Eliomys quercinus Linnaeus, 1766
Gliridae

Description

Together with the edible dormouse, they are the only two species of the dormice family (Gliridae) found in Catalonia. It has large ears, bulging eyes and a long tail covered with hairs that become longer at the end, making a black and white brush. The coat is reddish brown on the back and white on the belly. It is clearly recognizable thanks to its mask of black hairs covering its eyes from the tip of the muzzle to the base of the ears. It is a hibernating animal that accumulates a large amount of fat during the autumn to spend the winter in torpor.

It can be found sporadically occupying the edible dormouse nest boxes, which it may use for mating, breeding, food accumulation or for shelter and rest during the day, alone or in a group. It does not use them for hibernation.

Distribution

It is distributed throughout Europe, from the Baltic to the south of France and Italy and from the Urals to the Atlantic Ocean. It is found in the Iberian Peninsula from sea level to more than 2000 meters of altitude, although it is frequent in the Pyrenees and very scarce in the Mediterranean strip. It is also present in some Mediterranean islands, such as Corsica, Sicily, Sardinia and the Balearic Islands, except Ibiza, where there is only one fossil species. It is absent from the British Isles and the Canary Islands.

In Catalonia, unlike the edible dormouse, the garden dormouse has a wide distribution throughout the territory. However, it seems that Mediterranean populations have suffered a significant decline, whose exact causes are unknown but are thought to be related to changes in land use, such as afforestation and the loss of open spaces, as well as the increase of forest predators.

Habitat and feeding

Contrary to the edible dormouse, the garden dormouse is not a habitat specialist. This generalist pattern allows it to succeed in a variety of environments, both arboreal and terrestrial, unlike the edible dormouse, which is mainly arboreal. It selects areas with large accumulations of rocks or dry stone walls in dry crops for shelter, although it can be found in a variety of deciduous forests, pine forests, holm oak forests and Mediterranean scrubland. It can also use the roofs of old houses in rural areas to take refuge or hibernate, as well as barns, gardens and orchards. It also occupies nest boxes.

It is an omnivorous animal that feeds mainly on insects, some small vertebrates and fruits and seeds.

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Feeding

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Breeding

The breeding cycle and winter quiescence of the garden dormouse are in accordance with the environmental conditions of the area where each population lives. In warmer areas, this reproductive period is longer and hibernation is reduced, and the other way around. Sexual activity begins in spring, after awakening from dormancy, and ends a few months before hibernation. At higher latitudes than those of the Iberian Peninsula, this period is shortened because individuals must spend more time searching for food and fattening up, as the unfavourable period is longer. Unlike the edible dormouse, which mainly needs natural cavities for breeding, the garden dormouse can nest in a variety of places, such as between tree branches or thick bushes, inside stone walls or cliffs, in old roofs, bird nests, cavities or even on the ground, in accumulations of leaves. The nests are made of plant material and debris, different to the edible dormouse, which only uses green leaves. They usually have only one litter per year, although in more temperate areas, if conditions are favourable, they might have two or even three litters (Doñana). They can have 4 to 6 young per litter. Lactation lasts 35-40 days. In Pyrenean areas, individuals do not frequently become sexually mature before the first hibernation, but in lower and Mediterranean areas, where the young are born earlier, individuals might be sexually mature before winter torpor.