Notes from the Land: A Day in the Life of a Deer Mouse
Photo credits: Deer Mouse photo by Zac Cota is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Peeking out from under the strands of dry grass, two buggy eyes appear. The small mammal lifts its whiskered face to test the scented air currents. Is a predator about? Is there food anywhere? Are any unknown mice in the vicinity?
She is hungry, having spent the daylight hours sleeping in a cozy grass-lined nest at the base of a rotting tree. She crawls to the edge of the tree trunk and tests the air one more time. Smelling nothing to be concerned about, she scurries across an opening in the woodland floor to a small circular hole in the grasses that leads to a series of tunnels. The fading light bathes her grey and white body in such a way that any fox, weasel or coyote might not perceive her presence. Twilight is a friend of this crepuscular creature.
Mouse tracks leading to a nest or tunnel. Photo by Lynette Anderson.
Arriving at the tunnel entrance she veers right and hurries immediately to the food cache that she and her family have been adding to since early fall. Seeds, nuts, and some dried insects are among the food stuffs that support her omnivorous diet. With her sharp teeth, she gnaws at a hard acorn, stopping periodically to listen and smell for anything out of the ordinary. Her body shivers with nervous movements that barely move the grasses above her. She eats in relative peace for a short time and then… a whooshing noise from above takes her attention away from her food. She glances up and sees a talon extending through the roof of the tunnel. A hungry owl has spotted the urine trail on the ground and has seen the slight movement of the vegetation. With grace and precision, the owl ‘s foot extends down and away from its body to pierce and clench its prey. She shrieks and turns to run, the talon closes… Another true-life nature drama unfolds….
Most of us have had run ins with this small crafty creature called a mouse. We hear it in our walls at night, we see one running across the kitchen floor. We shudder and set traps or call the pest control folks. When cold weather blows in, we know that mice will be on the hunt for a warm protected place to spend the winter. If you live in the city or a more urban setting then you may have one of the introduced species of mice, a house mouse coming to call. If you live in a more suburban or rural area, then it is likely a deer or white-footed mouse is the culprit. While we don’t like them in our homes, mice are important from an ecological standpoint. They are excellent seed dispersers, efficiently carrying small seeds from plants like Big Bluestem, or large seeds from oaks and pine trees to new areas within the prairie or woods. They are also of critical importance as a prey species. Fox, coyote, weasel, mink, barred owl and great-horned owl are just a few of the animals that depend on mice and other small mammals for sustenance.
A few fun facts about mice:
They are crepuscular creatures which means that they are active from twilight (dusk) to twilight (dawn)!
They communicate with other mice by leaving scent markings and singing!
Their teeth are always growing!
Just like beaver, mice must chew on hard surfaces to keep their teeth from becoming too long.
Mouse senses are amazing!
They can smell and identify specific odors
They can detect sounds up to 90,000 Hertz
Their taste buds can detect bitter, sweet, sour and umami flavors
They use their whiskers to explore their surroundings and detect temperature changes
Nimble pests!
They are good swimmers,
They can climb many surfaces,
They can jump a foot
They can run as fast as 7.5 miles per hour
Why do researchers use mice in experiments?
Partly because the organization of their DNA and gene expression is similar to humans.
Love them or hate them, there is a lot to learn about mice!
Mice I think mice are rather nice. Their tails are long, their faces small, They haven’t any chins at all. Their ears are pink, their teeth are white. They run about the house at night. They nibble things they shouldn’t touch, and no one seems to like them much. But I think mice are nice.
Rose Fyleman
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