Dormice

28 species

Dormice are small nocturnal rodents that can be found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are particularly known for their long periods of hibernation. They are generally mouse-like in appearance, but with furred, rather than scaly, tails. Dormice are largely arboreal, agile, and well adapted to climbing. They have an excellent sense of hearing and signal each other with a variety of vocalisations. Dormice are omnivorous and live in small family groups. They can hibernate six months out of the year, or even longer if the weather does not become warm enough; they sometimes awake for brief periods to eat food they had previously stored nearby. Dormice produce litters with an average of four altricial young after a gestation period of 22-24 days. They typically become reproductively mature after the end of their first hibernation and can live for as long as five years.
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Dormice are small nocturnal rodents that can be found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are particularly known for their long periods of hibernation. They are generally mouse-like in appearance, but with furred, rather than scaly, tails. Dormice are largely arboreal, agile, and well adapted to climbing. They have an excellent sense of hearing and signal each other with a variety of vocalisations. Dormice are omnivorous and live in small family groups. They can hibernate six months out of the year, or even longer if the weather does not become warm enough; they sometimes awake for brief periods to eat food they had previously stored nearby. Dormice produce litters with an average of four altricial young after a gestation period of 22-24 days. They typically become reproductively mature after the end of their first hibernation and can live for as long as five years.
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