| Revision as of 19:29, 12 September 2009 view source82.68.218.78 (talk) →Reproduction← Previous edit | Revision as of 01:13, 13 September 2009 view source 98.208.138.60 (talk)No edit summaryTag: references removedNext edit → | ||
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| Mice can at times be harmful ]s, damaging and eating ] and spreading ]s through their ]s and ]{{Fact|date=August 2009}}. In western North America, breathing dust that has come in contact with mouse feces has been linked to the deadly ].{{Fact|date=December 2008}}. The original motivation for the domestication of ]s is thought to have been for their predation of mice and their relatives, the ]s.{{Fact|date=December 2008}} | Mice can at times be harmful ]s, damaging and eating ] and spreading ]s through their ]s and ]{{Fact|date=August 2009}}. In western North America, breathing dust that has come in contact with mouse feces has been linked to the deadly ].{{Fact|date=December 2008}}. The original motivation for the domestication of ]s is thought to have been for their predation of mice and their relatives, the ]s.{{Fact|date=December 2008}} | ||
| Primarily nocturnal animals, mice compensate for their poor eyesight with a keen sense of hearing, and rely especially on their sense of smell to locate food and avoid predators.<ref></ref |
Primarily nocturnal animals, mice compensate for their poor eyesight with a keen sense of hearing, and rely especially on their sense of smell to locate food and avoid predators.<ref></ref | ||
| Mice Are Animals which smell of horse dung | |||
| == Reproduction == | == Reproduction == | ||
Revision as of 01:13, 13 September 2009
This article is about the animal. For the computing manipulation device, see Mouse (computing). For other uses, see Mouse (disambiguation). "Mice" redirects here. For other uses, see Mice (disambiguation). Not to be confused with rat.
| mouse Temporal range: Late Miocene - Recent | |
|---|---|
| |
| House Mouse, Mus musculus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Superfamily: | Muroidea |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Subfamily: | Murinae |
| Genus: | Mus Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Species | |
A mouse (plural mice) is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (Mus musculus). It is also a popular pet. The American white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) also sometimes live in houses. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles. They are known to invade homes for food and occasionally shelter.
Although mice may live up to two and a half years in captivity, the average mouse in the wild lives only about four months, primarily owing to heavy predation. Cats, wild dogs, foxes, birds of prey, snakes and even certain kinds of arthropods have been known to prey heavily upon mice. Nevertheless, because of its remarkable adaptability to almost any environment, and its ability to live commensally with humans, the mouse is regarded to be the second most successful mammalian genus living on Earth today, after humans.
Mice can at times be harmful rodents, damaging and eating crops and spreading diseases through their parasites and feces. In western North America, breathing dust that has come in contact with mouse feces has been linked to the deadly hantavirus.. The original motivation for the domestication of cats is thought to have been for their predation of mice and their relatives, the rats.
Primarily nocturnal animals, mice compensate for their poor eyesight with a keen sense of hearing, and rely especially on their sense of smell to locate food and avoid predators.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). Due to this, mice adapt well to urban areas and are known for eating most all types of food scraps, especially cheese. In captivity, mice are commonly fed commercial pelleted mouse diet. These diets are nutritionally complete, but they still need a large variety of vegetables. Food intake is approximately 15 g (0.53 oz) per 100 g (3.5 oz) of body weight per day; water intake is approximately 15 ml (0.53 imp fl oz; 0.51 US fl oz) per 100 g of body weight per day.
As food
"Pinkies" redirects here. For other uses, see Pinkie.
Humans have eaten mice since prehistoric times. They are still eaten as a delicacy throughout eastern Zambia and northern Malawi, as well as in parts of east Asia. They are an excellent seasonal source of protein. In most other countries, mice are no longer routinely consumed by humans. Across the U.S. pet owners feed mice to exotic pets such as snakes, lizards, frogs, tarantulas and birds of prey. Most US pet stores now carry mice for this purpose. Because they breed quickly, grow quickly, are easy to care for, and can be sold in a wide variety of sizes, this makes them suitable for consumption by animals of various sizes. Mice also seem to be a desirable food item for a very large variety of carnivores. For ethical reasons it may be considered questionable (and under German law, forbidden) to feed live mice (or any vertebrate for that matter) to carnivores. In 2007 In the UK feeding mice was banned as the RSPCA claimed it causes stress and inflicts pain on the animal. There is also evidence to suggest that it may also cause the carnivorous animal stress and/or physical harm to kill and consume a live animal, especially if the circumstances are different to those in the wild, for example if there is no cover for the carnivorous animal to utilise. However, some carnivorous pet owners claim their pet refuses to eat meals which are not living. The RSPCA also claimed it was bad for the predator to eat alive mice as they contain too much fat which can cause the predator diseases. So the citizens of the UK must feed their animal with frozen mice and rats. Common terms used to refer to different age/size mice when sold for petfood are "pinkies", "fuzzies", "crawlers", "hoppers", and "adults". Pinkies are newborn mice that have not yet grown fur; fuzzies have some fur but are not very mobile; hoppers have a full coat of hair and are fully mobile but are smaller than adult mice. Mice without fur are easier for the animal to consume, however mice with fur may be more convincing as animal feed. These terms are also used to refer to the various growth stages of rats (see Fancy rat).
Mice in popular culture
The mice stereotype in popular culture is that of a small, sneaky, creature that hides in the walls of one's home and steals swiss (and or Gorgonzola) cheese from the pantries of its occupants. Mice also appear in many of the Redwall books as heroes.
See also
- Audiograms in mammals
- House mouse
- Mice in fiction
- Mouse trap
- Mouse (computing)
- Musophobia (fear of mice)
- Rat
- Vacanti mouse
Notes
- Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association
- Tembo, Mwizenge S. "Mice as a Delicacy: the Significance of Mice in the Diet of the Tumbuka People of Eastern Zambia". Retrieved 2008-08-13.
- "Snake feeding: Rodents, Food infections, Feeding Schedule". Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- "South Florida's True Rodent Professionals". Retrieved 2009-05-29.
External links
- Fancy Mice: extensive information about breeding mice and keeping them as pets
- High-resolution images of cross sections of mice brains
- History of the mouse (with focus on their use in genetics studies)
- Mouse Tracks: How to identify mouse tracks