A whisker away from death? Mouse holed up in corner of window sill weighs up its options as hungry cat watches... and waits

By NICK ENOCH

A whisker away from death? Mouse holed up in corner of window sill weighs up its options as hungry cat watches... and waits

Wedged into a small gap on a bathroom window sill, this mouse has to think. Fast.
Its choices are very, very limited.
Should the little critter make a dash for freedom past the cat that's watching just inches away?
Sit it out and hope the ginger giant leaves out of boredom?
Or accept its fate - as 'lunch'?

After being chased into the corner of the grimy ledge, the tiny rodent did manage to escape and hid in a closet that the cat couldn't get into.
Eventually, the famished feline lost its patience and left.
Max422 - the cat's owner - then let the mouse out of the house
Mouse 1: Cat 0.

source: dailymail

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You'll be blown away: Amazing photos of harvest mouse who climbed up a dandelion in the breeze

By NICK ENOCH

The harvest mouse - one of Britain's most elusive rodents - was snapped at the British Wildlife Centre in Lingfield, Surrey, by head keeper Matt Binstead. It uses its prehensile tail as an anchor

As this tiny harvest mouse seemed to blow away a dandelion, who knows what it was wishing for. These heartwarming pictures of one of Britain’s most elusive rodents were taken by amateur photographer Matt Binstead last weekend.
He said: 'It was lovely to get these shots of the mouse in its element. I saw it on the stem and just waited for it to climb all the way to the top.
'I can’t remember whether it was the breeze or the mouse blowing the dandelion.
'It is the only British animal with what is known as a prehensile tail that can be used as a fifth limb. 'When wrapped around a stem, it can act as a brake or anchor.
'This makes it very nimble, travelling and feeding in stems of cereals and grasses.'

'I can't remember whether it was the breeze or the mouse blowing the dandelion,' said Mr Binstead

Conservation measures have been in place for the species since 2001 when it was given near-threatened status.
It is Europe’s smallest rodent, at about 6cm long, and weighs less than a 2p coin.
They have many natural predators and are a snack for foxes, weasels, stoats, cats, owls, crows, kestrels and even toads.
And many of them freeze to death in the winter where they live in grass nests in hedgerows near the ground.
The species don’t hibernate but do sleep for long periods in the winter, waking up during milder spells to eat a little stored food or venture out on a foraging trip.
Tennis balls used in play at Wimbledon have been recycled to create artificial nests for harvest mice in an attempt to help the species avoid predation at this time.
They eat mainly seeds and insects but also nectar and fruit and are found in areas of tall grasses such as cereal crops, and in roadside verges, hedgerows, reedbeds, dykes and salt-marshes.

The mouse is Europe's smallest rodent, at about 6cm long, and weighs less than a 2p coin

Mr Binstead, 30, is head keeper at the British Wildlife Centre in Lingfield, Surrey, where the pictures were taken.
He added: 'They have a remarkable ability to sense vibrations through the soles of their feet.
'Larger animals in the vicinity can be sensed by vibrations passing through the ground and up the plant on which the mouse is feeding.'
Harvest mice breed from May to October, often producing three litters a year after a two-and-a-half-week gestation period.
The young are completely independent and are abandoned by their mother after 16 days.
The centre has been open to the public since 2000 and houses about 40 native species.
Maybe this little one was just wishing the lovely weather will continue.

source: dailymail

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Hang about, it's Britain's smallest rodent! Harvest mouse is just 2in long - but pulls off daredevil stunts with its acrobatic tale

By CHRIS HANLON

Hang tough: Brave little harvest mouse displays its acrobatic skills as he forages for food among its habitat of cereal and grass

It might be small but this little mouse is no 'wee timorous beastie' as it hangs by its flexible tale in a gymnastic attempt to look for food.
Even more amazing is that it's pulling off this feat almost BLIND as, despite it's big eyes, it can barely see.
The tiny creatures rely almost completely on hearing to find their way around and can pick up the smallest of vibrations from up to seven metres away.
The species is on the comeback after once being considered a near-threatened species.
The harvest mouse, or Micromys minutus, is native to Europe and Asia. It is typically found in fields of cereal crops, in reed beds and in other vegetation.
An adult may weigh as little as 4 grams and its diet mainly consists of seeds, insects and fruit. Their nests are cleverly and tightly constructed from grass.

