House mouse

Mus musculus

Family 

Muridae

Distribution

The house mouse originates in India, but bones from the Stone Age provide evidence that mice have been living in our latitudes since 4000 BC.

Lifestyle

House mice live in groups consisting of several extended families. Each extended family has a territory marked by scents, which it defends against members of other families. Scents have functions beyond marking, they also relay information on gender, social status, reproductive status and health. Individual scents are inherited. Alongside smell, information is also exchanged by means of sound. The house mouse uses a series of sounds of varying frequencies to communicate with others of its species. In addition to acoustic sounds, house mice are also able to register ultrasonic waves, with even young mice emitting ultrasonic sounds when discomforted.

Reproduction

House mice living outdoors reproduce only in summer, but those living in buildings do so all year round due to an ample supply of food and uniform temperatures. When living in high-density environments, the highest ranking female regulates the fertility of other females, with scents in her urine suppressing the fertility of other females or preventing the implantation of fertilised eggs in the womb. The gestation period is three weeks and the young reach sexual maturity six weeks after birth. A female can give birth to up to six litters, each with around six young, per year.

Diet

Originally granivorous, the house mouse today prefers cereals of all kinds, but also consumes nuts, vegetables and fruit.

The house mouse in Langenberg

Since 2014. The house mice are live in the Mouse House together with the brown rats and edible dormice. They are descended from mice bred by the University of Zurich and are the descendants of wild mice caught in the canton of Zurich.