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{{Short description|Small long-tailed rodent}}
{{About|the animal|the computer input device|Computer mouse|other uses}}
{{Redirect|Mice}}
{{Pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
[[File:Мышь 2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[House mouse]] (''Mus musculus'')]]
[[File:Phase-Specific-Vocalizations-of-Male-Mice-at-the-Initial-Encounter-during-the-Courtship-Sequence-pone.0147102.s003.ogv|thumb|Phase specific vocalizations of male mice at the initial encounter during the courtship sequence pone]]

A '''mouse''' ({{plural form}}: '''mice''') is a small [[rodent]]. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common [[house mouse]] (''Mus musculus''). Mice are also popular as [[pets]]. In some places, certain kinds of [[Apodemus|field mice]] are locally common. They are known to invade homes for food and shelter.

Mice are typically distinguished from [[rat]]s by their size. Generally, when a [[muroid]] rodent is discovered, its [[common name]] includes the term ''mouse'' if it is smaller, or ''rat'' if it is larger. The common terms ''rat'' and ''mouse'' are not [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomically]] specific. Typical mice are classified in the genus ''[[Mus (genus)|Mus]]'', but the term ''mouse'' is not confined to members of ''Mus'' and can also apply to species from other genera such as the [[deer mouse|deer mouse (''Peromyscus'')]].

[[Fancy mouse|Domestic mice]] sold as pets often differ substantially in size from the common house mouse. This is attributable to breeding and different conditions in the wild. The best-known strain of mouse is the white [[Laboratory mouse|lab mouse]]. It has more uniform traits that are appropriate to its use in research.

[[Cat]]s, wild [[dog]]s, [[fox]]es, [[bird of prey|birds of prey]], [[snake]]s and certain kinds of [[arthropod]]s have been known to prey upon mice. Despite this, mice populations remain plentiful. Due to its remarkable adaptability to almost any [[ecological niche|environment]], the mouse is one of the most successful [[mammalian]] genera living on Earth today.

In certain contexts, mice can be considered [[vermin]]. Vermin are a major source of [[crops|crop]] damage,<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Meerburg BG, Singleton GR, Leirs H |title=The Year of the Rat ends: time to fight hunger!|journal=Pest Manag Sci |volume=65 |issue=4 |year=2009 |doi=10.1002/ps.1718 |pmid=19206089 |pages=351–2}}</ref> as they are known to cause structural damage and spread [[disease]]. Mice spread disease through their [[feces]] and are often carriers of [[Parasitism|parasites]].<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Meerburg BG, Singleton GR, Kijlstra A |title=Rodent-borne diseases and their risks for public health|journal=Crit Rev Microbiol|volume=35 |issue=3|year=2009|doi=10.1080/10408410902989837|pmid=19548807 |pages=221–70|s2cid=205694138}}</ref> In North America, breathing dust that has come in contact with mouse excrement has been linked to [[hantavirus]], which may lead to [[hantavirus pulmonary syndrome]] (HPS).

Primarily [[Nocturnality|nocturnal]]<ref name="noc1">{{cite journal|jstor=1374418|title=Nocturnal Explorations of the Forest Deer-Mouse|first=W. H.|last=Behney|date=1 January 1936|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|volume=17|issue=3|pages=225–230|doi=10.2307/1374418}}</ref> animals, mice compensate for their poor eyesight with a keen sense of hearing. They depend on their sense of smell to locate food and avoid predators.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hsus.org/animals_in_research/species_used_in_research/mouse.html|title=Mice : The Humane Society of the United States|access-date=15 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122092346/http://www.hsus.org/animals_in_research/species_used_in_research/mouse.html|archive-date=22 January 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the wild, mice are known to build intricate burrows. These burrows have long entrances and are equipped with escape tunnels. In at least one species, the architectural design of a burrow is a genetic trait.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Discrete genetic modules are responsible for complex burrow evolution in Peromyscus mice|first1=Jesse N.|last1=Weber|first2=Brant K.|last2=Peterson|first3=Hopi E.|last3=Hoekstra|date=17 January 2013|journal=Nature|volume=493|issue=7432|pages=402–405|doi=10.1038/nature11816|pmid=23325221|bibcode=2013Natur.493..402W|s2cid=4361153}}</ref>

