Citizendia
Your Ad Here

House Mouse

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Subfamily: Murinae
Genus: Mus
Species: M. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Least Concern ( LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must Muridae is the largest family of Mammals It contains over 600 species found naturally throughout Eurasia Africa and Australia The Old World rats and mice, part of the Subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species A mouse (plural mice) is a small Animal that belongs to one musculus
Binomial name
Mus musculus
Linnaeus, 1758

The House Mouse (Mus musculus) is one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus commonly termed a mouse. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for A mouse (plural mice) is a small Animal that belongs to one A mouse (plural mice) is a small Animal that belongs to one It is a small mammal and a rodent. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must In most parts of the world, they live in close proximity to humans. Laboratory mice belong to strains of House Mice and are some of the most important model organisms in biology and medicine; they are by far the most commonly used laboratory mammal. A model organism is a Species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological Phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the [2]

Contents

Characteristics

House mice have an adult body length (nose to base of tail) of 7. 5–10 cm and a tail length of 5–10 cm; the weight is typically 10–25 g. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International For other uses of the words gram or gramme see Gram (disambiguation. They vary from light brown to black, with short hair and a light belly. The ears and tail have little hair. The hind feet are short compared to Apodemus mice, only 15–19 mm long; the normal gait is a run with a stride of about 4. 5 cm, though they can jump up to 45 cm. The droppings are blackish, about 3 mm long, and have a strong musty smell. The voice is a high-pitched squeak. [3][4]

CT scan of a House Mouse skull.
CT scan of a House Mouse skull. Computed tomography (CT is a Medical imaging method employing Tomography.

Young males and females are not easily distinguished; females have a significantly smaller distance between their anus and genital opening. Females have 5 pairs of mammary glands and nipples; males have no nipples. Mammary glands are the organs that in Mammals produce Milk for the sustenance of the young In its most general form a nipple is a Structure from which a fluid emanates When sexually mature, the most striking and obvious difference is the presence of testicles on the males. The testicle (from Latin testiculus, diminutive of testis, meaning "witness" virility plural testes) is the male These are relatively large compared to the rest of the body and can be retracted into the body. In addition to the regular pea-size thymus organ in the chest, House Mice have a second functional pinhead-size thymus organ in the neck next to the trachea (Terszowski 2006). In Human anatomy, the thymus is an organ located in the upper Anterior portion of the chest cavity just behind the Sternum.

Subspecies

There are three widely accepted subspecies, increasingly treated as distinct species:[5]

An additional subspecies was described by Prager, Orrego and Sage (1998) from the Arabian Peninsula:

The following were previously identified as subspecies, but have since been found to belong to the subspecies above:

Behaviour

Eating
Eating

House mice usually walk, run or stand on all fours, but when eating, fighting or orienting themselves, they stand only on the hind legs, supported by the tail. In Zoology, as in other branches of Biology, subspecies is the Taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a Species. When running, the horizontal tail serves for balance; the end stands up vertically, unless the mouse is frightened. Mice are good jumpers, climbers and swimmers.

Mice are mostly active during dusk or night; they do not like bright lights. Crepuscular is a term used to describe animals that are primarily active during Twilight, hence at Dawn and at Dusk. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal They live in a wide variety of hidden places that are near food sources and construct nests from various soft materials. Mice are territorial and one dominant male usually lives together with several females and young. Dominant males respect each other's territory and normally enter another's territory only if it is vacant. If two or more males are held together in a cage, they will often turn aggressive unless they have been raised together from birth.

House mice primarily feed on plant matter, but they will also accept meat and dairy products. They will drink water but require little of it, relying mainly on the moisture present in their food. They will eat their droppings to acquire nutrients produced by bacteria in their guts. Coprophagia is the consumption of Feces, from the Greek copros (feces and phagein (eat The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have House mice, like other rodents, do not vomit. Vomiting (also called throwing up, emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's Stomach through the Mouth and sometimes the

Mice are afraid of rats, which often kill and (partially) eat them. Rats are various medium sized long-tailed Rodents of the superfamily Muroidea This rat behaviour is known as muricide. Despite this behaviour free-living populations of rats and mice do exist together, in forest areas in New Zealand, North America and elsewhere. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island House mice are generally poor competitors, and in most areas cannot survive away from human settlements in areas where other small mammals, such as wood mice, are present (Tattersall, Smith and Nowell 1997). The wood mouse ( Apodemus sylvaticus) also called the long-tailed field mouse, is a common Rodent that was recognised as a distinct species in 1894 However in some areas (such as Australia) mice are able to co-exist with other small rodent species (Moro and Morris 2000).

