Dormice

Dormice are very small and are extremely hard to spot. The body length of a Dormouse is only 6-9cm, with their tale being of a similar length. The weight of a Dormouse is no more than 40g before hibernation. Dormice have golden-brown fur which is soft to the touch, a long feathery tail and big black-eyes.

Dormice often live within the branches throughout woodland canopies. They rarely travel down to the surface, the only time they do is to hibernate in the winter. Dormice favour woodland, hedgerow and shrubs. They are mainly restricted to the south of England, with exceptions to places in the Midlands, the Lake District and Wales.

Dormouse diet can change due to the time of year. In the summer they will eat insects and before hibernation they eat nuts, berries and seeds, this is the have added fat to help them hibernate for winter.

The Dormice population has decreased by 52% since 1995. With woodland and hedgerow dropping due to human intervention the Dormouse has come under major threat of extinction. Climate change is another reason as to why the Dormouse is under threat of extinction, with winters becoming warmer than usually disrupting their hibernation cycle. With Dormice breeding slow this puts them at a big disadvantage to the change conditions.