Fancy mouse (Mus musculus) — species profile (taxonomy, geographic range, habitat, physical description, behavior, wild diet, reproduction, lifespan)
Authoritative first-hand species account (Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan). All bullet facts are verbatim from the cited source and C1-substring verified.
Geographic Range
- Mus musculus may have originally been distributed from the Mediterranean region to China, but it has now been spread throughout the world by humans and lives as a human commensal.
Habitat
- House mice generally live in close association with humans-- in houses, barns, granaries, etc.
- They also occupy cultivated fields, fencerows, and even wooded areas, but they seldom stray far from buildings.
- Some individuals spend the summer in fields and move into barns and houses with the onset of cool autumn weather.
- Because of their association with humans, house mice have been able inhabit inhospitable areas (such as tundra and desert) which they would not be able to occupy independently.
Physical Description
- Their fur ranges in color from light brown to black, and they generally have white or buffy bellys.
- They have long tails that have very little fur and have circular rows of scales (annulations).
- House mice tend to have longer tails and darker fur when living closely with humans.
- They range from 12 to 30 g in weight.
Behavior
- In the wild state, house mice generally dwell in cracks in rocks or walls or make underground burrows consisting of a complex network of tunnels, several chambers for nesting and storage, and three or four exits.
- When living with humans, house mice nest behind rafters, in woodpiles, storage areas, or any hidden spot near a source of food.
- They construct nests from rags, paper, or other soft substances and line them with finer shredded material.
- House mice are generally nocturnal, although some are active during the day in human dwellings.
- House mice are quick runners (up to 8 miles per hour), good climbers, jumpers, and also swim well.
Food Habits (Wild Diet)
- In the wild, house mice eat many kinds of plant matter, such as seeds, fleshy roots, leaves and stems.
- Insects ( beetle larvae , caterpillars , and cockroaches ) and meat (carrion) may be taken when available.
- In human habitation, Mus musculus consumes any human food that is accessible as well as glue, soap, and other household materials.
- Many mice store their food or live within a human food storage facility.
- Primary Diet omnivore omnivore Animal Foods carrion carrion insects terrestrial non-insect arthropods Plant Foods leaves roots and tubers wood, bark, or stems seeds, grains, and nuts fruit Foraging Behavior stores or caches food stores or caches food
Reproduction
- House mice have a polygynous mating system.
- The recent discovery of ultrasonic songs produced by male mice, when exposed to female sex pheromones, suggests that this behavior may be involved in mate choice.
- Mating System polygynous polygynous Mus musculus is characterized by tremendous reproductive potential.
- Breeding occurs throughout the year, although wild mice may have a reproductive season extending only from April to September.
Ecosystem Roles
- Where house mice are abundant they can consume huge quantities of grains, making these foods unavailable to other (perhaps native) animals.
- House mice are also important prey items for many small predators.
- Species Used as Host Humans
Predation
- House mice are eaten by a wide variety of small predators throughout the world, including cats , foxes , weasels , ferrets , mongooses , large lizards , snakes , hawks , falcons , and owls .
- House mice try to avoid predation by keeping out of the open and by being fast.
- They are also capable of reproducing very rapidly, which means that populations can recover quickly from predation.
Conservation Status
- Commensal populations of Mus musculus are generally stable and densities can be as high as 10 mice per square meter.
- In the wild, populations are less stable and densities may be less than 1 mouse per 100 square meters.
- Overall, populations are flourishing and are in fact aided by human construction of houses, barns, and other structures.
Lifespan
- If a house mouse is a pet, the average life span is about 2 years