W O O D & M I C E Y E L L O W - N E C K E D Apodemus sylvaticus & Apodemus flavicollis Ecology

I N T R O D U C T I O N D I E T Mice are remarkable. They have Both mice species have a similar adapted to every habitat available to diet, mainly seeds, insects, seedlings, them and are now one of the most buds, fruit, nuts, snails, fungi and widespread mammals in the world. tree bark. They can live in the countryside, along side us and even co-exist with us. T H E I R I M P O R T A N C E Thought to be dirty, disease ridden As with all rodents they are and even a pest these extraordinary immensely important within the creatures are anything but, in fact they clean up after us - feasting on our food chain. They are essential for scraps - they are the prey for Owls - both tawny and barn - stoats, more"prised" creatures such as barn weasels, badgers, foxes, kestrels & owls and spend a considerable amount other raptors. of time grooming themselves & each They are also great for seed other. dispersal - they create winter stores which are often forgotten & then I D E N T I F I C A T I O N sprout, they also move seeds about They are both very similar in attached to fur. appearance but the differences are: Wood mouse - Yellowish/brown fur with grey tummy & a small yellowish patch of fur between Wood Mouse their front legs. Large eyes and big ears. Yellow-necked mouse - Orangey fur with yellowing band of fur between front legs, meeting main fur on either side (Wood mouse Yellow-necked Mouse does not).

Head-body length: Wood: 8-11 cm Yellow-neck: 10-12 cm (bigger) H A B I T A T Tail length: Both these species are primarily Wood: same as body woodland species however a Yellow-neck: longer than body hedgerow will do perfectly as well. Weight Adult: They are both found in the Wood: 16-18g winter, 25-27g summer hedgerows on the EPIC site. Yellow-neck: 25-45g Hopefully the increased habitat Lifespan: potential will lead to an increase in Wood: 20 months max Yellow-neck: 1 year max both populations. W O O D & M I C E Y E L L O W - N E C K E D Apodemus sylvaticus & Apodemus flavicollis Conservation

I S S U E S F A C T

There are a number of problems In urban areas, wood mice are facing Mice today - caught regularly by cats. They are Agricultural practices thought to make up between a Habitat Loss quarter and a half of cat kills which Pesticide use undoubtedly has a big impact on Poisoning their populations.

S I G N S T O L O O K Recently it was discovered that wood mice signpost their favourite F O R journeys. They move twigs and stones about to mark their way. This Look out for: helps relocate an area but also in the Runs through vegetation and case of emergencies - when they leaf little can sometimes be seen have to dash to safety. - pull back the long grass to look underneath and you may see the trodden paths they use regularly. Nut shells - look to see how the hole has been formed. If it is a round hole with visible teeth marks around the edge and on the outside then it's a wood mouse. Food cached in burrows, garages even shoes is also a sure sign of both these species. Nests - typically made from Yellow-neck mice leap into the air leaves & grass but quite untidy, to avoid predation. They can jump not neatly woven. almost 1m into the air - thats 8x Mice often leave feeding their own body length. This makes evidence - look for piles of snail them very hard to handle when shells with neat holes, nuts and trapping, they are also rather beetle cases. visious and often bite.