation in response to food shortages and low temperatures. Hibernation in Europe may extend from September until May. The animal curls itself into a ball, with the tail covering the mouth to reduce water loss. Although hibernation is thought to occur in most species, climactic variation means that in some milder areas such as Israel, dormice do not go into true hibernation, but have several hours of torpidity each day during the winter.

Feeding ecology and diet

Dormice are nocturnal and crepuscular foragers, with most species taking their food from trees. Although they are nominally omnivorous, they are the only rodent family lacking a cecum. Consequently, their consumption of low grade plant food is minimal.

Most species are specialized in taking advantage of seasonal food. Typically, buds and tree flowers are eaten in spring and early summer; insects and other arthropods, small rodents, birds' eggs and insects in summer; and fruit, berries, seeds, and nuts in late summer and the fall. The extent to which individual species depend on one source varies—edible and hazel dormice have a largely vegetarian diet, whereas garden, forest, and African dormice are predominantly carnivorous. Yet each species can alter its diet in response to particular needs. "Vegetarian" dormice eat insects in the summer period of shortages before fruits and seeds have ripened. "Carnivorous" dormice switch to nuts and seeds in the fall, so that their fat intake increases in preparation for hibernation. Only the desert dormouse is thought to be purely carnivorous.

Reproductive biology

Lengthy hibernation periods at either end of the year mean that for a number of species, the breeding season is very short.

In temperate zones, it lasts typically from May to October with one litter producing on average four young. Hazel dormice sometimes attempt—usually unsuccessfully—a second litter. Forest dormice appear to be exceptional in raising three litters. Productivity in Africa, where breeding seasons are much longer, is largely unknown.

Dormice become sexually active after their first hibernation and bouts of wakefulness towards the end of hibernation may be caused by hormone changes that trigger sexual activity. Vocal calls are important in courtship as each sex entices the other with a range of squeaks and whistles. Once mated, the female builds a globular nest and gives birth to pink, blind young weighing just 0.07 oz (2 g). At seven days, they gain gray fur. By 18 days, the fur is brown and the babies can both hear and see. Shortly after, the young are able to accompany their mother on foraging trips. They reach independence after four to six weeks. Longevity is up to about 5.5 years in the wild. A captive garden dormouse lived for five years and six months.

Conservation status

A number of factors conspire to make more than half of all dormouse species at risk under IUCN criteria. The exclusively forest-dwelling species have poor mobility and this makes them highly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation. Furthermore, a nocturnal, arboreal existence makes both survey and research work difficult. The little-understood

Roach's mouse-tailed dormouse was only discovered in Europe in the mid-twentieth century. Despite years of concentrated research, scientists in the United Kingdom only discovered at the end of the twentieth century that hedges were an important habitat for the hazel dormouse.

Dormice may be adversely affected by climate change, which causes habitat alteration and temperature fluctuations. Arousal from hibernation during mild winters forces an animal to expend considerably greater amounts of energy than if it maintained consistently low internal temperatures.

Concerted efforts to understand the complex ecology and difficulties of protecting this vulnerable family have led to a series of international dormouse conferences, where scientists have been able to share information on the appealing but enigmatic Myoxidae.

Significance to humans

The ability of dormice to store reserves of fat in their bodies has made them desirable to humans as food. Their appeal dates back millennia—the Romans kept edible dormice in darkened enclosures called glisaria. Dormouse eating is well documented in southern Africa, Slovenia, and Yugoslavia and there is good reason to suppose it has taken place wherever humans have come into contact with these mammals.

Dormice are also famous for their sustained periods of hibernation and torpor. Indeed, the name comes from the French dormir—to sleep. The hazel dormouse—known in rural England as the sleep-mouse—gained wider notoriety when it was portrayed in Lewis Carroll's book Alice in Wonderland and in the Disney movie nearly a century later.

Species accounts

Resources

Bright, P., and P. Morris. Dormice. London: The Mammal

Society, 1992.

Kingdon, J. The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals. San Diego: Academic Press, 1997.

Macdonald, D. European Mammals: Evolution and behavior. London: Collins, 1995. ——. The New Encyclopaedia of Mammals. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Macdonald, D., and P. Barrett. The Collins Field Guide to the Mammals of Britain and Europe. New York: HarperCollins, 1993.

Dormouse Hollow.

Dr. Paul W. Bright. .

Nowak, R. M. Walker's Mammals of the World Online. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995. .

[Article by: Derek William Niemann, BA]

The name applied to the 31 species of Old World rodents of the family Gliridae. These animals are intermediate between squirrels and rats; they are vegetarians and arboreal like the former, but most have a general appearance like the latter.

