dormouse
The 14 species of nocturnal rodents known as dormice resemble small squirrels rather than mice. Dormice feed on seeds, berries, fruits, and nuts during the summer and also store further supplies to sustain them when they wake from hibernation during the winter months. In Victorian England children kept dormice as pets. The edible, or fat, dormouse was considered a delicacy by the Romans and was fattened on walnuts.
Small rodent, of the family Gliridae, with a hairy tail. There are about ten species, living in Europe, Asia, and Africa. They are arboreal (live in trees) and nocturnal, hibernating during winter in cold regions. They eat berries, nuts, pollen, and insects.
| The fat or edible dormouse Glis glis lives in continental Europe and is 30 cm/12 in long including its tail. It was a delicacy at Roman feasts. |
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