Harvest Mice Report

Guten Tag bloggers
For the last two weeks we have been writing animal reports in preparation for writing a report on trout after the ski trip. I chose to write my animal report on a harvest mouse. Harvest mice are a type of British mouse. Here is my report.

Harvest Mice

Classification

A harvest mouse is a vertebrate animal which means it has bones on the inside or most
commonly known as a skeleton. Harvest mice are mammals which means they give birth
to young. They belong to the Muridae family. Their full name is Eurasian Harvest Mouse.
It’s scientific name is Micromys minutus.

Appearance

Harvest mice are Europe's smallest rodents. They have got a good gripping tail like a
monkey. These mice have a reddish-yellowish coat, a white furry belly, small hairy ears,
tiny skinny legs and a much blunter nose than other mice. An adult harvest mouse weighs
seven grams. Their adult length is five point nine centimeters. They range from fifty five
to seventy five millimeters long. Their tail reaches from fifty to seventy five millimeters
long.

Habitat

Harvest mice are native to England and Asia. Harvest mice are mainly found from Central
Yorkshire southwards which passes Nottingham and Northampton. Wherever tall grass,
cereal and hedgerows grow is where they like to live. They like places that have things to
build nests in. They live for less than one year in the wild.

Diet

Harvest mice are omnivores so they eat meat and plants. They mainly feed on berries,
buds, seeds, fruit, bulbs and new grass shoots. A small amount of their diet is based on
insects. They usually eat insects during the summer. Also in the summer they eat fungi,
moss and roots. Some food is hidden underground for winter. They collect their food by
first off smelling it out, then they go to the location their nose takes them to, then they
grab it with their tail and bring it back to the nest.

Reproduction

Harvest mice breed before they are one year old. They can have three to seven litters a
year. Their mating season is in between May and October. The mating season can go
onto December depending on the weather. They are pregnant for two weeks and five days.
The young are weaned from milk by fifteen days. A litter can have up to eight young. The
estimated population of harvest mice is 1,425,000.

Threats

The harvest mouse is easily affected by land changes. That includes harvesting, burning
of bristles, hedge removal and pest removal. Climate change and flooding can also be
threats. Animals like crows can kill harvest mice.

Conclusion

That is the end of my report on harvest mice. I hope you learnt something from my work.
I find harvest mice interesting with their different features compared to other mice, like its
blunt nose. Fact Time! Did you know that harvest mice are mostly nocturnal?

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