The fat dormouse (Glis glis; see illustration), the largest member of the family, is found throughout Europe and western Asia. The only species of dormouse native to Britain is the common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), which is about the size of a house mouse. Another species, found in central and southern Europe, is the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus), which is smaller than the fat dormouse but has similar habits. See also Rodentia.

The fat dormouse Glis glis.

Squirrel-tailed, or edible dormouse, Glis glis; a Roman delicacy, dormice were kept in captivity and fed on acorns and chestnuts; then served stuffed with minced pork and dormouse meat.

(click to enlarge)
Edible dormouse (Glis glis). (credit: Schunemann/Bavaria-Verlag)

Any of 20 rodent species (family Gliridae) found throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Dormice have large eyes, soft fur, rounded ears, and a hairy (sometimes bushy) tail. They live in trees, bushes, and rock walls and in nests of plant material. They eat fruit, nuts, birds' eggs, and some insects and small animals. Many species sleep for long periods, particularly in winter. The largest species, the edible dormouse (Glis glis), is gray and attains a maximum length of about 8 in. (20 cm), excluding the 6-in. (15-cm) tail.

For more information on dormouse, visit Britannica.com.

Dormice Fossil range: Early Eocene - Recent
African Dormouse, Graphiurus sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Suborder: Sciuromorpha Family: Gliridae Muirhead in Brewster, 1819
Subfamilies and Genera
Graphiurinae Graphiurus Leithiinae Chaetocauda Dryomys Eliomys Hypnomys Muscardinus Myomimus Selevinia Glirinae Glirulus Glis

Dormice are Old World mammals in the family Gliridae, part of the rodent (Rodentia) order. (This family is also variously called Myoxidae or Muscardinidae by different taxonomists). Dormice are mostly found in Europe, although some live in Africa and Asia.

They are small for rodents, with a typical length of about 2-3" (70 mm). Dormice typically feed on fruits, berries, flowers, nuts and insects. They are largely but not exclusively arboreal and nocturnal animals.

One of the most notable characteristics of those dormice that live in temperate zones is hibernation. Dormice can hibernate six months out of the year, or even longer if the weather remains sufficiently cool, sometimes waking for brief periods to eat food they had previously stored nearby. It is from this trait that they got their name, which comes from Anglo-Norman dormeus, which means "sleepy (one)"; the word was later altered by folk etymology to resemble the word "mouse". The sleepy behaviour of the Dormouse character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland also attests to this trait.

Dormice breed once or twice a year, with four being the typical size of a litter. They can live for as long as five years.

The edible species was considered a delicacy in ancient Rome, either as a savoury appetizer or as a dessert (dipped in honey and poppy seeds). The Romans had a special kind of terracotta jar known as glirarium used to rear dormice for the table.

Currently, the earliest fossil evidence of dormouse species in Europe is placed in the middle Eocene. They appear in Africa in the upper Miocene and only relatively recently in Asia. Many types of extinct dormouse species have been identified. In the current (Holocene) epoch, the family consists of 34 species, in three subfamilies and (arguably) 10 genera:

Classification

• Subfamily Graphiurinae
  • Genus Graphiurus (African dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus angolensis (Angolan African dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus christyi (Christy's Dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus crassicaudatus (Jentink's Dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus johnstoni (Johnston's African dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus kelleni (Kellen's Dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus lorraineus (Lorrain Dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus microtis (Small-eared Dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus monardi (Monard's Dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus murinus (Woodland Dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus nagtglasii (Nagtglas's African dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus ocularis (Spectacled Dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus platyops (Rock Dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus rupicola (Stone Dormouse)
    • Species Graphiurus surdus (Silent Dormouse)
• Subfamily Leithiinae
  • Genus Chaetocauda
    • Species Chaetocauda sichuanensis (Chinese Dormouse)
  • Genus Dryomys
    • Species Dryomys laniger (Woolly Dormouse)
    • Species Dryomys niethammeri (Niethammer's forest dormouse)
    • Species Dryomys nitedula (Forest Dormouse)
  • Genus Eliomys (Garden dormouse)
    • Species Eliomys melanurus (Asian Garden Dormouse)
    • Species Eliomys munbyanus (Maghreb garden dormouse)
    • Species Eliomys quercinus (Garden Dormouse)

