Herb Field Mouse (Apodemus uralensis) lives in temperate forests across Northern Eurasia. It feeds on seeds and insects. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Herb Field Mouse
- The mouse inhabits a staggering range of habitats, from arable fields and dry grasslands to humid woodlands, preferring forest edges and open areas next to trees. In Turkey it even occupies beech, alder, willow, walnut, maple and oak forests, as well as spruce and fir conifers, from sea level up to at least 1,400 m altitude.
- The Ural field mouse belongs to the Muridae family, the same group that includes familiar house mice and rats, yet it carries the nickname "pygmy field mouse." Its scientific name, Apodemus uralensis, hints at its type locality in the Southern Ural Mountains of Russia.
- At just 70-105 mm from nose to rear, the Herb Field Mouse is yet its tail can stretch to 110 mm, almost as long as its body. Weighing only 13-28 g, it rivals a deck of cards in heft.
- A single mother can raise between three and seven pups per litter, with an average of about five. This reproductive burst, combined with its ability to nest in trees, burrows, or natural shelters.
- Despite its wide distribution, from Austria and Belarus to Mongolia and Turkey, the Herb Field Mouse is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, indicating stable populations worldwide. its broad diet of seeds, fruits, and occasional insects.
At a glance
RangeNorthern Eurasia
HabitatTemperate forests
DietSeeds and insects
About the Herb Field Mouse
In the whispering grasslands, the herb field mouse darts with furtive elegance, its tawny coat blending seamlessly into the sun-kissed undergrowth as it pursues a hidden world of seeds and insects. With each twitch of its delicate whiskers, it navigates a labyrinth of stalks and stems, its paws barely making a whisper on the dry earth. As it weaves through this verdant tapestry, the herb field mouse embodies a quiet resilience, its very existence a testament to the enduring power of life in the most unassuming of creatures.
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