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Woodland
Wood mouse
Apodemus sylvaticus
Britain's most common mouse: golden brown, with big ears, big eyes and a long tail.
- Size
- Body about 9cm, tail about the same
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Woods, hedgerows and gardens, at night
My spotter's list
Darts after you in quick dashes and freezes in between. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the wood mouse
EarsBig ears, big eyes
Large ears and bulging black eyes help a wood mouse find its way, and spot danger, in the dark.
SignsLeaving signposts
Wood mice leave small piles of leaves and twigs as markers while they explore, to help them find their way.
JumpA good jumper
A startled wood mouse can leap away like a tiny kangaroo.
FoodSeeds and nuts
They eat seeds, nuts, berries and insects, and store food in underground burrows for winter.
NutsWho ate this nut?
A hazelnut with a neat round hole and tooth marks round the edge has probably been opened by a wood mouse.
OwlsOwl food
Wood mice are one of the main foods of the tawny owl.
The real thing
Photos of the wood mouse
Out and aboutHow to spot one
Look for hazelnuts with a neat round hole, and little stores of seeds under logs. A wildlife camera on a log pile at night will usually find one.
Lend a handHow to help
Leave log piles, hedge bottoms and seed heads untidy over winter, and avoid mouse poison, which also kills the owls that eat them.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
Bees and hoverflies
Butterflies and moths
Dragonflies and damselflies
Beetles, hoppers and ants
Not insects at all
Snails and spiders aren't insects: a snail is a mollusc, and spiders have eight legs.
Garden birds
Pond animals live on the Pond page: choosing one takes you there.
Pond life
Night garden
Seashore animals live on the Seashore page: choosing one takes you there.
Rock pool life
Woodland animals
Under a log
Meadow life
River animals live on the River page: choosing one takes you there.
River life
Mountain and moor
Farmland
Town and city
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