• • Genus Hypnomys (Balearic dormouse - extinct)
    • Species Hypnomys morphaeus
    • Species Hypnomys mahonensis
  • Genus Muscardinus
    • Species Muscardinus avellanarius (Hazel Dormouse)
  • Genus Myomimus (Mouse-tailed dormouse)
    • Species Myomimus personatus (Masked Mouse-tailed Dormouse)
    • Species Myomimus roachi (Roach's Mouse-tailed Dormouse)
    • Species Myomimus setzeri (Setzer's Mouse-tailed Dormouse)
  • Genus Selevinia
    • Species Selevinia betpakdalaensis (Desert Dormouse)
• Subfamily Glirinae
  • Genus Glirulus
    • Species Glirulus japonicus (Japanese Dormouse)
  • Genus Glis
    • Species Glis glis (Edible Dormouse)

External links

• Mammals of the World: Dormice
• Glirarium.org (English and German)
• Fauna of Europe: Glis glis

References

• Holden, M. E.. 2005. Family Gliridae. Pp. 819-841 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Rodent Families

Sciuromorpha: †Allomyidae | Aplodontiidae | †Mylagaulidae | †Reithroparamyidae | Sciuridae | Gliridae

Castorimorpha: †Eutypomyidae | Castoridae | †Rhizospalacidae | †Eomyidae | †Florentiamyidae | †Heliscomyidae | †Mojavemyidae | Heteromyidae | Geomyidae

Myomorpha: †Armintomidae | Dipodidae | †Anomalomyidae | †Simimyidae | Platacanthomyidae | Spalacidae | Calomyscidae | Nesomyidae | Cricetidae | Muridae

Anomaluromorpha: Anomaluridae | †Parapedetidae | Pedetidae

Hystricomorpha: †Tamquammyidae | †Gobiomyidae | Ctenodactylidae | Diatomyidae | †Yuomyidae | †Chapattimyidae | †Tsaganomyidae | †"Baluchimyinae" | †Bathyergoididae | Bathyergidae | Hystricidae | †Myophiomyidae | †Diamantomyidae | †Phiomyidae | †Kenyamyidae | Petromuridae | Thryonomyidae | Erethizontidae | Chinchillidae | Dinomyidae | Caviidae | Dasyproctidae | †Eocardiidae | Cuniculidae | Ctenomyidae | Octodontidae | †Neoepiblemidae | Abrocomidae | Echimyidae | Myocastoridae | Capromyidae | †Heptaxodontidae

Prehistoric rodents (incertae sedis): †Eurymylidae | †Cocomyidae | †Alagomyidae | †Archetypomyidae | †Ivanantoniidae | †Laredomyidae | †Ischyromyidae | †Theridomyidae | †Protoptychidae | †Zegdoumyidae | †Sciuravidae | †Cylindrodontidae | †Zelomyidae

† indicates extinct taxa

Lewis Carroll's Alice
Books	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland · Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There
Alice in Wonderland	Alice · The White Rabbit · The Mouse · The Dodo · The Duck · The Lory · Eaglet · Bill the Lizard · The Caterpillar · The Duchess · The Cheshire Cat · The Mad Hatter · The March Hare · The Dormouse · The Queen of Hearts · The King of Hearts · The Knave of Hearts · The Gryphon · The Mock Turtle
Through the Looking Glass	Alice · The Red Queen · The White Queen · The Red King · The White King · The White Knight · Tweedledum and Tweedledee · The Sheep · Humpty Dumpty · Hatta · Haigha · The Lion and the Unicorn
Film adaptations	1903 film · 1933 film · 1951 film · 1966 film · 1972 film · 1976 film · 1981 film · 1985 film · 1988 film · 1988 film II · 1995 film · 1999 film
Poems	"How Doth the Little Crocodile" · "The Mouse's Tale" · "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat" · "You Are Old, Father William" · "'Tis the Voice of the Lobster" · "Jabberwocky" · "The Walrus and the Carpenter" · "Haddocks' Eyes"
Related topics	Alice Liddell · Alice's Shop · "The Hunting of the Snark" · John Tenniel · The Annotated Alice
Works influenced by Alice in Wonderland

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - hasselmus

Nederlands (Dutch)
slaapmuis

Français (French)
n. - loir

Deutsch (German)
n. - (zo.) Haselmaus

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ζωολ.) μουσκαρδίνος

Italiano (Italian)
ghiro

Português (Portuguese)
n. - arganaz (m) (Zool.)

Русский (Russian)
соня

Español (Spanish)
n. - lirón

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - sjusovare

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
睡鼠

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 睡鼠

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 겨울잠 쥐, 잠꾸러기

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ヤマネ, 眠たがり屋

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حيوان يشبه فأر له ذيل مغطى بالفراء, حيوان الزغبه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חיה ממשפחת המכרסמים, מרמוטה‬

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