What does a mouse do in the fall? Wood mouse

Description of the field mouse:

Body length no more than 12 cm, excluding tail. The thin tail makes up 70% of the body length.
The body is oblong. The hind feet are elongated and protrude forward when running.
Long muzzle, small round ears, oblong nose.

The fur is hard, rough, short. The colors can be different - gray, brown, ocher or beige. A straight line of black or brown shade runs along the spine. The color of the abdomen is snow-white. At the base the hairline has a dark tint. Small spots may be present on the chest.

The vole mouse has unique teeth, a pair of long incisors on the lower jaw grow throughout her life. To prevent their excessive growth, and they grow at a rate of 1-2 mm per day, the mouse is forced to continuously grind them off against hard objects.

As for weight, the average animal does not weigh more than 20 grams.

Photo

Distribution of animals

This representative of the fauna is widespread in Europe. Animals can also be found in China, Mongolia, Denmark, Finland, Korea, and Taiwan. In the Russian Federation, the rodent is distributed in Primorye, Siberia, and the Urals. Often settles on the hills, climbs low into the mountains.

Found at Black, Sea of Azov. Does not like deserted forest-steppes and continuous forests. Settles well in moist interfluves.

Prefers overgrown meadows with small depressions, collective farm fields, sunny edges deciduous forests and, of course, vegetable gardens. It can be found in greenhouses, greenhouses, cellars, barns, abandoned utility sheds and even in residential premises.

IMPORTANT! With the coming autumn period rodents move into stacks, haystacks, and stacks of straw.

Reproduction

The breeding season for the vole mouse is from early spring to mid-autumn. In one season, the animal is capable of producing 3-4 offspring. In rare cases, up to 5-6. Gestation of the cubs lasts 21-23 days. One litter usually produces 5-7 babies.

Babies are born helpless and blind, but they develop very quickly.:

12-14 days after birth they begin to see clearly.
30 days after birth they become independent.
Young individuals are capable of giving birth to cubs within 90-105 days after birth.

How long does a field mouse live? The lifespan of a field mouse can reach 7 years, but in wildlife The animals usually live for a year or two.

Now imagine how quickly rodents can breed in just one summer season, provided there is an abundance of food and sun.

Lifestyle

In summer and spring, field mice are active in the evening and at night. In autumn and winter time may be active during the day. IN hibernation don't fall in.

How mice and voles overwinter:

Natural shelters or earthen passages can be used as burrows.
Their burrows reach 3-4 m in length and have 2-4 exits, one of which leads to a watering hole.
Dwellings must have a nesting chamber and 2-3 pantries in which winter supplies are stored.
The storerooms are located at a depth of 0.5-1 m.

IMPORTANT! Rodents that live in swampy areas do not dig burrows. They build nests. The main material is grass. Such dwellings are usually located on tall bushes.

Distinctive Features

Vole mice have their own characteristics that are distinctive from other rodents.:

Depending on their habitat (eastern and western), individuals have different colors and sizes.
It differs from other rodents by the presence of a smooth stripe along the spine.
Unlike mice, it has a larger body size.
More different from the Dahurian hamster long tail.
Unlike pieds, it has a longer period of puberty - about 100 days.
Compared to other subspecies of rodents, the field mouse has an underdeveloped ear.
Field mice have coarser fur. And adult individuals often develop soft spines, like hedgehogs.
Field mice belong to the mobile subspecies. They are characterized by seasonal feeding movements.
May be common in swampy areas. At the same time, they use grass nests as burrows.

Very often, other species of mammals that look similar to voles are mistaken for mice. The most common types of rodents by appearance resembling mice:

. Despite this name, this animal actually belongs to the mouse family, but differs from voles large size.
. Lives underground and belongs to the hamster family.

And also rodents from the vole family:

And . They are similar in appearance to mice, but have a number of distinctive features. Read more about pestles.
. Forest dwellers, differing from the field ones in the color of their fur coat.
. This species lives in colonies and is capable of making significant, up to 15 kg, reserves for the winter.

ABOUT various types read voles.

What harm is done to a person?

Voles can cause significant damage to both crop storage areas and plants in the fields. They can damage vegetables planted in the garden and ruin winter preparations in the cellar.

Moreover, these Rodents are carriers of infections that are fatal to humans., such as leptospirosis, tularemia, tick-borne typhus fever.

