Harvest Mouse
The Harvest Mouse is the UK’s smallest rodent at around 2 inches long and weighing less than a 2p coin. It has yellow-brown furry upper parts and a whiter underbelly, small ears and a blunt nose, with a long prehensile tail.
The Harvest Mouse is mainly found from central Yorkshire southwards. Isolated records from Scotland and Wales probably result from the release of captive animals.
Breeding nests are the most obvious sign indicating the presence of the Harvest Mouse. The Harvest Mouse is the only UK mammal to build nests of woven grass well above ground. Nests tend to be found in dense vegetation such as grasses, rushes, cereals, grassy hedgerows, ditches and brambles. They are generally located on the stalk zone of grasses, at least 12 inches above ground in short grasses and up to 3 feet above ground in tall reeds. The size of the nest can vary from only 2 inches in diameter for non-breeding nests to 4 inches in diameter for breeding nests.
The Harvest Mouse is an extremely active climber and it feeds in the stalk zone of long grasses and reeds, particularly around dusk and dawn. Their diet contains a mixture of seeds, berries and insects, although moss, roots and fungi may also be taken. They also sometimes take grain from cereal heads, leaving characteristic sickle-shaped remains.
Based on tooth wear analysis, the maximum lifespan of a Harvest Mouse in the wild is around 18 months.
The Harvest Mouse is listed as a BAP (Biodiversity Action Plan) Species because it is thought to have become much scarcer in recent years. Changes in habitat management and agricultural methods are thought to have caused this although there have been no studies to quantify this change.
The Harvest Mouse has many predators including Weasel, Stoat, Fox, birds of prey and domestic cats.
Date: 16th September 2011
Location: British Wildlife Centre, Surrey
The Harvest Mouse is mainly found from central Yorkshire southwards. Isolated records from Scotland and Wales probably result from the release of captive animals.
Breeding nests are the most obvious sign indicating the presence of the Harvest Mouse. The Harvest Mouse is the only UK mammal to build nests of woven grass well above ground. Nests tend to be found in dense vegetation such as grasses, rushes, cereals, grassy hedgerows, ditches and brambles. They are generally located on the stalk zone of grasses, at least 12 inches above ground in short grasses and up to 3 feet above ground in tall reeds. The size of the nest can vary from only 2 inches in diameter for non-breeding nests to 4 inches in diameter for breeding nests.
The Harvest Mouse is an extremely active climber and it feeds in the stalk zone of long grasses and reeds, particularly around dusk and dawn. Their diet contains a mixture of seeds, berries and insects, although moss, roots and fungi may also be taken. They also sometimes take grain from cereal heads, leaving characteristic sickle-shaped remains.
Based on tooth wear analysis, the maximum lifespan of a Harvest Mouse in the wild is around 18 months.
The Harvest Mouse is listed as a BAP (Biodiversity Action Plan) Species because it is thought to have become much scarcer in recent years. Changes in habitat management and agricultural methods are thought to have caused this although there have been no studies to quantify this change.
The Harvest Mouse has many predators including Weasel, Stoat, Fox, birds of prey and domestic cats.
Date: 16th September 2011
Location: British Wildlife Centre, Surrey
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