House Mouse (Mus musculus)
The House Mouse is a rodent that some people love while others regard it as a pest. Despite being the victim of a multitude of different traps and poisons, the House Mouse has been getting along just fine, and have successfully inhabited areas where humans live. So what else can we find about them?
Physical Description and Behavior
The House Mouse is quite small, being only about 4 inches at most. They can be gray, a dark brownish color, or black, generally with a lighter underside. They also have a long tail that has very little hair on it and is mainly used for balancing and thermoregulation.
They do not live very long, about a year in the wild. Even when in captivity, they only seem to live to as high as 5 years before dying. They do not like bright lights, which is why they tend to be more nocturnal. Despite this, they have both excellent sight as well as great hearing.
While they mostly eat plant matter, they are omnivorous. They can eat meat if available but generally rely on insects such as caterpillars and roaches.
Habitat and Location
These little mice live in locations all over the world. They live in the US, Canada, Central/South America, Southern and Northern Africa, Russia, China, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, the Middle East, and more. In many of these instances, it is because we have accidentally shipped them all over the world with boats.
They often live in homes; finding their way in by small holes in the walls. This is often where they stay when it comes to human habitation. The IUCN Redlist does not consider the House Mouse to be of any concern when it comes to extinction. Their ability to adapt makes them a species that is currently growing in population.
Check out this awesome video about the house mouse below for more information!