Senses and communication

As primarily nocturnal animals, house mice have little or no colour vision. Color vision is the capacity of an organism or machine to distinguish objects based on the Wavelengths (or frequencies) of the Light they reflect or emit They have a sharp sense of hearing and can perceive ultrasound, possibly up to 100 kHz. Not to be confused with Supersonic. Ultrasound is cyclic Sound pressure with a Frequency greater than the upper The hertz (symbol Hz) is a measure of Frequency, informally defined as the number of events occurring per Second. They communicate both in the human audible range with squeaks (for long-distance warnings), and in the ultrasound range (for short-distance communication).

House mice also rely on pheromones. A pheromone (from Greek φέρω phero "to bear" + ‘ορμόνη " Hormone " is a Chemical that triggers a natural Most of these are produced by the preputial glands of both sexes and are excreted with urine. Preputial glands are Exocrine glands that are located in front of the Genitals of some Mammals and produce Pheromones The preputial glands of female Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the Kidneys by a process of filtration from Blood and Excreted through the Urethra. The tear fluid of male mice also contains pheromones (Kimoto 2005). Tears are the liquid product of a process of lacrimation to clean and lubricate the Eyes The word lacrimation may also be used in a medical or literary sense Mice detect pheromones mainly with the vomeronasal organ (Jacobson's organ), located at the bottom of the nose. The vomeronasal organ ( VNO) or Jacobson's organ, is an auxiliary Olfactory Sense organ that is found in many Animals It was

The urine of house mice, especially that of males, has a characteristic strong odor. In (Achiraman 2002), ten different compounds such as alkanes, alcohols, etc. Alkanes, also known as Paraffins are Chemical compounds that consist only of the elements Carbon (C and Hydrogen (H (i In Chemistry, an alcohol is any Organic compound in which a Hydroxyl group ( - O[[hydrogen H]]) is bound to a Carbon were detected in the urine. Among the ten, five compounds are specific to males, namely 3-cyclohexene-1-methanol, Aminotriazole (3-amino-s-triazole), 4-ethyl phenol, 3-ethyl-2,7-dimethyl octane and 1-iodoundecane. 3-Amino-124-triazole ( 3-AT) is a heterocyclic Organic compound that consists of a 124-triazole substituted with an amino group

The mice can sense surfaces and air movements with their whiskers.

Life cycle and reproduction

A 7 day old mouse suckling on an anaesthetized mother.
A 7 day old mouse suckling on an anaesthetized mother.
A baby mouse, 4 days old.
A baby mouse, 4 days old.
2 weeks old, just about to open its eyes.
2 weeks old, just about to open its eyes.

Female house mice have an estrous cycle that is 4-6 days long, with estrus itself lasting less than a day. Oestrus is also the biological genus name of the gadfly. The estrous cycle (also oestrous cycle; derived from Latin If several females are held together under crowded conditions, they will often not have an estrus at all; if they are then exposed to male urine, they will become estrous after 72 hours.

Male house mice court females by emitting characteristic ultrasonic calls in the 30kHz - 110kHz range. The calls are most frequent during courtship when the male is sniffing and following the female. However, the calls continue after mating has begun at which time the calls are coincident with mounting behaviour. Males can be induced to emit these calls by female pheromones. The vocalizations appear to be different in different individuals and have been compared to birdsongs because of their complexity. Bird vocalization includes both Bird calls and bird songs In non-technical use bird songs are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear (Holy 2005) While females have the capability to produce ultrasonic calls, they typically do not do so during mating behaviour.

Following copulation, female mice will normally develop a vaginal plug which prevents further copulation. This plug stays in place for some 24 hours. The gestation period is about 19-21 days, and they give birth to a litter of 3-14 young (average 6-8). Gestation is the carrying of an Embryo or Fetus inside a Female Viviparous Animal. One female can have some 5-10 litters per year, so their population can increase very quickly. Breeding occurs throughout the year (however, animals living in the wild don't reproduce in the colder months, even though they don't hibernate). For the ability of certain operating systems see Hibernate (OS feature Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression The newborn are blind and furless. Fur starts to grow some three days after birth and the eyes open one to two weeks after birth. Females reach sexual maturity at about 6 weeks and males at about 8 weeks, but both can breed as early as five weeks.

