Mice are considered amazing creatures that can survive in the most difficult conditions. These rodents have long been used in laboratories for the purpose of conducting experiments, and in the wild, mice recreate large flocks. As a pet, decorative mice have also firmly established themselves since ancient times.
Scientists at the University of Jerusalem have found that mice resemble humans. If the mouse is enlarged to human height and its skeleton is straightened, it becomes clear that the joints of a person and a rodent are the same, and the bones with an equal amount of detail. Scientists have even said that studying the functions of human genes in mice is easier than in humans.
In the East, mice were perceived differently than in the West, where they were only spoken of in negative terms. In Japan, for example, the mouse was the companion of the god of happiness. In China, in the absence of mice in the yard and in the house, anxiety arose.
1. Everyone thinks mice like cheese. But this opinion is false, because such rodents like to eat foods high in sugar, for example, grains and fruits, and objects with a strong smell of cheese can make them disgusted.
2. For laboratory experiments, color and white mice are usually used, which were bred by selection. These rodents are not wild, easy to handle and eat a variety of foods, in particular, special briquettes that are fed to them in research centers.
3. Mice have a strong maternal instinct and not only in relation to their children. If you toss several stranger cubs to a female mouse, she will feed them like her own.
4. Indoor mice have a great sense of height and are afraid of it. That is why, if left unattended, the mouse will never begin to descend head over heels from the bedside table or table top.
5. Throughout life, the incisors of mice are constantly grinded and evenly acquire the length they need.
6. The mouse has a proportional structure. