Dormouse

The word dormouse comes from Middle English , of uncertain origin, possibly from a dialectal element *dor-, from Old Norse and Middle English . The word is sometimes conjectured to come from an Anglo-Norman derivative of , with the second element mistaken for mouse, but no such Anglo-Norman term is known to have existed. The Latin noun , which is the origin of the scientific name, descends from the Proto-Indo-European noun *gl̥h₁éys , and is related to Sanskrit () and Ancient Greek () . ==Characteristics==

Dormice are small rodents, with body lengths between , and weight between . They are generally mouse-like in appearance, but with furred tails. They are largely arboreal, agile, and well-adapted to climbing. Most species are nocturnal. Dormice have an excellent sense of hearing and signal each other with a variety of vocalisations. Dormice are omnivorous, and typically feed on berries, flowers, fruits, insects, and nuts. They are unique among rodents in that they lack a cecum, a part of the gut used in other species to ferment vegetable matter. Their dental formula is similar to that of squirrels, although they often lack premolars: Dormice breed once (or, occasionally, twice) each year, producing litters with an average of four young after a gestation period of 22–24 days. They can live for as long as five years. The young are born hairless and helpless, and their eyes do not open until about 18 days after birth. They typically become sexually mature after the end of their first hibernation. Dormice live in small family groups, with home ranges that vary widely between species and depend on the availability of food. Hibernation One of the most notable characteristics of those dormice that live in temperate zones is hibernation. They can hibernate six months out of the year, or even longer if the weather does not become warm enough, sometimes waking for brief periods to eat food they had previously stored nearby. During the summer, they accumulate fat in their bodies to nourish them through the hibernation period. ==Relationship with humans==

The European edible dormouse (Glis glis) was considered a delicacy in ancient Rome, either as a savoury appetizer or as a dessert (dipped in honey and poppy seeds). The Romans used a special kind of enclosure, a glirarium, to raise and fatten dormice for the table. Dormouse fat was believed by the Elizabethans to induce sleep since the animal put on fat before hibernating. In more recent years, dormice have begun to enter the pet trade; however, they are uncommon as pets and are considered an exotic pet. The woodland dormouse (Graphiurus murinus) is the most commonly seen species in the pet trade. Asian garden dormice (Eliomys melanurus) are also occasionally kept as pets. ==Evolution==

Dormice likely originated in Europe, with the earliest dormouse genus Eogliravus being known from the Early Eocene (around 48-41 million years ago) of France. Dormice were relatively uniform in the Eocene but considerably diversified during the Oligocene (34-23 million years ago). Their ability to hibernate may have emerged during this period. They reached an apex of diversity during the late Early Miocene (around 17 million years ago) when there were 18 genera and 36 species of dormice in Europe alone during this period. Several dormouse lineages experienced insular gigantism after being isolated on islands in the Mediterranean during the Pliocene and Pleistocene, the largest being the rabbit-sized Leithia of Sicily and Malta. ==Classification==

The family consists of 29 extant species, in three subfamilies and (arguably) nine genera: Cladogram of most living and recently extinct dormice genera based on mitochondrial DNA after Petrova et al. 2024: }} }}}}}}}}}}|label1=Gliridae (dormice)}}Family Gliridae – Dormice • Subfamily Glirinae • Genus Glirulus • Japanese dormouse, Glirulus japonicus • Genus Glis • European edible dormouse, Glis glis • Iranian edible dormouse, Glis persicus • Subfamily Graphiurinae • Genus Graphiurus, African dormice • Angolan African dormouse, Graphiurus angolensis • Christy's dormouse, Graphiurus christyi • Walter Verheyen's African dormouse, Graphiurus walterverheyeni • Jentink's dormouse, Graphiurus crassicaudatus • Johnston's African dormouse, Graphiurus johnstoni • Kellen's dormouse, Graphiurus kelleni • Lorrain dormouse, Graphiurus lorraineus • Monard's dormouse, Graphiurus monardi • Nagtglas's African dormouse, Graphiurus nagtglasii • Rock dormouse, Graphiurus platyops • Silent dormouse, Graphiurus surdus • Small-eared dormouse, Graphiurus microtis • Spectacled dormouse, Graphiurus ocularis • Stone dormouse, Graphiurus rupicola • Woodland dormouse, Graphiurus murinus • Subfamily Leithiinae • Genus Chaetocauda • Chinese dormouse, Chaetocauda sichuanensis • Genus Dryomys • Balochistan forest dormouse, Dryomys niethammeri • Forest dormouse, Dryomys nitedula • Woolly dormouse, Dryomys laniger • Genus Eliomys, garden dormice • Asian garden dormouse, Eliomys melanurus • Garden dormouse, Eliomys quercinus • Maghreb garden dormouse, Eliomys munbyanus • Genus Hypnomys† (Balearic dormouse) • Majorcan giant dormouse, Hypnomys morphaeus† • Minorcan giant dormouse, Hypnomys mahonensis† • Genus Leithia† • Leithia cartei† • Maltese giant dormouse, Leithia melitensis† • Genus Muscardinus • Hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius • Genus Myomimus, mouse-tailed dormice • Masked mouse-tailed dormouse, Myomimus personatus • Roach's mouse-tailed dormouse, Myomimus roachi • Setzer's mouse-tailed dormouse, Myomimus setzeri • Genus Selevinia • Desert dormouse, Selevinia betpakdalaensis • † indicates an extinct species. Fossil genera • Eogliravus Hartenberger, 1971 - Eocene • Bransatoglis Hugueney, 1967 - Oligocene • Butseloglis Vianey-Liaud, 2003 - Oligocene • Microdyromys de Bruijn, 1966 - Oligocene to Miocene • Peridyromys Stehlin & Schaub, 1951 - Oligocene to Miocene • Carbomys Mein & Adrover, 1982 - Miocene • Miodyromys Kretzoi, 1943 - Early Miocene • Simplomys García-Paredes et al., 2009 - Early Miocene • Prodryomys Mayr, 1979 - Early to Middle Miocene • Tempestia van de Weerd, 1976 - Middle Miocene • Ramys García-Moreno & Lopez-Martínez,1986 - Late Miocene == References ==