Hair force one: This mouse finds his height a bit hair-raising all of a sudden

A gripping cereal: Mouse manages to locate some food among the crops


Noted 18th century naturalist Gilbert White was one of the first to formerly describe the species.
He said: 'They never enter into houses; are carried into ricks and barns with the sheaves; abound in harvest; and build their nests amidst the straws of the corn above the ground, and sometimes in thistles.
'They breed as many as eight at a litter, in a little round nest composed of the blades or grass or wheat.

Well-deserved nest: The creature's nests are small but skillfully woven and sturdy

Social climber: Preparing to clamber high in search of food once again

'One of these nests I procured this autumn, most artificially platted, and composed of the blades of wheat; perfectly round, and about the size of a cricket-ball.
Wimbledon tennis balls have been recycled to create artificial nests for creatures since 2001 to help populations recover from eroding habitats.

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He may not be very pretty to look at but does this bristly mouse hold the secret cure to baldness AND grey hair?

By FIONA MACRAE SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT

Hair he is: This picture shows tufts of hair grown from stem cells on the back of a bald mouse, which Japanese researchers have been testing to try and find a cure for baldness with coloured hairs

It may not be the most handsome of creatures.
But this mouse – or more specifically its bristly tuft of hair – could hold the remedy for baldness and going grey, scientists claim.
They have worked out how to use stem cells to create pigmented hair follicles that grew successfully when implanted into hairless mice.
In a two-in-one experiment, they have found a way of growing hair and of making it pigmented. Their success has been on mice but they hope to test the technique on men for the first time in as little as three years.
And within a decade, the treatment could be in widespread use.
British experts have commended the Japanese researchers, saying they seem to have cracked a problem that has baffled scientists for decades.
More than 7million British men are bald or balding, and while many are perfectly happy, those who aren't face limited options.
The breakthrough centres on stem cells, 'blank' cells with the ability to turn into other cell types, and follicles, the tiny pouches that sprout hairs.

Hair growth: This close up picture shows hairs grown from stem cells on the back of a bald mouse

The scientists, from the Tokyo University of Science, took two types of skin stem cell, which together contain all the instructions for a hair follicle and grew them in the lab, until they formed immature follicles.
These were then implanted in on the backs of hairless mice and, within two to three weeks, they sprouted hairs. The technique was also used to grow whiskers.
Excitingly, the mice also grew tufts of hair when human stem cells, gleaned from the scalp of a balding man were used, the journal Nature Communications reports.

source: dailymail

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The mouse that tweets like a bird: Japanese scientists create genetically-modified animal

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

A mouse genetically engineered to tweet like a bird has been created in Japan

Japanese scientists have produced a genetically-engineered mouse that tweets like a bird, it was revealed today.
A team of researchers at the University of Osaka are breeding genetically modified mice that are prone to miscopying DNA and are more likely to develop mutations.
The 'tweeting' mouse was created as part of the team's ‘Evolved Mouse Project. They hope it will shed new light on how languages evolve.

‘Mutations are the driving force of evolution. We have cross-bred the genetically modified mice for generations to see what would happen,’ lead researcher Arikuni Uchimura said.
‘We checked the newly born mice one by one... One day we found a mouse that was singing like a bird,’ he told AFP.
He said that the ‘singing mouse’ was born by chance but that the trait will be passed on to future generations.
‘I was surprised because I had been expecting mice that are different in physical shape,’ he said by telephone
The project has also produced ‘a mouse with short limbs and a tail like a dachshund’.
The laboratory, directed by professor Takeshi Yagi at the Osaka University’s Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences in western Japan, now has more than 100 ‘singing mice’ for further research.
The team hopes they will provide clues on how human language evolved, just as researchers in other countries study songbirds such as finches to help them understand the origins of human language.
‘Mice are better than birds to study because they are mammals and much closer to humans in their brain structures and other biological aspects,’ Uchimura said.

source: dailymail

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The monster mice helping man in the fight against obesity

By CHRIS SLACK

Creating a monster: The obese mouse, right, weighs 52g while the normal mouse, left, weighs just 20g. The pair are being used by scientists in attempts to create an anti-obesity pill

Being placed into a machine for another experiment, these mice are playing a big part in the continuing fight against obesity.
A team from the the Integrated Research and Treatment Centre for Adipositas at Leipzig University are using the animals to test a number of developments they hope will lead to an obesity pill.
The team, of whom Eva Boege, pictured below, is a member are analysing tissue samples of both obese people and animals.