Ways to fight and protect

The main difficulty in the fight against field mice is that they live in places hidden from human eyes. This means that catching or poisoning them is quite problematic. That's why The primary task in the fight against voles is the need to find and destroy their homes. You can do this in the following ways.

We drive mice away from the territory

First of all, you need to try to drive rodents out of the area:

Mow tall grass, remove dry leaves and weeds. You also need to get rid of branches and piles of plant debris. All of these are great places to build burrows.
Fruits that have fallen from the tree should not remain on the site, as they are an easily accessible source.
Digging up the area can help get rid of holes and underground passages.
To prevent rodents from damaging fruit trees, a fine mesh net is dug into the ground around the trunks. The same can be done around the perimeter of the entire site.

We use repellers

The use of special repellent devices can speed up the process of expelling voles from your territory. They are installed around the perimeter of the site and provide protection from moisture.

We use mousetraps

Ordinary mousetraps can also help in the fight against mice. Experienced gardeners recommend installing these devices on the site in early spring and late autumn, since it is at this time that mice reproduce most actively. To prevent harm to pets, mouse traps can be covered with a box; this will not stop mice in pursuit of the bait.

We use poisons

At the end of winter and beginning of spring, the use of poisons is very effective. At this time, mice are hungry and not very picky about food. Poisons are placed directly in burrows.

How to get rid of field mice in the house?

If you have mice in your home, use time-tested, traditional methods.:

Mousetraps. At the same time, do not forget about safety measures so that people and pets do not get hurt.
Repellers. Special devices are safe for people and pets, but have negative impact on mice.
Poisons can be used if all precautions are taken.
Cat. The most effective, proven and safe “remedy” for mice. If you don't have a cat at home, borrow one from friends for a while.

Thus, it is quite possible to get rid of mice on your property or in your house. It is enough to create unbearable living conditions for them. And to prevent voles from appearing again, prevention is needed - maintaining cleanliness in the area, timely removal of plant debris and food waste.

Video

In the video you can see what field mice look like:

You will learn how mice prepare for winter in this article.

How do mice prepare for winter?

Vole bears living in the wild begin to prepare for the onset of cold weather from the end of summer. We all know that with the onset of winter, houses may appear unexpected guest in the guise of a mouse. She probably became too lazy to prepare for winter, and she decided to make her task easier - to settle in a human dwelling. Well, it’s warm and there’s something to eat. But what if a mouse lives in a field?

First of all, the mouse begins to expand its hole - it expands the “bedroom”, as it will insulate it and dig out new storage rooms for winter supplies. All winter period they spend time in a hole. They insulate their bedroom with dry grass, moss, hairs and fluff. The animal itself also changes - the fur changes color and becomes thicker. And the body accumulates nutrients and fats. It is worth noting that the body temperature of mice in winter can drop to the temperature of an icicle, but they do not die.

The winter season is a difficult period for fauna inhabitants. Especially when the ground is covered with snow, those animals that were looking for food there simply cannot get to it. This is exactly what happens because of the cold weather, food becomes inaccessible, and animals also want to eat. There is a need to create reserves.\r\n\r\n \r\n

\r\nOf course, the first animal worth mentioning is the bear.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nEven though this animal accumulates a sufficient layer of fat, it cannot do without reserves. He makes them at the bases of trees, rhizomes or in his den to refresh himself before and after hibernation. These can be nuts, larvae, bulbs. It is worth noting that the bear is an omnivore. Sometimes they “steal” food from chipmunks and other large rodents, and in rare cases they even kill the animal itself.\r\n\r\nNext on the list is the squirrel, it simply buries or hides nuts in a hollow.\r\n\ r\n
\r\n\r\nOf course, other rodents also have the most food for the winter: mice, moles, minks, hamsters (this habit can be observed if you have this animal at home). Hedgehogs, although they also fall into “winter sleep,” will put aside some fruits, mushrooms or insects “in reserve.”\r\n\r\nThe insects themselves also stock up for the winter. First of all, these are bees.\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\nTheir stock consists of a huge amount of honey, from which they take all the necessary substances for survival in cold period, so people have the opportunity to enjoy their food. Experienced beekeepers, in order to prevent their bees from starving to death, when the bulk of the food has been taken from them, “feed” them with a solution of sugar. Wasps lay eggs in immobilized caterpillars for the winter, and gall flies simply feed their children with their own flesh.\r\n\r\nPredators such as stoats and weasels lay the results of their hunt - small rodents - for the winter. Beavers, for example, eat food from branches; they simply hide it in the water for the winter, or in extreme cases, near a reservoir.\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\nBirds such as shrikes dry their prey ( small insects, larvae, beetles) right on tree branches, they use trowels to prick food onto the sharp ends of the branches. The hay shed is drying hay for winter.\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\nIt is not for nothing that woodpeckers gouge out many small holes in wood. In addition to the fact that they get food from these holes, they put what they cannot eat right away or need to “save” directly there. The mole operates on the same principle, only for this purpose it builds underground tunnels for itself (quite intelligent animals, before hiding the worm for the winter, the mole rips off its head).

