Types Of Mice
A Quick Guide To The Types Of Mice In The World
There are far too many types of mice to list them all, so we will attempt to touch on the most popular and interesting ones. There are over 1,100 species of mouse across the world, and most of them are broken into two distinct types of mice: the Old World family and the Cosmopolitan Family. The former refers to those types of mice who are native to the European, Asian, and African continents. The Cosmopolitan family refers to those mice who are indigenes to the new world continents, discovered much later and therefore considered to be more modern. These species will be found on North, South, and Central America, as well as a few species in Australia.
The most common types of mice to we North American natives would be the house mouse, the field mouse, and the white footed deer mouse. The house mouse is perhaps the most notorious stowaway in today’s household, though field mice can also move indoors and house mice can be found in the field. Deer mice also come on in when the weather or meal opportunities are looking scarce outdoors, but with them can come potentially fatal disease such as Hantavirus. Most types of mice can carry any number of human diseases, including typhoid and quite a few viral fevers.
The house mouse has a scaly tail, large round ears, and a very pointy snout. The field mouse is most notably differed by the length of his tail, which tends to be much longer than that of most other types of mice. There are quite a few other names which suit these little guys, and you may hear them referred to as tree mice or cave mice. They burrow underground and prefer to go active under protection of night. These types of mice are also more likely to raid your garden area, as succulent vegetation is his favorite food choice. When he comes indoors you will never see him during the daytime hours. If you see a mouse scurrying across your kitchen floor at noon, therefore, you are definitely not dealing with a field mouse.
Deer mice are another type of mice who are commonly prone to life outdoors, but they are known to wander indoors from time to time. These mice have white on their feet and underbellies, and the head tends to be a bit larger than those of the field and house species. The deer mouse has large eyes, and can unfortunately carry a very dangerous viral disease called Hantavirus. As far as breeding certain types of mice for such things as medical research, feeding of larger animals, and for pets, the albino strain of house mouse is the most likely candidate.