Eurasian dwarf mouse

The pygmy mouse is aptly named: weighing just five to ten grams, it is one of the smallest rodents. Its body shape is perfectly adapted to its climbing lifestyle, and its body-length tail is used as a kind of fifth limb to hold on to. In general, the dwarf mouse loves habitats characterised by tall growing grasses. The "forest" of meadows and fields offers the tiny climbing mice everything they need in the warm season: here they find food in the form of grass, cereal and herb seeds, insects and their larvae. This is also where they build their homes, so-called "high nests": elaborate spherical structures with one or two openings in which the young are reared. In the cold season, when tall grasses have disappeared, the dwarf mouse seeks out the ground or moves into buildings to survive the winter. As they do not hibernate, they now protect themselves in ground nests. To protect themselves from predators, dwarf mice adopt an immobile "camouflage position" or suddenly drop to the ground in the event of great danger. Dwarf mice are mainly active at night, less so during the day.