Wood mouse- representatives of the genus of wood mice are more dexterous and nimble animals than house mouse, and even more so voles. The length of the body is 7-10 cm. The tail is equal to the length of the body. Red fur. The belly is light.

Habitat biotope. Cluttered areas of mixed and broad-leaved forests.
What does it eat? Greens, seeds, insects.
Ecology of the species. Active at night. Good at climbing trees. Spends the day in simply constructed burrows and hollows. Makes reserves for the winter - up to 9 kg of seeds. There are up to five broods per year.

Many of them are good tree climbers and can climb to great heights. About 10 species of wood mice live on the territory of Russia, which can be found in almost all forests south of the 60th parallel. Only a few species penetrate further north. IN middle lane Three species of wood mice are common.

Most different from other mice. On her red fur coat there is a clearly visible black stripe from the crown to the tail. On average, this mouse is slightly thicker and heavier than a wood mouse of equal length and has a shorter tail. It is always slightly shorter than the length of the animal itself.

Body length 10–12.5 cm, tail 6.6–8 cm, body weight 16–25 g. The size of the print of the front paw of this mouse is 1x0.9, the back one is 2x1 cm. Field mice live in fields, meadows, vegetable gardens and forest edges. In winter they live in stacks of straw, and sometimes (especially closer to spring) they penetrate into the basements of village houses.

The easiest way to meet us is small wood mouse. It lives in the forests of western Russia and is not found east of the Yenisei. Its body length is 7–11 cm, its tail is the same length, body weight is 14–25 g. The print of the front foot is 1x0.8, the back one is 2.4x1.3 cm.

This rodent is a common inhabitant of deciduous and mixed forests. But it often settles in thickets of weeds or in clumps of bushes in the middle of fields. Constantly penetrates into human housing, especially if it is located near a forest.

It is very similar to the small forest mouse, but larger: length 11–14 cm, weight about 50 g. The tail of this animal is especially long and often slightly exceeds the length of the body.

This mouse settles in deciduous forests. He especially loves oak forests, so it is most often found in southern regions European part of Russia. The size of her front paw print is 1x0.8 back 3x1.3 cm.

Traces of a wood mouse at different gaits (a, b, c), the lower surface of the front (above) and hind paws (d), prints of the animal’s paws (e) on shallow snow

The characteristic method of movement of all wood mice is long jumps. Groups of prints of all 4 paws are arranged in the form of a trapezoid. The larger five-toed hind paw prints appear in front of the smaller four-toed front paw prints.

Reference books often indicate that behind the paw prints of all wood mice there is a stripe left by a long tail. This good sign. And if on the tracks of mouse jumps we see a long dash of the tail, it means that we are looking at the tracks of a mouse, not a vole. But in practice, the mouse does not often leave this peculiar flourish on its tracks.

Follow the tracks of a mouse running along a dusty road or even on lightly snow-covered ground, and you will see that in most of the tracks the tail is not visible. The mouse holds its tail extended above the ground rather than dragging it behind it. It’s another matter when the snow is loose and deep enough. That’s when she touches its surface with her tail almost every time she jumps.

Mice do not always move in the most typical leaps for them. They often run the same way as voles, leaving behind a paired chain of tracks. A less agile field mouse will usually make shorter leaps. Average length The animal's jump is about 9 cm, the width of the track is about 3.2. The length of the small wood mouse's jumps is from 13 to 30, the width of the trail is 3.2–4 cm.

