Broad-toothed mouse
Apodemus mystacinus
Tuğçe Nur İlbaş · Meydan
Key facts in one look
- Diet
- Seeds, acorns, insects, snails
- Status in Georgia
- Native
- Size
- Body 9.8–13.2 cm, 25–57 g
- Habitat
- Rocky forests, scrub, up to 2,700 m
- Family
- Muridae
- Conservation
- LC / LC
The broad-toothed mouse (Apodemus mystacinus) is a large grey mouse with a white belly and a tail longer than its body. It lives in stony, rocky forests and scrub, from sea level up to 2,700 m. Its range covers the eastern Mediterranean, Anatolia and western Georgia. It is active at night, climbs trees easily and hides among stones. Like other rodents it can carry diseases, so do not pick one up.
Identification
Broad-toothed mouse: how to identify it
A big, long-tailed mouse: the back is grey, the belly pure white or very pale grey. The ears are grey and the feet white. It is bulkier than the little mouse and the steppe mouse, and its back is grey rather than brown or yellowish.
The body is 9.8–13.2 cm long, the tail 9.8–14.5 cm, and it weighs 25–57 g. The tail is usually longer than the body, dark above and pale below. Females have three pairs of teats.
The back is generally grey, from brownish grey to buff. The belly is pure white or very pale grey. Its skull is very like that of other wood mice and can be told apart reliably only by measurements, so include an object for scale in your photo.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
It is a mouse of stony, rocky forest where grass and shrubs are sparse. It lives from sea level up to 2,700 m. In Turkey it lives on rocky ground in oak and conifer forests, and also in degraded forest, scrub and stony pastures. It enters orchards, vineyards and fields bordered by stone walls. In Georgia it is known from the west.
It eats mostly seeds: those of weeds, pine and cereals, as well as acorns and carob pods. It adds insects and snails to its diet. Sometimes it also takes birds’ eggs and nestlings.
It is active at night and moves mostly on the ground, though it climbs trees easily. It digs burrows in the soil or shelters under rocks. It builds its nest in fallen logs, rock piles and crevices. It lives on a small patch: its radius of activity is 8–15 m. It is never very abundant, and its numbers do not fluctuate. Depending on the region, it breeds all year or seasonally, usually raising three or four litters a year. Gestation lasts 23–26 days, and a litter has up to five young. In the breeding season males turn aggressive towards each other.
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Yes, in western Georgia. This is the northern edge of a range that reaches here from Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean. It favours stony, rocky forests and scrub, from sea level up to 2,700 m. It also enters stone-walled orchards and vineyards.
The broad-toothed mouse is large, up to 57 g, with a grey back, a pure white belly, white feet and a tail usually longer than its body. The little mouse and the steppe mouse are smaller, up to 34 g, and their backs are brown or yellowish. A sure identification often needs measurements. So take a photo and leave the animal alone.
Mostly seeds: those of weeds, pine and cereals, plus acorns and carob. It adds insects and snails. Sometimes it also eats birds’ eggs and nestlings. It forages at night, on the ground and in trees.
No, it is not threatened. Globally it is rated Least Concern (LC, 2021), and in Georgia the 2021 national assessment also rates it Least Concern (LC), with a stable population. It is never very abundant, but its numbers do not swing sharply.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
