Muscardinus avellanarius

Scientific profile

This dormouse has a body mass of approximately 27.3 grams and a body length of about 8.3 centimetres. Its home range is extremely small, around 0.003 square kilometres. Nectar makes up 70% of the diet; fruit and other plant material each contribute roughly 10%, and invertebrates a further 10%. No seed consumption is recorded. Females produce about 1.5 litters per year, with gestation lasting close to 24 days. The maximum recorded lifespan is six years. In Germany the species is listed as V (near threatened) on the national Red List, and it is included in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive (code 1341). The United Kingdom Species Inventory records a presence status of present but indeterminate.