==Types of animals known as mice==
The most common mice are [[Murinae|murines]], in the same clade as [[Rattus|common rats]]. They are murids, along with gerbils and other close relatives. 
*order [[Dasyuromorphia]]
**[[marsupial mice]], smaller species of [[Dasyuridae]]
*order [[Rodentia]]
**suborder [[Castorimorpha]]
*** family [[Heteromyidae]]
**** [[Kangaroo mouse]], genus ''[[Microdipodops]]''
**** [[Pocket mouse]], tribe [[Perognathinae]]
**** [[Spiny pocket mouse]], genus ''[[Heteromys]]''
**suborder [[Anomaluromorpha]]
*** family [[Anomaluridae]]
**** [[flying mouse]]
**suborder [[Myomorpha]]
*** family [[Cricetidae]]
**** [[Brush mouse]], ''Peromyscus boylii''
**** [[Florida mouse]]
**** [[Golden mouse]]
**** American [[Harvest mouse (disambiguation)|harvest mouse]], genus ''[[Reithrodontomys]]''
**** [[Voles]] Often referred to as "Field or Meadow mice"
*** family [[Muridae]]
**** typical mice, the genus ''[[Mus (genus)|Mus]]''
**** Field mice, genus ''[[Apodemus]]''
***** [[Wood mouse]], ''Apodemus sylvaticus''
***** [[Yellow-necked mouse]], ''Apodemus flavicollis''
**** [[Large Mindoro forest mouse]]
**** [[Big-eared hopping mouse]]
**** [[Luzon montane forest mouse]]
**** [[Forrest's mouse]]
**** [[Pebble-mound mouse]]
**** [[Bolam's mouse]]
**** Eurasian [[Harvest mouse (disambiguation)|harvest mouse]], genus ''[[Micromys]]''

==Emotions==
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology have confirmed that mice have a range of facial expressions. They used machine vision to spot familiar human emotions like pleasure, disgust, nausea, pain, and fear.<ref>{{cite web |title=The facial expressions of mice |website=Max-Planck-Gesellschaft |date=2 April 2020 |url=https://www.mpg.de/14636373/0330-psy-056402-the-facial-expressions-of-mice}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The face of a mouse reveals its emotions: study |website=Phys.org |date=2 April 2020 |language=en |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-04-mouse-reveals-emotions.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mice have facial expressions, AI finds |website=Amaze Lab |date=3 April 2020 |format=Video |language=en |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/animals/mice-have-facial-expressions-ai-finds/vi-BB128lNq?ocid=spartandhp}}</ref>

==Diet==
In nature, mice are largely [[herbivore]]s, consuming any kind of fruit or grain from plants.<ref name=ecodome>{{cite web|url=http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/MarsSim/SimHTML/organisms/mouse.html|title=Mouse Info|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref> However, mice adapt well to urban areas and are known for eating almost all types of food scraps. In captivity, mice are commonly fed commercial pelleted mouse diet. These diets are nutritionally complete, but they still need a large variety of vegetables.

Despite popular belief, most mice do not have a special appetite for cheese. They will only eat cheese for lack of better options.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/do-mice-really-love-cheese.htm|title=Do mice really love cheese?|date=2015-04-15|website=HowStuffWorks|language=en|access-date=2020-02-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What Kind of Food Should Your Pet Mouse Eat? |url=https://www.thesprucepets.com/what-do-mice-eat-4588704 |access-date=2022-06-19 |website=The Spruce Pets |language=en}}</ref>

== Human use ==
=== As experimental animals ===
{{Main|Laboratory mouse}}
[[File:Fatmouse.jpg|thumb|[[Knockout mouse]] (left) and normal mouse (right)]]

