The Life of Animals | Dormouse | Dormice are small for rodents, with a body length of the between 6 and 19 cm (2.4 and 7.5 in), and Weighing the between 15 and 200 g (7.1 oz and 0:53). Most species are nocturnal. Dormice are omnivorous, typically feeding on fruits, berries, flowers, nuts and Insects. Dormice are unique Among rodents in That They lack a cecum, a part of the gut used in other species to ferment vegetable matter.
Dormice live in small family groups, with home ranges widely That Vary the between species, and Depending on the availability of food One of the most notable characteristics of Those That dormice live in temperate zones is hibernation. Dormice can hibernate six months out of the year, or even longer if the weather Remains sufficiently cool, Sometimes waking for brief periods to eat food They Had Previously stored nearby. The sleepy behavior of the Dormouse character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland also attests to this trait. The Romans had a special kind of enclosure known as glirarium used to rear dormice for the table Dormice to this day are Eaten in Slovenia. Dormouse fat was used by the Elizabethans to induce sleep. Gliridae are one of the oldest extant rodent families with a fossil record dating back to the early Eocene. Many types of Dormouse Extinct species have been Identified. During the Pleistocene, giant dormice the size of large rats, Such as Leithia melitensis, lived on the islands of Malta and Sicily