Little and large: The pair in a laboratory at the tissue bank of the Integrated Research and Treatment Center for Adipositas at Leipzig University in Germany

They are 800 samples currently stored there, with an expansion in the pipeline.
Scientists at the university are looking at ways that hunger and satisfy appetite can lead to university.
They are focusing on parts of the brain that are involved in the regulation of hunger in the hope of developing a treatment.
Their project also hopes to replicate a number of hormones which could lead to the development of a treatment strategy for humans.

Research: Animal keeper Eva Boege places the mice into a metabolic chamber at the Integrated Research and Treatment Centre at Leipzig University as researchers attempts to develop an obesity pill without side effects

Scientists have long hope to create the elusive 'obesity pill.'
A previous study, published last year found that overeating mice don't gain weight when a specific protein is removed from the food.
The protein known as klotho, which regulates the body's sensitivity of insulin, could turn obese ice into slim mice when regulated.

Breakthrough: The studies being undertaken at Leipzig University could lead to a treatment to combat obesity

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Purr-fect picture: A real-life game of cat and mouse as a moggy bats his prey through the air so forcefully the little rodent does a somersault

By CRAIG MACKENZIE



Purrfect hit: The mouse does a flip in the air after Dexter whacks it at the cat's home in Grass Valley, Nevada



Most people might have a rough day once in a while, but it will never be as bad as the one suffered by this little mouse.

He ended up becoming dish of the day for a playful cat, which showed off its ball skills by batting it into the air with such force it did a mid-air somersault.

This once-in-a-life-time picture was captured by Californian pet owner Angelo DeSantis when he arrived at his home in Grass Valley, Nevada.



Feline naughty: Dexter watches the mouse sail through the air before chasing after it to continue their Tom and Jerry game



Now what shall I do with you... Dexter gets ready to drop the mouse to see if the rodent wants to play

He found two-year-old cat Dexter in the garden toying with what he thought was a leaf...until he took a closer look.



Mr DeSantis, an amateur photographer, grabbed his camera to capture his black and white tabby in action.

He said: 'He was playing with it just like he does with his stuffed toys. I was lucky enough to capture Dexter throwing the mouse into the air.

'The poor mouse looked like it was doing some kind of gymnastics.'

At at one point Dexter teased the mouse by letting it go and then doing a nose dive to pin it back down.



Playing a game: Dexter keeps a close eye on the mouse as he drops it on its head



Plaything: Dexter tosses the mouse around in the garden just like he does with his toys



Got you: No wonder Dexter is feeling the cat's whiskers as he recaptures the mouse after their game



One of images also shows what appears to be Dexter putting the mouse into a headlock while wrestling it to the floor.

'He often brings mice home but I have never witnessed him playing with his food in such a way before,' said Angelo.



source: dailymail

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The harvest mouse surveys his land: Britain's smallest rodent uses straw as stilts to look out for signs of danger

By SIMON TOMLINSON

Nimble: The harvest mouse grips two stalks with its hind legs and uses his long tail as an anchor while taking time out to scratch its nose

Perched between two stalks, this tiny harvest mouse adeptly uses his tail and hind legs to steady himself while scratching its nose.

These amazing pictures show one of Britain's most elusive and endangered species in its element.

They were taken by amateur photographer Matt Binstead, who is head keeper at the British Wildlife Centre in Lingfield Surrey.


Eyes front: The tiny rodent uses his new height advantage to look out for danger. The species are also able to sense their predators' vibrations through vegetation

'They have a remarkable ability to sense vibrations through the soles of their feet. Larger animals in the vicinity can be sensed by vibrations passing through the ground and up the plant on which the mouse is feeding.'

Conservation measures have been in place for the species since 2001 when it was given near-threatened status.


source: dailymail

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Unlikely friends as real life Tom and Jerry play cat and mouse together

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Eye to eye: This pair appeared to be toying with each other in the garden of amateur photographer Bill McIntosh


This real life Tom and Jerry were caught playing the ultimate game of cat and mouse with each other.

Just like the cartoon duo, each of them seems to be trying to outsmart the other one.
They were snapped by amateur photographer Bill McIntosh, who couldn't believe his eyes.

The 81-year-old said: 'When I first saw the cat I thought it had a bird in its mouth, but when I got closer to it, I could see it was a mouse.


Reaching out: The mouse remains perfectly still despite the cat eyeing him up


'The cat was playing with it running up and down trees, catching it in its claws and letting go.

