Muscardinus avellanarius Common dormouse 92/43/EEC Directive ann. IV The common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is the smallest member of the Gliridae family and one of the smaller Italian mammals. It is 6 long -9 cm from head to body with a tail of 5.5 to 7.7 cm and weights 15-40 grams. It has black protruding eyes, small ears and coat colored of red orange on the back and creamy white on the belly. The tail is partly prehensile. It is typical of woods habitats characterized by the presence of a dense and varied shrub and of ecotonal areas at woodlands edges and it spreads from sea level to about 1500 m. Its feeding is mostly vegetarian, its food is based on highly nutritious components such as flowers and fruits, but it also feeds on insects found almost exclusively on shrubs and trees. It makes a round nest hanging from the branches, built with leaves, moss, rootlets and hair. It is preyed by reptiles, mammals, carnivores and occasionally, by owls and crows. It is threatened by the destruction and alteration of the woods, especially in the shrub layer, and by the general fragmentation of habitat that cause a risk of local extinction. Iconografia dei mammiferi d'Italia M. Spagnesi, S. Toso, A.M. De Marinis;U. Catalano (tavole) - 2002 Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio Ist. Naz. per la Fauna Selvatica "A. Ghigi" |
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