Mus musculus

photo credit: en.wikipedia.org/

ID

  • Long tail, prominent ears, no line of demarcation between dorsal and ventral colorations
  • Grayish brown to brown upper parts shading to lighter gray or brown on the belly
  • Scaly tail nearly lacking in hairs
  • Distinctive odor (Whitaker)

Distribution

Most of North America.

Reproduction

  • Breeding occurs from early spring until late fall without pause, but stops during colder months
  • Males sense female pheromone cues, which cause them to release male pheromones, which in turn cause females to release more pheromones in a positive feedback loop
  • Litter size is generally 5 to 7 young, but it is not unusual to see litters of 10 or 11 young
  • Gestation lasts 19 to 21 days, or somewhat longer if the female is still nursing a previous litter (Whitaker)

Behavior

  • Mainly nocturnal
  • Can swim, climb, jump, and burrow
  • Can sense sugars, salts, and other chemicals at low concentrations
  • Extremely adaptable
  • Nomadic (Whitaker)

Food Habits

  • Governed by availability
  • Grasses, seeds, butterfly larvae, corn, beetle larvae, fungi, available human food, and sometimes soap (Whitaker)

Size/Life Cycle

  • Average measurements: 148-205 mm (total length), 14-24 g (total weight) (Whitaker)

Predators

  • Most mammalian and avian predators, as well as snakes (Whitaker)

Habitat

  • Human houses, corn, wheat, soybean, and sorghum fields where there is good herbaceous groundcover, sand dunes (Whitaker)
  • Uncommon only in undisturbed or natural habitats (Audubon)