Apodemus sylvaticus
long-tailed field mouse

Apodemus sylvaticus is found throughout Europe, except northern Scandinavia and Finland, east to the Altai and Himalayan mountains. It is also found in parts of central and southwestern Asia, Himalayas, northwestern Africa, British Isles and nearby islands. (Fact-File 1991, Nowak 1991)

These mice like grassy fields, cultivated areas, woodlands and forests, although they will live anywhere they can find adequate shelter. They may move into human habitations in the fall and winter but usually dig deep burrows and build a nest of shredded grass and leaves at the end of a tunnel. (Fact-File 1990;Nowak 1991; Parker 1990)

Head and body length of Apodemus sylvaticus is 60-150mm, tail length is 70-145 mm. The fur is soft, and the tail is only moderately hairy. Coloration on the dorsal area is grayish buff, grayish brown, brown with yellow or red mixed in, or pale sand color. The underparts are white or light gray, often with yellow tinges and an oblong yellow spot on the throat. The feet are white. The tail is not prehensile. Females have six or eight nipples. The eyes and ears are large, allowing good vision at night and predator avoidance. The sense of smell is highly developed, and these rodents can detect the exact location of buried seeds without having to dig at random in a general area.

Like other members of the subfamily Murinae, these mice have moderately low crowned cheek teeth, with an arrangement of cusps which results in the formation of three longitudinal rows on the biting surface. The incisors are ever-growing self sharpening. There is a layer of enamel on only the front and sides of the teeth, resulting in the back part of the tooth wearing away during normal gnawing behavior so as to form a chisel-like edge.

(Fact-File 1991; Macdonald 1985; Nowak 1991; Parker 1990)

Wood mice are very good climbers, jumpers, and swimmers. They are nocturnal or crepuscular. Males normally live in an area of approximately 109 m in diameter, while females inhabit an area of 64 m in diameter.

When not cohabiting with humans, they build burrows and tunnel systems below ground. These burrows are typically about 3 cm wide and 8-18 cm below the surface, sometimes incorporating tunnels of other animals. Burrow systems consist of a circular tunnel around the roots of a tree, another tunnel leading below the tree to a nesting chamber, and other tunnels serving as a passage to the entrances, of which there are usually two. This mouse also uses its burrow system to store food, and cooperative burrowing has been documented, with several adults living in the same nest. Females prevent males from entering when young are present.

In times of danger, these mice flee by hopping along on only the hind legs, which are elongated although they are not a purely saltatorial species.

(Fact-File 1990; Nowak 1991; Parker 1990)

The diet of the Wood Mouse consists of roots, grains, seeds, berries, nuts, grasses, grain kernels, fruits and insects. (Nowak 1991;Parker 1990)

The wood mouse is seen as a pest, inflicting serious damage to vegetable gardens and farmland, digging up seeds before they can germinate, and eating crop grasses down to the ground. These mice are also responsible for damage to seedlings in wooded areas of their range. (Fact-File 1990; Nowak 1991)

Apodemus sylvaticus are important agents for the transportation and burying of tree seeds. Their impact on the forests has both a positive and a negative aspect, and their role in the health of woodland is currently under study. (Nowak 1991)

This species is the most common mouse throughout its range. It is not under any threat. (Fact-File 1990)

The pygmy field mouse (Apodemus microps) and the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) are very similar in appearance and behavior, and they share habitat in some areas, and can be referred to as "twin" species. The Wood Mouse has yet another "twin" species, the yellow necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollus). Although very similar in many traits, these species are distinct and do not interbreed. Life span in the wild is typically one year, but captive individuals have lived for four years.

(Parker 1990)