Mice are common [[experiment]]al animals in laboratory research of [[biology]] and [[psychology]] fields primarily because they are [[mammal]]s, and also because they share a high degree of [[homology (biology)|homology]] with humans. They are the most commonly used [[mammal]]ian [[model organism]], more common than [[rats]]. The mouse [[genome]] has been sequenced, and virtually all mouse [[gene]]s have human [[Homologous chromosome|homologs]]. The mouse has approximately 2.7 billion base pairs and 20 pairs of chromosomes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.genome.gov/10002983/2002-release-draft-sequence-of-mouse-genome/|title=2002 Release: Draft Sequence of Mouse Genome|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref>
They can also be manipulated in ways that are illegal with humans, although [[animal rights]] activists often object. A [[knockout mouse]] is a [[genetically modified mouse]] that has had one or more of its genes made inoperable through a [[gene knockout]].  Experimental mouse model systems include [[mouse model of colorectal and intestinal cancer|mouse models of colorectal and intestinal cancer]], [[mouse models of Down syndrome]] and [[mouse models of breast cancer metastasis]].

Reasons for common selection of mice are that they are small and inexpensive, have a widely varied diet, are easily maintained, and can reproduce quickly. Several [[generation]]s of mice can be observed in a relatively short time. Mice are generally very docile if raised from birth and given sufficient human contact. However, certain strains have been known to be quite temperamental.

=== As pets ===
[[File:Fancy mice.jpg|thumb|250px|Pet mice]]
{{Main|Fancy mouse}}
Many people buy mice as companion pets. They can be playful, loving and can grow used to being handled. Like pet rats, pet mice should not be left unsupervised outside as they have many natural predators, including (but not limited to) birds, snakes, lizards, cats, and dogs. Male mice tend to have a stronger odor than the females.  However, mice are careful groomers and as pets they never need bathing.  Well looked-after mice can make ideal pets. Some common mouse care products are:
* [[Fancy mouse#Caging|Cage]] – Usually a [[hamster]] or [[gerbil]] [[Cage (enclosure)|cage]], but a variety of special mouse cages are now available. Most should have a secure door.<ref name="Vanderlip2001">{{cite book|author=Sharon L. Vanderlip|title=Mice: Everything About History, Care, Nutrition, Handling, and Behavior|url=https://archive.org/details/miceeverythingab00vand|url-access=registration|access-date=22 April 2013|year=2001|publisher=Barron's Educational Series|isbn=978-0-7641-1812-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/miceeverythingab00vand/page/38 38]–}}</ref>
* [[Pet food|Food]] – Special pelleted and seed-based food is available. Mice can generally eat most rodent food (for rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils, etc.)
* Bedding – Usually made of hardwood pulp, such as [[aspen]], sometimes from shredded, un[[ink]]ed [[paper]] or recycled virgin [[wood pulp]]. Using [[corn husk]] bedding is avoided because it promotes ''[[Aspergillus]]'' [[fungus]], and can grow [[Mold (fungus)|mold]] once it gets wet, which is rough on their feet.

=== As feed ===
[[File:Feeder mice.jpg|250px|thumb|"Pinkie" mice for sale as [[reptile]] feed]]
Mice are a staple in the diet of many small [[carnivores]]. In various countries mice are used as feed<ref>[http://www.reptilesinc.com.au/shopshow.toy?animalnid=733911&categorynid=25726 Food – Frozen mice & rats] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010223121/http://www.reptilesinc.com.au/shopshow.toy?animalnid=733911&categorynid=25726 |date=10 October 2009 }}, Canberra Exotic Pets / reptilesinc.com.au, accessed 14 November 2009</ref> for pets such as [[snakes]], [[lizards]], [[frogs]], [[tarantulas]], and [[bird of prey|birds of prey]], and many pet stores carry mice for this purpose. Such mice are sold in various sizes and with various amounts of fur. Mice without fur are easier for the animal to consume; however, mice with fur may be more convincing as animal feed.{{Citation needed|date=May 2018}}

