Garden dormouse  (Eliomys quercinus)

Description

Like other dormice, the garden dormouse is an agile rodent, known for its ability to accumulate fat and hibernate for long periods (3). The short fur is shades of grey and brown on the upperparts and creamy or white on the underparts, and the face usually bears black markings. The tail is cinnamon-brown near the body, black towards the end, and has a white, tufty tip (2). The garden dormouse has the remarkable ability to detach its tail from its body, if seized by a predator (3). The short, curved claws and cushion-like covering of each foot makes this species, like other dormice, an adept climber (3), and its relatively large ears and eyes hint at its well-developed sense of hearing and ability to vocalise (3).

left