22 Interesting Facts About Mice

It’s surprising how a small creature like a mouse can cause so much trouble to the average human.

However, the small quirks of this tiny creature are fascinating. Here are some interesting facts about mice you might find intriguing:

1. Mice are very agile

Mice are surprisingly nimble despite their body being 3-6 cm in length. They can easily fit through a 0.6 cm gap through walls. They do so by flattening their bodies can squeezing through the gap which is roughly the size of a pencil. So homes should be made with no gaps between surfaces, or it might face a mice infestation.

2. Big Eaters

They might be small animals, but they have big appetites. Consuming 20 meals a day mice usually build their homes near possible food sources. They frequent 20-30 food sources on an average night and take 0.15g of food from each source. They are omnivorous and will nibble at almost anything they find.

3. Super mice

Mice have a very good sense of hearing, smell, and touch. Because of their poor eyesight, their other senses are heightened. Though mice do see their best in a dimly lit area. Also, mice can hear ultrasound up to 90 KHz. It is speculated that mice can communicate using ultrasound, and even serenade each other with their mating calls.

4. Weak to cold

Mice are weak to the cold. They choose to stay inside of homes during winter, because of the abundance of food and the warmth of shelter. Much like the hibernation period, but they stay active inside the homes and gather food slowly.

5. Forever growing teeth

Unlike other mammals mice teeth never stop growing. The front pair of incisor teeth grows up to 0.3 mm a day. That is why they constantly gnaw at everything to grind their teeth down to a reasonable size. Though sometimes they end up gnawing at wires and that causes them to get electrocuted, and that causes big problems for your home.

6. Unbelievable jumping prowess

This small animal which measures between 3 to 10 cm has an incredible jumping power. The highest recorded jump was a staggering 24.5 cm; considering their small stature, that’s an incredible feat. They are also very agile yet stable climbers. Rough surfaces can be scaled up to 2 meters by the mice, and they can scale through ropes and wires like it’s nothing.

7. Mice Suffer from OCD

One of the more surprising facts about mice is that despite their amazing agility and jumping prowess, mice have certain tendencies when traveling or moving from one place to another. They will never cross diagonally from walls, only adjacent to it. They will move along the edges. It is predicted that they inherently suffer from what we humans call OCD.

8. Mice are adventurous explorers

Mice are explorers of the animal kingdom. They are adventurous and they have the agility to support their adventurous spirit. They go out daily in search of newer and better potential food sources. Also, they familiarize with their territory and show no sign of neophobia (fear or dislike of new objects).

9. Mice can empathize

Mice are empathizing creatures. It might sound strange, but mice can sense the feeling of their fellow mice, and it affects them too.

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They empathize with other mice and make facial expressions that follow their thoughts.

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10. The tail is as big as the body

Mice have a variety of body features. The tail is an intriguing feature, and the most interesting part of it lies in its growth. With the mice, the tail grows paralleled. In most cases, the tail is as long as or longer than the actual body of the mice.

11. Mice can make facial expressions

Mice are quite small creatures, even by the standard of rodents, but they have the unique ability to make facial expressions. They can express a multitude of emotions by making facial expressions. Expressing their moods and communicating are made possible with this ability.

12. Mice live in very well managed mini houses

Mice are very perceptive of others opinions of their homes. They are very wary of their houses’ condition. Keeping a separate space for sleeping, excreting, and even storing food. They are very smart. And that is an impressive feat for this tiny animal.

13. The whiskers on a mouse have a lot of jobs

The whiskers of mice are not only a judge of their moods, but they have multiple other uses as well. Like sensing rough edges or feeling the wind or breeze or even judging temperature. And they are adorable adornments for animal lovers.

14. Drama-loving mice

Mice are heavily fond of drama. In front of a predatory animal or a threatening situation, they choose to play dead until the threat has gone by. In front of a superior animal, they choose to use their brain, a trait that’s primarily inherent to humans. These facts about mice make them more relatable, and a little less frightening.

15.  Mice are very romantic: They can even sing.

It turns out humans aren’t the only romantic creatures, mice are as well. When courting a female, the male mouse will greet her with a song. In mice language, of course, they would be courting their mate, not for mating reasons primarily, but for romantic innuendos as expressed via their facial expressions.

 

16. Mice are the most talkative animals

Of all the facts about mice, this one is certainly the strangest. The mice are considered to be the most talkative of animals. Of course, they talk in ultrasonic and unique mouse sounds. An average human does not talk even a fourth of what a mouse does daily.

17. Mice come in multiples shapes and sizes

There are more than 30 variety of mice around the world. Even more breeds exist but are yet to be discovered.

18. Mice can reproduce infinitely

Procreative activities are quite fast in the case of mice.

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The female mice can conceive at two months of age. After giving birth, a 48 hour period traverses before they can give birth again.

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That is why when keeping mice as pets, same-sex mice are recommended to be kept together.

19. Mice share a lot of common traits with humans

The mind of humans and mice are quite similar. The bodily functions are very similar. These facts about mice are primarily the reason mice are used in lab experiments for the tests before human consumption of products and medicine.

20. The religious significance of mice

Apollo Smintheus, which also translates to Apollo the mouse in Greek, is how Apollo is seldom addressed. To respect Apollo, white mice are kept in his temple. In the Hindu religion, the god lord Ganesh rides a mouse as a form of transport, his trusted steed.

21. Mice as medicine

In ancient Egypt, mice were cooked as a key ingredient to treating a variety of diseases including stomach woes.

22. From infestation to the devastation

Probably the most frightening facts about mice are their mark on history. A mouse can carry up to 200 human pathogens. These little rodents were the very cause of the destruction of certain cities from history itself. Therefore it’s better to be safe than sorry. Never touch wild mice without pre-emptive measures.***

 

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