European Wood Mouse
Apodemus sylvaticus
- Class
- Mammal
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 2,912
- Most observed in
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) is a murid rodent native to Europe and northwestern Africa. It is closely related to the yellow-necked mouse (A. flavicollis) but differs in that it has no band of yellow fur around the neck, has slightly smaller ears, and is usually slightly smaller overall: around 90 mm (3.54 in) in length and 23 g in weight. It is found across most of Europe and is a very common and widespread species, is commensal with people and is sometimes considered a pest. Other common names are long-tailed field mouse, field mouse, common field mouse, and European wood mouse. This species is a known potential carrier of the Dobrava sequence of hantavirus which affects humans and may pose serious risks to human health.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Wood mouse”.