'Eventually the mouse was exhausted - as you can see in the picture - and had a rest.'

The grey and white feline and the little wood mouse were captured close to Bill's house in Aberdeen.

The retired grandfather-of-five has been a budding photographer since he was 14.
But when he spotted the cat and mouse he was actually trying to take pictures of birds.

Bill added: 'The cat was occasionally looking at the mouse and then looking away as if to make the mouse think it had forgotten about it.

'Then the mouse would run away and the cat would catch it in its claws again.

'I left them playing together. I have no idea if the cat ate the mouse. I like to think it didn't.'

source: dailymail

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If there's a mouse in the house he's probably singing love songs

By DAVID DERBYSHIRE

Mice are born with an innate love of singing in a series of chirps and whistles


For lovers of whimsy, the 1970s TV show Bagpuss was a delight, not least because it featured mice who sang in falsetto tones.

But it seems those animated rodents were closer to the real world than we imagined.
Scientists have discovered that far from being quiet, mice are actually born with an innate love of singing.

When a male comes across a potential mate, he bursts into a complex series of loud chirps and whistles that sound remarkably like birdsong.

Although the ultrasonic calls are too high-pitched for the human ear to pick up, the love songs allow females to weigh up the most suitable father for their offspring.


The 1970s TV show Bagpuss featured mice who sang in falsetto tones


Scientists have previously known that mice emit squeaks that are inaudible to humans. In 2005, U.S. researchers discovered that these noises are made up of repeated phrases just like the songs of birds and whales.

Since then, researchers have been trying to find out whether the songs are programmed into the brains of mice from birth, or whether they learn them from their mothers.

Now a team of Japanese scientists has found the answer. They used two strains of laboratory mice with distinct songs. Males from each strain were raised in litters of the opposite strain until they were weaned.

At the age of ten to 20 weeks their calls were recorded and analysed. Dr Takefumi Kikusui, who led the study, told journal PLoS that the mice sang the songs of their biological parents – not their foster mothers.

source: dailymail

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Scientists engineer new form of mammal reproduction to create mice that have two fathers

By FIONA MACRAE

Scientists have created mice with two fathers – raising the possibility of gay couples having children who are genetically their own.

In experiments hailed as a ‘new form of mammalian reproduction’, American researchers used a complex series of steps to engineer ‘male eggs’ to be carried by female mice.

The creatures were then mated with normal males – leading to the creation of pups with two fathers.

The geneticists behind the controversial technique said it could potentially be used to improve livestock breeds or preserve endangered species. More provocatively, they claim that if the technique can be refined, ‘someday two men could produce their own genetic sons and daughters’.

But critics say such a scenario would sideline women from the creation of life – and a child’s health and wellbeing should always take precedence over an adult’s desire to be a parent, however strong.

The researchers from the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Texas started by using a complicated series of steps to create ‘male eggs’.

They began with a male mouse, Father A, and used a sample of his skin to create stem cells – ‘master cells’ capable of turning into many other cell types. They then grew the stem cells over and over in a dish until some naturally lost their male Y chromosome.

These cells, which still had other DNA from Father A, were then injected into young embryos which were carried through pregnancy by surrogate mothers.

The pups that were born were chimeras – organisms consisting of two or more tissues of different genetic composition – and some produced eggs that had only the genetic material from Father A. In other words, they were ‘male eggs’.

The female mice with these ‘male eggs’ were then mated with another male – Father B. This produced babies, some of which were made entirely of genetic material inherited from Father A and Father B.


American researchers used a complex series of steps to engineer ‘male eggs’ to be carried by female mice (file picture)


Other stem cell experts and ethicists have questioned the need to go through such a complex process to create life.


Chris Mason, professor of regenerative medicine at University College London, said: ‘One day it may be possible in people, although the technical barriers are far higher than in mice, plus there are major safety issues.

‘The real question, is why would doctors want to use the technique for people? I would be extremely surprised if this scientific discovery had any impact on clinical medicine.’

Josephine Quintavalle, of campaign group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: ‘By the scientists’ own admission it was a weird project, but apart from doing it just for the hang of it, there does not seem to be any real justification for the research.

'We should worry when scientists in the area of mammalian reproduction seem to be beyond self-regulation.’

source: dailymail

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Scientists have created a ‘Mighty Mouse’ that retains its enhanced muscle bulk as it ages

By FIONA MACRAE

Stem cell research has created a muscle mouse that could pave the way for a muscle bulk pill for muscular dystrophy and the elderly


Scientists have created a ‘Mighty Mouse’ with muscles that stay powerful as it grows old.

