Facts about Fat Dormice
- 10
Romans considered fat dormice a delicacy and kept them in large clay pots called gliraria to fatten them before eating.
- 09
Arboreal acrobats, fat dormice possess a prehensile tail that aids balance during their vertical climbs through oak and hazel trees in search of food at night.
- 08
European forests hosting fat dormice populations experienced significant range expansion northward during the past 50 years due to warming climate conditions.
- 07
Nocturnal foraging expeditions of fat dormice can cover up to 200 meters per night as they search for scattered food sources across their woodland territories.
- 06
Glis glis females give birth to litters of 4-8 young after a gestation period of just 21-24 days, among the shortest for European rodents.
- 05
Fat dormice have a specialized diet of hazelnuts and beechnuts in autumn, which triggers their hyperphagia phase and enables them to accumulate the necessary fat reserves for hibernation.
- 04
In Europe, fat dormice construct intricate spherical nests from bark strips and grass, typically measuring 8-10 centimeters in diameter and lined with feathers for insulation.
- 03
During summer nights, fat dormice produce loud chirping calls that can reach 40 decibels, which they use for territorial communication and mate attraction.
- 02
The glis glis can survive up to seven years in captivity, making it one of the longest-lived rodent species relative to its small body size.
- 01
Weighing up to 180 grams, fat dormice can increase their body mass by 40% before hibernation to survive winters lasting up to six months.