=== As food ===
Humans have eaten mice since [[Prehistory|prehistoric times]]. In Victorian Britain, fried mice were still given to children as a folk remedy for [[Enuresis|bed-wetting]];<ref>[[Flora Thompson]], ''Lark Rise to Candleford'' (Oxford 1949) p. 504</ref> while [[Jared Diamond]] reports creamed mice being used in England as a dietary supplement during [[World War II|Second World War]] rationing.<ref>J Diamond, ''The World until Yesterday'' (Penguin 2012) p. 314</ref> Mice are a delicacy throughout eastern [[Zambia]] and northern [[Malawi]],<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.bridgewater.edu/~mtembo/mbeba.html | title=Mice as a Delicacy: the Significance of Mice in the Diet of the Tumbuka People of Eastern Zambia | first=Mwizenge S. | last=Tembo | access-date=13 August 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080623091951/http://www.bridgewater.edu/~mtembo/mbeba.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 23 June 2008}}</ref> where they are a seasonal source of [[protein]]. Field rat is a popular food in Vietnam and neighboring countries.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/science/coronavirus-rats-vietnam.html |date=2020-06-19 |title=Wildlife Trade Spreads Coronaviruses as Animals Get to Market |work=The New York Times |first=James |last=Gorman}}</ref> In many countries, however, mouse is no longer a food item.

Prescribed cures in Ancient Egypt included mice as medicine.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/health_01.shtml|title=BBC – History – Ancient History in depth: Health Hazards and Cures in Ancient Egypt|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref> In Ancient Egypt, when infants were ill, mice were eaten as treatment by their mothers.<ref name="Hart2001">{{cite book|author=Hart, George |title=What life was like|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ReNvp-J9z-sC|date=1 May 2001|publisher=Time Life Books|isbn=978-0-7370-1007-7|page=40}}</ref><ref name="PressPress2002">{{cite book|title=Encyc of Discovery Science and History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xNoZx4mJpwsC|date=1 September 2002|publisher=Fog City Press|isbn=978-1-876778-92-7|page=320}}</ref> It was believed that mouse eating by the mother would help heal the baby who was ill.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.touregypt.net/historicalessays/lifeinEgypt3.htm|title=Tour Egypt :: Egypt: A Carefree Childhood in Ancient Egypt|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref><ref name="Shuter2003">{{cite book|author=Shuter, Jane |title=The Egyptians|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JbwoiQDe_sUC|year=2003|publisher=Raintree|isbn=978-0-7398-6440-1|page=10}}</ref><ref name="FontanelD'Harcourt1997">{{cite book|author1=Fontanel, Béatrice |author2=D'Harcourt, Claire |title=Babies: history, art, and folklore|url=https://archive.org/details/babieshistoryart0000font|url-access=registration |year=1997|publisher=Harry N. Abrams|page=[https://archive.org/details/babieshistoryart0000font/page/64 64]|isbn=9780810912441 }}</ref><ref name="ColónColón1999">{{cite book|author1=Colón, A. R. |author2=Colón, P. A. |title=Nurturing Children: A History of Pediatrics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i8NsAAAAMAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-31080-5|page=20}}</ref><ref name="BlumBlum1970">{{cite book|author1=Blum, Richard H. |author2=Blum, Eva Marie |title=The Dangerous Hour: The Lore of Crisis and Mystery in Rural Greece|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_IOBAAAAMAAJ|year=1970|publisher=Scribner|page=336}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Animals}}
* [[Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey]], mice who orbited the Moon a record 75 times in 1972 on [[Apollo 17]]
* [[List of fictional rodents]]
* [[Mouse brain development timeline]]
* [[Mousetrap]]
* [[Fear of mice|Musophobia]] (fear of mice)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Mice}}
* [http://www.fancymice.info Fancy Mice]: extensive information about breeding mice and keeping them as pets
* [http://brainmaps.org/index.php?p=speciesdata&species=mus-musculus High-resolution images of cross sections of mice brains]
* [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20070703154958/http://www.worldscibooks.com/lifesci/etextbook/p393/p393_chap1.pdf History of the mouse] (with focus on their use in genetics studies)
* [http://northernbushcraft.com/animalTracks/mouse/notes.htm Mouse tracks]: How to identify mouse tracks

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Animals bred for albinism on a large scale]]
[[Category:Mammal common names]]
[[Category:Mice]]
[[Category:Rodents]]
[[Category:Types of food]]