The breakthrough paves the way for a pill to give pensioners the strength of their youth, cutting the risk of falls and fractures in old age.

Such a drug could also benefit the young who suffer with crippling muscle-wasting diseases such as muscular dystrophy.

The experiments used stem-cell technology to beef up the muscles of mice, stopping them from withering as they aged.

Young animals with injured legs were given injections of stem cells and small pieces of muscle from healthy animals. The researchers expected the stem cells, which play a key role in repairing wear and tear, to help heal the injury. But the results far exceeded their expectations.

Not only was the injured muscle repaired within days but it quickly bulked up, reaching more than twice its original size.

And instead of withering over time, it remained large and powerful for the rest of the animal’s life.

Bradley Olwin, of the University of Colorado, said: ‘We found that the transplanted stem cells are permanently altered and reduce the ageing of the transplanted muscle, maintaining strength and mass. This was a very exciting and unexpected result.’

Stem cells are ‘blank cells’ with the ability to turn into other cell types.

In this case, it is thought that the injection of stem cells and muscle fibres enhanced the natural process of repair in the injured leg.

The researchers are checking if human stem cells have a similar effect when injected into mice.

They said: ‘If those experiments produce positive results, it would suggest that transplanting human muscle cells is feasible.’

An easier option would be creating a pill that kick-starts the stem cells normally found in muscle, the journal Science Translational Medicine reports.

A ‘muscle pill’ could also prove popular with athletes, from amateurs keen to speed up the healing of sprains to professionals anxious to be fit enough for key races.

source :dailymail

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Right, who's next? Evil-looking giant frog pictured eating tiny rodent alive

Goner: This giant African bull frog made quite a meal of this unlucky mouse


This danger mouse met a sticky end when crossing the path of the voracious African bull frog.

The pimpled and veiny behemoth has the self-satisfied air of one who takes pleasure in eating a hearty meal, even if it is a live rodent struggling for survival.

These carnivorous amphibians have an aggressive temper, can jump 12ft and have tooth like projections called odontoids, which are said to feel like broken glass when the bellicose beasts close their jaws.

Senior Tropical House Keeper at Newquay Zoo, Dan Garrick is an expert in feeding these greedy bullfrogs.

'They are huge predatory frogs that sit and wait for animals to pass by,' said 30-year-old Dan.

'They are stimulated by movement and will lunge at pretty much anything that comes within range, including this unlucky mouse.

'The mouse will die of suffocation or even shock before digestion.
'If the prey item is too big, the frog can simply disgorge its stomach and wait it out for the next meal.

'Despite their unsavoury dining habits they are devoted parents and will guard spawn and tadpoles from predators.

'They even excavate pools to ensure their brood doesn't dry out.'
African bullfrogs, or Pyxicephalus adspersus in Latin, prey on insects, rodents, birds and are even known to become cannibalistic and overpower other frogs.

A single individual can weigh up to two kilograms, reach 24 cm long and grow a watertight cocoon to stop itself from drying out in the unforgiving African sun.

African bullfrogs are found throughout southern, central and eastern Africa and are second only in size to the almighty goliath frog from the Cameroon.



source: dailymail

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A first class nest: Rare dormice move into village railway station's ticket machine

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Four tickets, please: A family of rare Glis Glis dormice were found in the machine at Little Kimble station in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire


Commuters in Aylesbury had to deal with a rather unusual delay to their journeys to work recently after a family of mice decided to nest in the local train station's ticket machine.

The four rare Glis Glis dormice were found in the machine on the platform of Little Kimble station in Buckinghamshire after complaints it had stopped working.


Les Stocker, founder of St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital, was called to the station after Chiltern Railways customer service manager Mark Cooper was met by four pairs of eyes when he opened the train ticket machine.


Watching eye: The mice have now been relocated to St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital


Commenting on the rather unusual problem, Mr Cooper said: 'The permit to travel machine was not working and when we opened the machine up to find out what the problem was, we found a group of Glis Glis and contacted St Tiggywinkles.

'We were glad to see the animals taking such an interest in the Chiltern Railways services from Little Kimble.'

The mammals are some of the rarest in the wild and unfortunately had to be relocated from their nest.


