Fun Yellow-necked Mouse Facts For Kids
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The yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) is a small-sized species of mouse that possesses light-brown-colored fur and white-colored underparts. Its name originates from the characteristic yellow band that circles its neck.
This mouse also has a long tail along with big ears and eyes that aid it in detecting nearby predators easily. It is also commonly known as the yellow-necked wood mouse, the South China field mouse, and the yellow-necked field mouse.
This species is closely related to its family member, the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus). It is frequently confused with the wood mouse, which lacks the characteristic yellow strip that circles the neck of the yellow-necked mouse.
It is an alert and agile species that is rarely spotted in the wild. It dwells in ancient and mature woodlands and it is dependent upon its mature woodland habitat where it develops large burrow systems under dead wood and the roots of trees.
It spends the majority of its time looking for food in trees. It feeds upon a wide range of foods, comprising insects, invertebrates, fruits, bulbs, seeds, and nuts.
This species does not face any significant threats other than the fragmentation of their habitat due to the conversion of mature and ancient woodland areas into land for agriculture. Keep reading to discover more fun facts about the yellow-necked mouse diet, distribution, population, breeding, and more!
If you enjoyed reading our yellow-necked mouse facts, you can also read our hazel dormouse surprising facts and tufted titmouse interesting facts!
Yellow-necked Mouse Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a yellow-necked mouse?
The yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) is a species of mouse that belongs to the Muridae family. It dwells in mature and ancient broadleaved woodland areas.
What class of animal does a yellow-necked mouse belong to?
This species of mouse belongs to the class of Mammalia.
How many yellow-necked mouses are there in the world?
This species of mouse is currently widespread and it is common across its range according to the IUCN. Its total population size has not been evaluated yet. However, we do know that the population of this species is approximately 750,000 individuals in Great Britain, as counted by the British Wildlife Centre.
Where does a yellow-necked mouse live?
These mice are found in various locations in Britain. Here, their distribution is found in eastern Wales and western and southern England primarily. They do not occur in Cheshire or Cornwall. Elsewhere, these mice can be spotted from Turkey to Israel, and in southern Europe toward Scandinavia.
What is a yellow-necked mouse's habitat?
This mouse is primarily a woodland-dwelling species, that is also spotted dwelling nearby the edge of a forest in mountainous areas. It prefers to live in mature and ancient broadleaved woodland areas.
It is also frequently spotted near farmlands, buildings, field margins, hedgerows, wooded gardens, and orchards. It is dependent upon its mature deciduous woodland habitat and is known to look for food in trees most of the time.
It has also been observed to form large burrow systems beneath dead wood and the roots of trees. It is a nocturnal mouse that prefers not to move in open areas. It also frequents buildings sometimes during the winter season.
It is an excellent climber and utilizes the floor of the woodland expertly when in motion. The size of its home range is slightly larger than that of its cousin's, the wood mouse.
Who do yellow-necked mouses live with?
Yellow-necked mice are solitary animals typically. However, they have been observed to nest with other mice occasionally during the winter season in indoor areas or their underground burrows. They are not known to hibernate.
How long does a yellow-necked mouse live?
Yellow-necked mice have a lifespan of 12-24 months.
How do they reproduce?
Yellow-necked mice are known to breed from February to October. Their peak occurs in the months of July and August and females of this species have the ability to produce two to three litters per breeding season.
They can mate again while the pups of the previous litter are still suckling. The gestation period of these mice lasts for 23 days, after which 3-10 pups are born. When these pups open their eyes at the age of two weeks, the striking yellow color becomes visible on their necks.
These pups become active and are completely weaned when they become three weeks old. These pups attain reproductive maturity by the next breeding season.
What is their conservation status?
Yellow-necked mice have a conservation status of Least Concern according to the IUCN's Red List. They do not face many significant threats, apart from the fragmentation of their range as a result of the transformation of their ancient woodland habitat into land that is used for agriculture purposes.
Yellow-necked Mouse Fun Facts
What do yellow-necked mouses look like?
They are small-sized mice that sport a light-brown coloration on their fur and have white-colored underparts. They possess a distinctive band of yellow fur that circles their neck. This band is also the origin of their common name.
They have a long tail and possess big eyes and ears that aid them to identify approaching predators. They range between 3.5-5.2 in (89-133 mm) in length and are slightly bigger than the average house mouse. These mice closely resemble their cousins, wood mice.
How cute are they?
These mice are absolutely adorable! They have big ears and eyes that give them a cute look and they are also very small in size.
How do they communicate?
It is not known how these mice communicate due to a lack of research. However, we do know that their relatives, wood mice, communicate with each other primarily by touch.
How big is a yellow-necked mouse?
Yellow necked mice range between 3.5-5.2 in (89-133 mm) in body length. Their size is similar to that of the oak titmouse!
How fast can a yellow-necked mouse run?
Yellow-necked mice are excellent jumpers and tree-climbers. They can move through tree branches and bushes at an amazing speed and with great agility.
They utilize the floor of the woodland efficiently when in motion. Yellow-necked mice dodge predators by leaping as long as 3.2 ft (1 m) into the air, which is eight times the length of their short body length!
How much does a yellow-necked mouse weigh?
These mice range between 0.9-1.5 oz (28-43 g) in weight.
What are their male and female names of the species?
A male mouse is known as a buck and a female is known as a doe.
What would you call a baby yellow-necked mouse?
A baby of these mice can be referred to as a pup, pinkie, or kit.
What do they eat?
These mice feed upon insects, invertebrates, fruits, bulbs, seeds, and nuts. The nuts that are fed upon by yellow-necked mice and wood mice have vertical teeth marks. These marks left by wood mice and yellow-necked mice are messier than those left by bank voles.
These small-sized mammals are preyed upon by tawny and barn owls, cats, badgers, weasels, stoats, and foxes. Yellow-necked mice are quite energetic and agile though, they have the ability to leap as high as 3.2 ft (1 m) into the air to dodge a predator.
Are they dangerous?
No, these mice are not dangerous. However, they may bite if they feel they are in some kind of danger.
Would they make a good pet?
Keeping a yellow-necked mouse in the house is not a very good idea as these animals prefer to stay away from humans.
Did you know...
Yellow-necked mice have a reptilian ability to shed their tail's skin. They do this in order to escape being captured by predators. However, unlike reptiles, their skin does not grow back again!
This species was recognized as a separate species from the closely related wood mouse in 1834!
The pups of these mice that are born at the start of the breeding season attain reproductive maturity quickly and can even reproduce themselves in the very same season!
Do yellow-necked mouses like to be held?
These animals are quite shy and tend to stay away from open areas where they may get spotted by predators or humans. They do not like to be held.
Why is it called a yellow-necked mouse?
The yellow-necked mouse is commonly called this as it has a yellow band encircling its neck! This band differentiates it from the closely related wood mouse.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these wood mouse surprising facts and deer mouse interesting facts!
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable mouse coloring pages.
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