Nature Table: HOUSE MOUSE

(Mus musculus)

This is the time of year when mice come indoors. There are two species of true mouse in Ireland, the house mouse and the wood mouse (sometimes wrongly called the field mouse). They look very similar and can be difficult to tell them apart. Wood mice are rural creatures that shun any contact with human beings. House mice are commensal with humans. Commensal means ‘eating at the same table’ and indicates that they have evolved to have a certain amount of dependence on us, as have house sparrows and, to a lesser extent, house martins. survive outdoors in a normal Irish winter. Some live permanently in buildings but most live outside during the warmer months and come into houses in November.