About 28 species of small, nocturnal, tree-climbing rodents from Africa, Asia and Europe. They look like mice with furry tails, and are named for their long hibernation of six months or more. Half of all species belong to the African genus Graphiurus.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Nocturnal, spending its waking hours up in the branches looking for food.
Hibernates?Yes
Its name comes from it: dormice in cooler places hibernate for six months or more, waking briefly to eat stored food.
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?In places
The edible dormouse was a delicacy in ancient Rome, served as a starter or dipped in honey.
At a glance
Found inEurope, Asia, Africa
HabitatForest
ColoursBrown, Gold
SizeTiny
Length6–19 cm (body)
Weight15–180 g
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives alone
Lives for3–5 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Africa, Asia and Europe.
- What it eats
- Berries, flowers, fruit, insects and nuts; the hazel dormouse fattens up on hazelnuts.
Did you know
Named for its long hibernation of six months or more, and spends much of its life asleep.
The Romans fattened edible dormice in special enclosures and ate them as a delicacy.
Dormice are the only rodents without a caecum, the gut section others use to ferment plant food.
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