|
They are tiny. People used to keep them in cages like they do hamsters to-day; fortunately they are under protection now.
Recognition:
Orange/yellow fur; the only small mammal with a thick bushy tail.
Head/body length: about 60-90mm, Tail 57-68mm
Weight: 10-15g in juveniles; 15-26g in adults; up to 43g before hibernation.
General Ecology:
The dormouse is a strictly nocturnal species, found in deciduous woodland and overgrown hedgerows. It feeds on flowers, pollen, fruits, insects and nuts. Dormice need a succession of different foods through the seasons but do not like to travel far for them (usually less than 70m). In general, the fewer the species of tree in a wood, the less likely it is to support dormice. Valuable species include (especially) hazel, oak, bramble, wayfaring tree, honeysuckle and ash. Honeysuckle is a particularly valuable plant for dormice, since it is their preferred nesting material and also provides food for a longer period than many other woodland plants and at times when little else is available. Dormice do not like to travel on the ground, but prefer to move along branches from place to place. Therefore, it is important that trees and scrub are well mixed and physically interlinked to allow the dormice easy passage between them without coming down to the ground. The best conditions are to be found in ancient semi-natural woodland, where coppicing of hazel is carried out on a long rotation. Dormice are also found in hedgerows, especially those with a diversity of flowering and fruiting shrubs. The best hedges are likely to be old ones that are not intensively managed.
Dormice live at low population densities. They can raise 1-2 litters a year, each usually of about four young. The breeding season can begin in May but is often delayed until August, depending on the weather. During the winter, dormice hibernate and are not normally active again until about April or May. Even in mid-summer they may enter a torpid state during periods of food shortage or when weather conditions prevent them from foraging. Thus dormice may spend three-quarters of their year ‘asleep’.
Population Declines
Surveys show that dormice populations have suffered serious declines over the last century. Loss and fragmentation of ancient woodlands, climatic difficulties and suspension of traditional woodland management practices, namely coppicing, are all connected to their decline. Nest-boxes, put up with the entrance facing a tree trunk, are attractive to dormice and help their survival and breeding success.
---------------------------
Remember Fallujah
Bush to The Hague!
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