The yellow-throated mouse is the best runner of the wood mouse family. It can move in large leaps, up to 1 m long, and sometimes a little more. But the length of the jump can only serve as some hint when determining the trail, but not the final answer.

Undoubtedly, in most cases the field mouse jumps in shorter jumps than the forest mouse, and the latter, in turn, cannot make such long jumps as its yellow-throated relative. But the yellow-throated and other mice can move in very short, leisurely jumps. So, without seeing the animal itself, it is often difficult to say with certainty which of the related species the track seen belongs to.

Sometimes the correct identification is helped by droppings found on the tracks. In the wood mouse, these are dark elongated grains, slightly pointed on one side, measuring about 5x2 mm. The yellow-throated litter is more elongated and larger - 12x5 mm.

Wood mice and other mice often leave traces of their activities at feeding sites. In cases where it is possible to find out who owns the tracks, it is possible to collect very interesting material regarding the nutrition of a particular species. Wood mice tend to store acorns, nuts and other food for the winter.

In wood mice and yellow-throated mice, these reserves can reach impressive sizes. A.N. Formozov mentioned a stock of acorns found in Belovezhskaya Pushcha total mass 47 kg. Workers at the former Tula Zaseki nature reserve told me that up to several kilograms of selected hazel nuts can be obtained from the reserves of the yellow-throated mouse.

Mice hide their supplies in underground burrows, birdhouses, in the dust of rotten trunks of fallen trees or in the cracks of living trees. One spring, at the foot of a cracked aspen tree, I found a lot of empty nut shells with a characteristic gnawed hole in the side, and in a small grove in the middle of a field, in a thin rotten stump of a birch tree at a height of 1 m from the ground, I found a whole bunch of peeled ripe peas. If the stock of nuts belonged to a forest mouse (I did not see any yellow-necked mice in that forest), then the peas were most likely stocked by a field mouse.

Wood mice live in burrows up to 3 m, with 2–3 passages. The nesting chambers are lined with dry blades of grass and moss. Before entering a burrow, you can often see earth ejections. They can make nests in tree hollows and in birdhouses - at a height of up to 10 m. I have repeatedly discovered residential nests with young under a board or piece of plywood lying in the forest.

Winter is a difficult period for many representatives of the animal kingdom on our planet. The starting point for them is autumn. Animals prepare for winter precisely with the onset of this time of year. Each zoological species prepares in its own way: some animals switch to “winter” fur, others manage to stock up on “food”, and still others, having gained enough fat over the summer, are forgotten in winter sleep. But what kind of animals meet the winter in full “combat readiness”? How do they do this? In this article, you will learn from several examples which animals prepare for winter and how they do it.

How do hamsters prepare for winter?

Winter time in the northern regions is perhaps the most stressful and important time in the life of small rodents. To avoid starvation and cold death, many small animals stock up on significant supplies of food. For example, living in the steppes Western Siberia and Europe, prepares for winter in the following way: during the fall, the rodent gains several kilograms (!) of selected grains and root crops. He does this diligently and docilely: the hamster spends his days transporting crops from the fields to his “bins,” dragging the grains in his cheek pouches.

How do voles meet winter?

Many voles also greet winter interestingly. These cute mice begin to harvest grass in the spring, putting it in small piles under certain shelters (for example, under stones). In summer, voles bring rosehip flowers, leaves, cones and pine needles there. The active activity of these creatures ends in the fall, when the first snow covers the mountain meadows. Scientists have calculated the seasonal supply of these animals: one family of voles stores from 5 to 10 kg of food!

Real sleepyheads!

How else do animals prepare for winter? Some careless animals fully justify their name by going into hibernation for the winter. Mother Nature has decreed it in such a way that these sloths don’t even bother themselves with worries about Really, why? After all, you can just go into hibernation! Who are these little lazy creatures? Yes, it's Sony! Small rodents similar to squirrels. They live mainly in European forests, for which they are nicknamed forest dormouses.

Before the onset of cold weather, forest dormouse begin to noticeably gain weight. They get fatter until they weigh a couple of times more than usual and look like a small fur bag. These creatures sleep in spherical nests, made by them specifically for wintering. At least they are active in some way! Zoologists are touched by the sight of a sleeping forest dormouse: the rodent curls up into a very tight ball, pressing its nose and small paws to its abdomen. At the same time, the fluffy tail, in a semi-ring, covers almost the entire body of the animal.