House mice usually live under a year in the wild, because of a high level of predation and exposure to harsh environments. In protected environments, however, they often live two to three years. The Methuselah Mouse Prize is a competition to breed or engineer extremely long-lived laboratory mice. As of 2005, the record holder was a genetically engineered mouse that lived for 1819 days, nearly 5 years. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Another record holder that was kept in a stimulating environment but did not receive any genetic, pharmacological or dietary treatment lived for 1551 days, over 4 years.

Mice and humans

See also: Fancy mouse

House mice usually live in proximity to humans, in or around houses or fields. Fancy mice ("fancy" in this context means "hobby" are Domesticated breeds of the common or house mouse ( Mus musculus) Originally native to Asia (probably northern India; Boursot et al. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country 1996), they spread to the Mediterranean Basin about 8000 BC, only spreading into the rest of Europe around 1000 BC (Cucci, Vigne and Auffrey 2005). This time lag is thought to be because the mice require agrarian human settlements above a certain size (Cucci, Vigne and Auffrey 2005). Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture They have since been spread to all parts of the globe by humans.

Many studies have been done on mouse phylogenies to reconstruct early human movements; for example, Gunduz et al 2001, showed a previously unsuspected early link between Denmark and Madeira on the basis of the origin of the Madeiran mice.

An individually ventilated and sealed cage for laboratory mice
An individually ventilated and sealed cage for laboratory mice

House mice can transmit diseases, and can damage food and food packaging. They can also cause substantial damage when feeding on grain. It is thought that house mice were the primary reason for the taming of the domestic cat. WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic Various mousetraps have been developed to catch mice. A mousetrap is a specialized type of Animal trap designed primarily to catch mice; however it may also trap other small animals Generally, rats are more harmful to humans than mice. Rats are various medium sized long-tailed Rodents of the superfamily Muroidea

The first written reference to mice kept as pets occurs in the Erya, the oldest extant Chinese dictionary, from a mention in an 1100 B.C. version. The Erya is the oldest extant Chinese dictionary. Bernhard Karlgren (1931 49 concluded that "the major part of its Glosses must reasonably Chinese dictionaries date back over two millennia to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, which is a significantly longer Lexicographical history than any other language [6] Human domestication led to numerous strains of "fancy" or hobby mice with a variety of colours and a docile temperament. Dog fancy and Cat fancy redirect here For the magazines see Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy (magazine. In psychology temperament is the innate aspect of an individual's personality such as Introversion or Extroversion. [7] Domestic varieties of the house mouse called "feeder" mice are also used as food for some carnivorous pet reptiles, arthropods and fish. A carnivore (ˈkɑrnɪvɔər meaning 'meat eater' ( Latin carne meaning 'flesh' and vorare meaning 'to devour' is any animal with a diet consisting Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Arthropods are Animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, " Joint " Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Mice bred for this purpose are genetically identical to other domestic mice, and can be kept as pets themselves. [7]

Mice as an invasive species

Gough Island in the South Atlantic is used by 20 species of seabird for breeding, including almost all of the world's Tristan Albatross (Diomedea dabbenena) and Atlantic Petrel (Pterodroma incerta). Gough Island (rhymes with cough; also known historically as Diego Alvarez) is a Volcanic island rising from the South Atlantic Ocean to The Tristan Albatross ( Diomedea dabbenena) is a large Seabird from the Albatross family. The Atlantic Petrel ( Pterodroma incerta) is a Gadfly petrel endemic to the South Atlantic Ocean. Until house mice arrived on the island in the 19th century with seamen, the birds did not have any mammalian predators. The mice have since grown unusually large and have learned to attack albatross chicks, which can be nearly one metre tall but are largely immobile, by working in groups and gnawing on them until they bleed to death. The estimated 700,000 mice on the island kill a total of over 1 million bird chicks per year. [8]

Laboratory mice

Mice are the most commonly used animal research model with hundreds of established inbred, outbred, and transgenic strains. In the United States, they are generally not regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) administered by the USDA, APHIS. An Animal Welfare Act has been legislated in various countries including the US to protect the welfare of animals Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS is an operating unit of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA However, the Public Health Service Act (PHS) as administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) does cover their humane treatment. The Public Health Service Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1946. "NIH" redirects here For other meanings of NIH see NIH (disambiguation. Most academic research institutes seek voluntary accreditation which requires certain minimal standards of care for laboratory animals. This accreditation is a prerequisite for federal funding.

