The widespread, secretive wood mouse lives fast and dies young
Despite being one of the UK’s most widespread mammals, the wood mouse lives a secretive life. There are two thirds as many wood mice in Britain as there are humans, and while they are largely overlooked by us there are plenty of predators paying close attention.
To escape their notice, wood mice wait until the sun goes down and scamper through patches of thick cover to conceal their movements. They live fast and die young, rarely surviving more than two years, and devour a variety of seeds, fruits, buds, berries, insects, worms, slugs and fungi to fuel their forays. They will also cache food to help them through the winter, storing it in secret burrows and even stashing snacks in abandoned bird nests.
To assist the wood mouse in its day-today survival, it has a rather magnificent set of super senses. An exceptional sense of smell can precisely pinpoint food sources, even those buried underground. Huge ears provide an all-round ability to listen for both predators and scurrying prey. Sizeable eyes let in plenty of light, giving them excellent night vision. The wood mouse is also an accomplished gymnast, able to climb, leap and scurry over most obstacles at the slightest sign of danger.
Studies have even revealed an ability to navigate within their environment by way-marking in true Hansel and Gretel fashion, though admittedly not with the use of breadcrumbs. This system of spatial awareness had previously only been documented in one other mammal us. But even with this impressive skillset, wood mice are still vulnerable and when a tawny owl attacks in ghostly silence, a little mouse stands little chance.
As with most rodent populations, mortality is high but they have a simple strategy to compensate: breed, and breed prolifically. Wood mice will typically do this all the way through spring, summer and autumn, and potentially during winter too if food is plentiful. One female will produce up to eight young per litter and can have up to seven litters per year, so it doesn’t take long for wood mice to bounce back.
For wildlife information and advice, contact the Sussex Wildlife Trust’s WildCall service: 01273 494777 (weekday mornings) or wildcall@sussexwt.org.uk muppet in the Audi behind me trying to dock with my Ford at 70mph then it was watching the idiots around me engage in all manner of buffoonery that really got me hot under the collar. During those 170,000 or so miles I witnessed drivers dice with death (theirs and mine) as they performed what might be considered mundane tasks if they weren’t in charge of a tonne or so of engine propelled metal. I’ve seen women apply lippy as they go from third to fourth gear, famished fellas chow down on a
Big Mac in the middle lane and too many people to mention lighting up a Benson and Hedges when they should’ve been in control of the motor.
Having one, never mind two hands, on the wheel is too much to ask for some people, which is why I did a double-take when I saw a news report at the weekend which suggested that the UK is on course to be the first nation in the world to allow some drivers to take their hands off the wheel completely on motorways. At first, I thought I had been teleported to 2051.
From as early as this summer, lanekeeping technology could be permitted on motorways allowing eligible drivers to watch movies, send a text message and presumably knit their dog a snood while getting from A to B.
This is because the new automated lane-keeping system (ALKS), which sounds like something from a Tom Cruise blockbuster, uses radar and cameras to keep a vehicle on course and slow down in line with the vehicle in front.
Regulations mean that vehicles will only be allowed to use the technology in stop-start traffic and only up to 37 mph and it will only apply to state-of-the-art cars which won’t be on our roads until the end of the year. The fact that it only applies to cars that cost you a kidney as well as an arm and leg mean that any introduction will not be widespread for some time yet.
There is a suggestion that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is keen that the UK adopts the technology before anywhere else because being a world leader in anything only serves to enhance the nation’s reputation. This would be true only if it all goes to plan and we don’t have a great track record with road technology – only last week a coroner asked for a review of Smart Motorways following a tragedy on the M1 which claimed the lives of two men. Even if a car is clever enough to drive itself, you have to question whether the benefits will ever exceed allowing the ‘driver’ to watch Die Hard for the 75th time while killing time on an otherwise uneventful journey. Yes, there might well be plenty of stupid drivers on our roads but are we ready to be at the mercy of even more smart technology?