Mouse

Lore & Background

Mice are typically distinguished from rats by their size. Generally, when a muroid rodent is discovered, its common name includes the term mouse if it is smaller, or rat if it is larger. The common terms rat and mouse are not taxonomically specific. Typical mice are classified in the genus Mus, but the term mouse is not confined to members of Mus and can also apply to species from other genera such as the deer mouse (Peromyscus). Due to its remarkable adaptability to almost any environment, the mouse is one of the most successful mammalian genera living on Earth today. In certain contexts, mice can be considered vermin. Vermin are a major source of crops damage, as they are known to cause structural damage and spread disease. Mice spread disease through their feces and are often carriers of parasites. In North America, breathing dust that has come in contact with mouse excrement has been linked to hantavirus, which may lead to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).

In Their Own Story

The floorboards creaked under the weight of the sleeping giant, but to the small creature in the wall void, it was merely a distant rumble. A single whisker twitched, catching a draft that carried the scent of dried oats and old paper. With silent paws, the mouse navigated the narrow gap between insulation and drywall, its heart beating a rapid rhythm against its ribs. It paused at a tiny fissure, eyes reflecting the faint moonlight filtering through a crack in the foundation, before darting out into the kitchen. There, amidst the vast landscape of linoleum and shadows, it found a stray crumb, a treasure won by the night's quiet vigil.

Reader's Guide

In nature, mice are largely herbivores, consuming any kind of fruit or grain from plants. However, mice adapt well to urban areas and are known for eating almost all types of food scraps. In captivity, mice are commonly fed commercial pelleted mouse diet. These diets are nutritionally complete, but they still need a large variety of vegetables. Despite popular belief, most mice do not have a special appetite for cheese. Like many animals, they prefer sweet, high-calorie carbohydrates. They will only eat cheese for lack of better options. As primarily nocturnal animals, mice compensate for their poor eyesight with a keen sense of hearing. They depend on their sense of smell to locate food and avoid predators. In the wild, mice are known to build intricate burrows. These burrows have long entrances and are equipped with escape tunnels. In at least one species, the architectural design of a burrow is a genetic trait.

Did You Know?

• Mice have a range of facial expressions including pleasure, disgust, nausea, pain, and fear, as confirmed by researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology using machine vision.
• The mouse genome has approximately 2.7 billion base pairs and 20 pairs of chromosomes, and virtually all mouse genes have human homologs.
• Mice are the most commonly used mammalian model organism in laboratory research, more common than rats.
• In Victorian Britain, fried mice were given to children as a folk remedy for bed-wetting.