Mus musculus
House Mouse
DESCRIPTION
The total length of the mouse body is 160-200 mm. The tail measures 78-94 mm and the
hind foot measures 17-20 mm. The average weight of an adult is 15-24 g. The skull
length is 20.4 to 22.5 mm with width of 10.4 to 11.5 mm (Cory 1912). This is a small
mouse with a slender tapering tail. The tail is hairless, scaled in annulations (circular
rows). The ears of Mus musculus are large and naked. The nose is pointed, and the fur is
course. The color of fur is brownish yellow on the top and gray to buffed on the
underside (Jackson 1961).
WISCONSIN DISTRIBUTION
Mus musculus is located throughout Wisconsin. It may have originated in China, but is
now distributed worldwide and lives commensally with humans. It is thought to be
introduced in the U.S. from England, about the time of the American Revolution. There is
no record of when it was introduced into Wisconsin. Mus musculus has reached an
apparently near stable population throughout the United States, twice as abundant Rattus
norvegicus (Cory 1912, Jackson 1961, Kurta 1995).
ONTOGENY AND REPRODUCTION
Mus musculus is a short-lived mammal, usually living about two years, longer in
captivity. Females average 5 –6 six young per litter. Gestation is 18-19 days. Females are
ready to mate again only 12-18 hours after giving birth. They are likely to give birth to a
litter every month. Births peak in April-May and again in August- September. If the
female resides outside, she may stop breeding in the winter. The young are born naked
and blind, and they start resembling the adult population around 14 days. The young are
weaned at 3 weeks, and females are sexually mature at 8 weeks (Cory 1912, Jackson
1961, Kurta 1995, Johnson et al. 2001).
ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
When living with humans, Mus musculus nest in the walls, in storage areas, or in any
protected spot near food. Though rarely seen, evidence of its whereabouts is found near
human food supplies include chewed boxes, crumbs and piles of feces. It makes its nest
out of rags, paper, or anything else that is soft and can be shredded. Most Mus musculus
living with humans are active during the day. In the wild Mus musculus is mostly
nocturnal, and live in underground burrows with networking tunnels (Cory 1912, Jackson
1961, Kurta 1995). Scientists have observed a cleaning behavior in the springtime, where
Mus musculus move winter debris out of its burrow (Schmid-Holmes et al. 2001). Mus
musculus is a great runner (8 miles/hr), climber, jumper (up to 8 inches), and swimmer,
but usually stays within 50 feet of its home. Mus musculus is omnivorous and drinks
water frequently (it also loves milk). The most common predators are cats, weasels,
skunks, and a few raptors. It carries several parasites, both internally and externally. Mus
musculus is prone to several diseases, and can spread them to humans (Cory 1912,
Jackson 1961, Kurta 1995).
REMARKS
Mus musculus can be confused with genera Peromyscus and Reithrodontomys. Mus
musculus can be distinguished by the appearance of the tail and the underbelly is usually
never white, the molars are in 3 longitudinal rows of smooth tubular incisors. The other
two genera have grooved tubular incisors in longitudinal rows of 2 (Cory 1912).
LITERATURE CITED
Cory, Charles B. (1912). The Mammals of Illinois and Wisconsin. Chicago. (176180).
Kurta, Allen. (1995). Mammals of the Great Lakes Region. Michigan: University
of Michigan Press. (183-186).
Jackson, Hartley H.T. (1961). Mammals of Wisconsin. Madison, WI: University
of Wisconsin Press.(257-261).
Johnson,M.S., S.C. Thomason, J.R. Speakman. (2001). Limits to Sustained
Energy Intake. Journal of Experimental Biology. (204) 1937-1947.
Schmid-Holmes, Sabine, et al. (2001). Burrows and Burrow- Cleaning Behavior
of House Mice ( Mus musculus domesticus). The American Midland Naturalist, 146, 5362.
Reference written by Maegen Howes-Podoll, Biol 378: Mammalogy. Edited by Christopher Yahnke.
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