Mouse

Mouse Temporal range: Late Miocene – Recent
House mouse, Mus musculus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Muridae
Subfamily:	Murinae
Genus:	Mus Linnaeus, 1758

A mouse (plural mice) is a small rodent, which is a kind of mammal. It has a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail and a high breeding rate. Most belong to the mus genus. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (Mus musculus). Usually, house mice are brownish-gray. It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. They are known to invade homes for food and occasionally shelter.

These small animals are often used in science experiments, or sometimes kept as pets.^[1] Some mice carry diseases. In some places they damage crops. This causes some people to think of mice as vermin or pests.^[2][3] Many other people think mice are cute and fun animals.

Mice are rodents, therefore they are related to squirrels, rats, and beavers. Mice eat weeds, seeds, berries, and more. They are eaten by owls, foxes, snakes, weasels, and cats, amongst others.

1. ↑ http://animal.discovery.com/mammals/mouse-info.htm
2. ↑ Meerburg BG, Singleton GR, Leirs H (2009). "The Year of the Rat ends: time to fight hunger!". Pest Manag Sci. 65 (4): 351–2. doi:10.1002/ps.1718. ISSN 1526-498X. PMID 19206089. Archived from the original on 2012-12-17. Retrieved 2013-10-28.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. ↑ Meerburg BG, Singleton GR, Kijlstra A (2009). "Rodent-borne diseases and their risks for public health". Crit Rev Microbiol. 35 (3): 221–70. doi:10.1080/10408410902989837. PMID 19548807. S2CID 205694138.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)