Me? I'm just dandelying around: Harvest mice are seen playing among the plants in a Dorset field as it is revealed dormouse numbers have fallen by 72%

  • The mice, Britain's smallest breed with a body only 1.5in long, were pictured in Dorset, by Dean Mason
  • Dormouse is on the brink of becoming an endangered with numbers failing by three-quarters over 20 years

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Feasting on dandelion seeds, this harvest mouth takes advantage of a breeze-free day.

Meanwhile the rest of his family made the most of the sunshine as they played on other plants. 

The mice, Britain's smallest breed with a body only 1.5in long, were pictured in Wimborne, Dorset, by wildlife photographer Dean Mason.

This harvest mice was seen playing among the plants in a Dorset field as it's revealed their numbers have fallen by 72%

This harvest mice was seen playing among the plants in a Dorset field as it's revealed their numbers have fallen by 72%

The rest of the family made the most of the blazing sunshine as they played on other plants 

The rest of the family made the most of the blazing sunshine as they played on other plants 

Experts say the decline in Britain's hazel dormouse population has been far more rapid than previously believed
Experts say the decline in Britain's hazel dormouse population has been far more rapid than previously believed

Experts say the decline in Britain's hazel dormouse population has been far more rapid than previously believed

A University of Exeter study that analysed data from 400 sites found that numbers of the 4in-long rodents fell by 72 per cent between 1993 and 2014 and 47 per cent in the past decade

A University of Exeter study that analysed data from 400 sites found that numbers of the 4in-long rodents fell by 72 per cent between 1993 and 2014 and 47 per cent in the past decade

SLEEPYHEADS THAT HATE THE RAIN 

Named from dormir, the French for sleep, dormice are nocturnal and hibernate for up to half the year

Their fur is not waterproof so in wet weather, or if food is scarce, they curl into a ball in a state known as torpor

The dormouse in Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland famously keeps dozing at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party

They double their body weight before hibernation on a diet of hazelnuts, fruit and insects

Edible dormice, not native to the UK, were baked and stuffed by the Romans and are still eaten in parts of Slovenia and Croatia today.

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However the dormouse is on the brink of becoming an endangered species with numbers failing by almost three-quarters in the past 20 years. 

Warmer, wetter weather and the loss of its woodland habitat are thought to be to blame.

Experts say the decline in Britain's hazel dormouse population has been far more rapid than previously believed.

A University of Exeter study that analysed data from 400 sites found that numbers of the 4in-long rodents fell by 72 per cent between 1993 and 2014 and 47 per cent in the past decade. 

Lead author Cecily Goodwin said: 'Dormice are declining despite strict protection and widespread efforts to conserve one of Britain's most endearing woodland mammals.

'They are declining to such an extent that a precautionary approach would classify dormice as 'endangered' in the UK.'

In the 19th century, when the dormouse famously featured in Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland, it was found in 49 English counties but now lives in only 32.

When it rains, dormice undergo periods of torpor during which they are less likely to feed and mate

When it rains, dormice undergo periods of torpor during which they are less likely to feed and mate

The mice, Britain's smallest breed with a body only 1.5in long, were pictured in Wimborne, Dorset, by wildlife photographer Dean Mason
The mice, Britain's smallest breed with a body only 1.5in long, were pictured in Wimborne, Dorset, by wildlife photographer Dean Mason

The mice, Britain's smallest breed with a body only 1.5in long, were pictured in Wimborne, Dorset, by wildlife photographer Dean Mason

The study, published in the journal Mammal Review, suggests hazel dormice should be included on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species

The study, published in the journal Mammal Review, suggests hazel dormice should be included on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species

With its golden fur and large black eyes, it was once a common sight in English hedgerows. But the dormouse is on the brink of becoming an endangered species

With its golden fur and large black eyes, it was once a common sight in English hedgerows. But the dormouse is on the brink of becoming an endangered species

Wildlife photographer Dean Mason, 50, runs workshops to help people snap the mice. He breeds them and then takes them into nearby fields to capture the stunning images

Wildlife photographer Dean Mason, 50, runs workshops to help people snap the mice. He breeds them and then takes them into nearby fields to capture the stunning images

The mice, Britain's smallest breed with a body only 1.5in long, were pictured in Wimborne, Dorset

The mice, Britain's smallest breed with a body only 1.5in long, were pictured in Wimborne, Dorset

Nida Al Fulaij, from the People's Trust for Endangered Species, said of the study findings: 'The declines highlighted in this paper are alarming and there is an urgent need to review conservation of hazel dormice to protect this much-loved species.'

The organisation says dormice are in decline due to the removal of hedgerows – as farming intensified after the Second World War – and loss of woodland.

Traditional coppicing, the cutting back of trees and shrubs to ground level, is in decline along with tree-felling. As a result, woodland features fewer open spaces and the layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy, which provides vital food and nesting sites, is smaller.

Wetter seasons are believed to play an increasing part. When it rains, dormice undergo periods of torpor during which they are less likely to feed and mate.

The study, published in the journal Mammal Review, suggests hazel dormice should be included on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species. 

Professor Robbie McDonald, who led the study, said: 'Dormice face a range of problems – climate change and habitat loss are likely important, but we think that woodland management could also be key.'

As the sun comes out these adorable harvest mice strike a pose as they run up and down shoots of straw

As the sun comes out these adorable harvest mice strike a pose as they run up and down shoots of straw

Experts say the decline in Britain's hazel dormouse population has been far more rapid than previously believed
Experts say the decline in Britain's hazel dormouse population has been far more rapid than previously believed

Experts say the decline in Britain's hazel dormouse population has been far more rapid than previously believed

 

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