Wild animals are preparing for winter. Brown bear

Not far from forest dormouse the clubfooted ones also left. In particular, the owner of the Russian taiga is the brown bear. Bears are those who do not arrange any storerooms for themselves, preferring to hibernate for the winter. Speaking in metaphorical terms, clubfooted heavyweights are their own “storerooms”, because all summer and all autumn they try to eat large reserves of subcutaneous fat in their bodies. Moreover, fat is an excellent “insulation” in the winter!

Clubfoots begin to get fat when the berries ripen in the forest. While animals prepare for winter in one way or another, bears diligently feed on plant rhizomes, berries, nuts, etc. A favorite delicacy brown bear is honey. For the sake of its sweet and alluring taste, the beast is ready to endure the stings of angry wild bees for hours. But the bear’s “menu,” of course, is not limited to plant foods. Do not forget that this animal is a real predator, therefore, along with berries and nuts, these animals feed on young deer, hares, foxes, wolves and fish. It doesn't cost a bear anything to kill an adult moose!

But dial subcutaneous fat- this is only half the battle. Before the onset of prolonged cold weather, the clubfoot must have time to find a secluded place for its future den. Bears do this with enviable care. As soon as the place is found, the animal begins “construction”: it digs a hole in the ground, insulating it with branches, moss, pine needles and other available materials. If the search for a place for a den in a particular forest is unsuccessful, the bear may covet someone else’s shelter. Some of them even drive the current guest out of there and lie there themselves. This is how it is - a bear's preparation for winter!

Quiet in the forest: beavers, hedgehogs and badgers are sleeping

Speaking about how animals prepare for winter (pictures of some representatives of the fauna world are presented in the article), we cannot fail to mention badgers, beavers and, of course, hedgehogs. For example, beavers have been preparing a lot of twigs since the summer, carrying them underwater to their lodges. There they put “building materials” in piles.

Badgers decided to follow the example of clubfoot: they also store subcutaneous fat for winter. In addition, it is easier for them (than for bears) to build a shelter for the winter, and, it should be noted, they cope with their task quite skillfully. Zoologists say that some of these animals can prepare for winter in just one day! It is curious that sometimes a badger “invites” its neighbor, a raccoon, into its shelter. Both animals get along well in the hole, while winter evenings together.

Hedgehogs are insectivores that prefer to spend the winter hibernating. To do this, they look for secluded burrows located at a distance of 1.5 m from the surface of the earth. Hedgehogs, like bears, sleep all winter. Before going into winter sleep, these insectivores feed diligently, accumulating the same subcutaneous fat, which allows them to sleep through the entire season without unnecessary problems. If a hedgehog goes into hibernation skinny, then it simply has no chance of surviving the winter. Despite the name of their order (insectivores), these creatures eat not only insects, but also frogs, snails, lizards, mice, and bird eggs.

What other animals are preparing for winter?

The pictures presented in this article were not chosen at random: they depict the most striking representatives of the animal kingdom who are preparing for winter. This is done not only by large animals, but also by very tiny creatures - insects. Ants, for example, begin to build large anthills before the onset of severe cold weather. Bees use wax to close their entrance more tightly, leaving only tiny holes.

The question of how animals prepare for winter will not be fully answered if we do not mention our smaller feathered brothers. Many birds fly to wintering warm regions, returning to their “native land” only in the spring (storks, cranes, rooks). They are called migratory. But not all birds do this. There are also those who stay in their native lands for the winter. These are mainly urban birds (sparrows, pigeons, tits).

Hares, wolves and foxes

In the fall, some forest dwellers change their “summer” furs to “winter” ones, i.e., through molting, they shed the old light wool, acquiring new and warm ones. The color of the fur coats of some animals also changes, for example, hares. Their gray coat turns white, allowing them to remain virtually unnoticed against the background of snow. These animals do not make any winter reserves. They also do not hibernate. In winter, hares feed mainly on the bark of young trees.

Wolves and foxes, like hares, do not go into winter sleep, but actively scour the forest in the cold season in search of food, for example the same hares. These animals also shed, but the color of their coat does not change.

So, in this article, using some examples, we talked about how animals prepare for winter. As an example, we took the most prominent and famous representatives of the fauna world.