Chaos: Commuters were faced with an extra delay after the machine on the platform stopped working


British law does not allow the release of Edible Dormice back into the wild, even though the Chilterns have been home to wild Glis Glis for well over a hundred years so they have now joined Tiggywinkles ever increasing family.

There are believed to be around 10,000 of the rare dormice living in Britain after they were accidentally introduced in England in 1902 after a number escaped from Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild's private collection.

The population is now concentrated around Aylesbury and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is illegal to harm the tiny mammal.


The dormice now departing... Little Kimble railway station in Aylesbury, Bucks

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Revealed in every tiny detail: The secret life of harvest mice as never seen before

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Hang on a mo: A harvest mouse uses all four legs and its tail to steady itself on two stalks of grass as it snares a cicada in the reed beds of Alsace, France


A stunning and rare insight into the secret tiny lives of adorable harvest mice is revealed in incredible pictures captured painstakingly over 12 months.

Photographers Jean-Louis Klein and Marie-Luce Hubert, both from the Alsace, France, spent the year snapping the furry subjects in a project that ended with their release into the wild.

Laying patiently in meadows and reed beds, the pair were able to capture the fascinating images.

One shows a mouse being suspended in the air on the tails of his fellow critters. Another curious mouse was spotted inspecting a camera while balanced precariously between two sheaves of wheat.



Steady on: A harvest mouse wraps its tail around a plant stem to help it balance while it investigates


Peek-a-boo: An inquisitive mouse balances on two ears of wheat to take a close look at one of the cameras


A female harvest mouse rolls her baby carefully up a plant stem towards her nest, while a cobweb creates a stunning backdrop for a male perched on canary grass


From the studio - where the pair documented tiny newborns and their first few weeks of life - to the great outdoors where all of the 30 mice were eventually released, the pictures take viewers through almost every event they faced.

Also captured are stunning underwater pictures of one of the animals swimming.

To demonstrate how the mice often take to the water in the wet meadows they inhabit, 55-year-old Jean-Louis and 46-year-old Marie-Luce gave one of their subjects a dip in a mouse-sized aquarium before releasing it into the wild.

Other behaviour documented in the captivating series were fighting, nest-building, foraging, balancing and even a mother mouse carefully rolling one of her babies along a tiny branch.

Jean-Louis said: 'All of the harvest mice came originally from captivity and were eventually released into a field where we continued to photograph them, always carefully choosing a suitable habitat where we knew they could survive.

'We also wanted to show the behaviour of the animals during maternity, but we wouldn't have been able to get this in the wild without disturbing the mother and there was a danger a wild mother might have abandoned them.

'Instead we shot the maternal behaviour in a studio before releasing the mice once the babies were mature enough for the wild.

'When shooting in the wild, we didn't need to hide. You just had to find a good spot, lay very still for a long time, and wait for the mice.'


Safe as houses: A harvest mouse keeps watch from the safety of its nest made from Phragmites reeds


Hang about: A harvest mouse shows its agility climbing down a wheat stalk, while young harvest mice put their tails to playful use during a display of acrobatics


Mother love: Inside her nest, a female regurgitates to feed her ten-day-old babies


The incredible patience of Jean-Louis and Marie-Luce, which sometimes saw them frozen in position for up to four agonising hours, paid off by allowing them to witness some amazing moments rarely seen by humans.

One such moment saw an adventurous young mouse getting into an unusual position - hanging from the tails of three of its siblings.

'These were young mice becoming independent and playing not far away from their nest,' said Jean-Louis.

'After the mother leaves, the young remain together for a few days while they grow in confidence and then disperse.

'Like a monkey, the harvest mouse has a prehensile tail, using it as a fifth leg. The tail is mainly used to keep balance while climbing among grass stems. That way, the mouse is free to use both his hands.

'The tail is instinctively always searching for something to grasp. It's usually a grass stem but sometimes it's simply a neighbouring mouse.'

The project was the culmination of 20 years of fascination of the animals for Jean-Louis and Marie-Luce.

Marie-Luce said: 'Two decades ago we saw our first harvest mice in a huge vivarium in a wildlife sanctuary. We were absolutely fascinated by their little acrobats and we hoped to find time one day to learn more about their behaviour in the wild.

'We were very happy to finally complete this project last year in an effort to document all the ways that they behave.

'These little rodents are very shy too and mothers often leave their offspring when disturbed, so it's very important not to disturb them. If a wildlife enthusiast wishes to find them, one advice would be to wait until mid-October after the young have matured.'


source: dailymail

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