Wood mice

The wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) is the most common rodent in the UK, it's generalist feeding habits allowing it to be ubiquitous across most of the country. It's range also spans most of Europe and northern Africa. Despite their name, wood mice are not just a woodland species - they are also found in grassland, farmland, heathland and gardens. A. sylvaticus is a nocturnal species, foraging predominantly under the cover of darkness. They are good climbers and have large back feet to assist leaping. 

In winter, wood mice nest communally, then in spring females will leave for their home range and nest singly, with males roaming over an area occupied by a few females. Nests are made of leaves, moss and grass, either in underground chambers, in buildings or in nest boxes. Burrows are generally used by successive generations who may enlarge and modify them. In each burrow there are multiple sections for nest chambers and food stores. 

The lifespan of these small mammals is short; few survive more than one year. If there is sufficient food, wood mice can breed all year round. After a gestation period of 3-4 weeks, females give birth to a litter of of 4-8 blind and hairless young. These young are weaned after 18-22 days and leave their mother after around 4 weeks, and are sexually mature by the age of 2 months. 


A surprisingly chilled out wood mouse in a bag after being caught in a Longworth trap in the UEA conservation area. 

The wood mouse's diet includes fruit, nuts, seeds and insects which they store in burrows or disused bird's nests for winter. This behaviour is important in the woodland ecosystem, as forgotten buried seeds grow and aid forest regeneration. Due to their dependence on seeds, the population of A. sylvaticus fluctuates with the woodland seed crop size. 

Wood mice are also ecologically important as a food source for predators, especially tawny owls, whose breeding success is partly tied to mouse abundance. Foxes, badgers and raptors also prey on wood mice, and domestic cats will frequently kill them. In order to escape predators, wood mice can shed their tail skin, but it won't regrow.


Some (out of focus) camera trap footage of a mouse in the UEA conservation area

The conservation status of the wood mouse on the British Red List is currently 'least concern', and they have no legal protection. In 2018 there were an estimated 39.6 million wood mice in Britain, however, there could be around 20 million more or fewer than this estimate. The ability of this rodent to quickly recolonise and survive in a variety of habitats means it doesn't appear to need any specific legislation to protect it. 

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/wood-mouse
https://www.mammal.org.uk/species-hub/full-species-hub/discover-mammals/species-wood-mouse/ 
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/mammals/wood-mouse/ 
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/facts-about-wood-mouse/ 

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