Mice are common experimental animals in biology and psychology primarily because they are mammals, and thus share a high degree of homology with humans. In scientific inquiry an experiment ( Latin: Ex- periri, "to try out" is a method of investigating particular types of research questions or Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and In Evolutionary biology, homology has come to mean any similarity between characters that is due to their shared ancestry. The mouse genome has been sequenced, and virtually all mouse genes have human homologs. They can also be manipulated in ways that would be considered unethical to do with humans. Mice are a primary mammalian model organism, as are rats. A model organism is a Species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological Phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made Rats are various medium sized long-tailed Rodents of the superfamily Muroidea

There are many additional benefits of mice in laboratory research. Mice are small, inexpensive, easily maintained, and can reproduce quickly. Several generations of mice can be observed in a relatively short period of time. Some mice can become docile if raised from birth and given sufficient human contact. However, certain strains have been known to be quite temperamental.

Most laboratory mice are hybrids of different subspecies, most commonly of Mus musculus domesticus and Mus musculus musculus. Laboratory mice come in a variety of coat colours including agouti, black and albino. Albinism (from Latin albus, "white" see extended etymology) is a form of hypopigmentary Congenital disorder, Many (but not all) laboratory strains are inbred, so as to make them genetically almost identical. Inbreeding is breeding between close Relatives whether plant or animal The different strains are identified with specific letter-digit combinations; for example C57BL/6 and BALB/c. C57BL/6, often referred to as "C57 black 6" or just "black 6" is a common Inbred strain of lab mouse. BALB/c is an Albino strain of laboratory Mouse from which a number of common substrains are derived

The first such inbred strains were produced by Clarence Cook Little in 1909. Clarence Cook "CC" Little ( October 6, 1888 – December 22, 1971) was an American Genetics, Cancer Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Little was influential in promoting the mouse as a laboratory organism.

The behavioural patterns of laboratory mice are significantly different from those of most common house mice due to years of lab breeding. These behaviours are much simpler.

Albino lab mice
Albino lab mice

Genome

Sequencing of the mouse genome was completed in late 2002. In classical genetics the genome of a Diploid Organism including Eukarya refers to a full set of chromosomes or genes in a Gamete, thereby See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The haploid genome is about 3 billion bases long (3000 Mb distributed over 20 chromosomes) and therefore equal to the size of the human genome. "Haplo" redirects here For the fictional character see The Death Gate Cycle. [9] Estimating the number of genes contained in the mouse genome is difficult, in part because the definition of a gene is still being debated and extended. History See also History of genetics The existence of genes was first suggested by Gregor Mendel (1822-1884 who in the 1860s studied inheritance The current estimated gene count is 23,786 [10]. This estimate takes into account knowledge of molecular biology as well as comparative genomic data. For comparison, humans are estimated to have 23,686 genes[11].

Mutant and transgenic strains

Various mutant strains of mice have been created by a number of methods:

Since 1998, it has been possible to clone mice from cells derived from adult animals. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Cloning in Biology is the process of producing populations of genetically-identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as Bacteria, Insects

References

  1. ^ Amori, G. (1996). Mus musculus. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global IUCN 2007. Retrieved on 2007-01-09. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople.
  2. ^ the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction of Animals in Research
  3. ^ Lyneborg, L. (1971). Mammals of Europe. Blandford Press.
  4. ^ Lawrence, M. J. , & Brown, R. W. (1974). Mammals of Britain Their Tracks, Trails and Signs. Blandford Press.
  5. ^ Mitchell-Jones, A. J. , Amori, G. , Bogdanowicz, W. , Krystufek, B. , Reijnders, P. J. H. , Spitzenberger, F. , Stubbe, M. , Thissen, J. B. M. , Vohralik, V. , & Zima, J. (1999). The Atlas of European Mammals. T. & A. D. Poyser ISBN 0856611301.
  6. ^ American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association
  7. ^ a b the Rat and Mouse Club of America
  8. ^ Wanless R. M. , Angel A. , Cuthbert R. J. , Hilton G. M. & Ryan P. G. . "Can predation by invasive mice drive seabird extinctions?". Biology Letters 3.  
  9. ^ No items found - Books Results
  10. ^ http://www.ensembl.org/Mus_musculus/index.html Ensembl gene build 47, based upon NCBI assembly m37, Apr 2007
  11. ^ http://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/index.html Ensembl gene build 47, based upon NCBI assembly 36, Oct 2005

External links and sources

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic