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A dormouse in Autumn

Dormouse

Common dormice may spend up to three quarters of their life asleep. They hibernate when food is scarce to conserve energy. In Britain, they are mainly found in the southern counties, although they are present in a few scattered locations in the Lake District and mid-Wales.

Scientific name: Muscardinus avellanarius

Rank: Species

Common names:

  • Common dormouse,
  • Hazel dormouse

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Distribution

Map showing the distribution of the Dormouse taxa

Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.

The Dormouse can be found in a number of locations including: Europe, Russia, United Kingdom, Wales, Ynys-hir nature reserve. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Dormouse distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web

Conservation Status

Least Concern

  1. EX - Extinct
  2. EW
  3. CR - Threatened
  4. EN - Threatened
  5. VU - Threatened
  6. NT
  7. LC - Least concern

Population trend: Unknown

Year assessed: 2008

Classified by: IUCN 3.1

About

The hazel dormouse or common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is a small mammal and the only living species in the genus Muscardinus. It is 6 to 9 cm (2.4 to 3.5 in) long with a tail of 5.7 to 7.5 cm (2.2 to 3.0 in). It weighs 17 to 20 g (0.60 to 0.71 oz), although this increases to 30 to 40 grams (1.1 to 1.4 oz) just before hibernation. The hazel dormouse hibernates from October to April–May.

The hazel dormouse is native to northern Europe and Asia Minor. It is the only dormouse native to the British Isles, and is therefore often referred to simply as the "dormouse" in British sources, although the edible dormouse, Glis glis, has been accidentally introduced and now has an established population.

The United Kingdom distribution of the hazel dormouse can be found on the National Biodivestity Network website.

Read more at Wikipedia

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Classification

  1. Life
  2. Animals
  3. Vertebrates
  4. Mammals
  5. Rodents
  6. Dormice
  7. Muscardinus
  8. Dormouse

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