Mammals · Rodentia · Muridae
Wood Mouse
Apodemus sylvaticus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
A rodent with a bulky head, large prominent black eyes and ears proportionally larger than those of the mice of the genus Mus. The back is reddish yellow and the belly creamy white, the two sharply demarcated. Its very long hind legs let it move in bounds of more than a metre.
Weight
15 g – 35 g
Size
8 cm – 12 cm
Lifespan
2 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Estimated population
No numerical estimate; it is one of the most abundant small mammals in Spain, present throughout the peninsula, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla
Fun facts
- Litter size increases with latitude: the populations of southern Spain have the smallest litters in Europe.
- It can shed the skin of its tail and regrow it as a defence against a predator.
- The young eat the droppings of adults to obtain vitamin B12 and the bacteria they need in order to digest cellulose.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Practically any setting with dense plant cover: woodland, scrub, meadows, stone walls and crops, from sea level up to about 1,850 m
- Size at birth
- The young are altricial: born hairless and blind, with the ear canal closed and unable to regulate their temperature
- Sexual maturity
- Within a few weeks of life; at around 3 months depending on the population
- Gestation / incubation
- 25 - 26 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 1-11 young per litter, with averages between 4.4 and 6.5, and 1 to 4 litters a year
Sources consulted: Sánchez-González, Navarro-Castilla, Hernández y Barja 2016, Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles (MNCN-CSIC); MITECO - Inventario Español de Especies Terrestres; SECEM; IUCN Red List; Torre, Arrizabalaga y Díaz 2002; Flowerdew 1985; Sans-Coma et al. 1987
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round; it is nocturnal and hard to see, but it leaves characteristic traces on nuts
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 153 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Wood Mouse — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Harvest Mouse
Micromys minutus
Fat Dormouse
Glis glis
Hazel Dormouse
Muscardinus avellanarius
Least ConcernRed Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Pine Marten
Martes martes
Common Genet
Genetta genetta
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Based on what we already know about wood mouse.
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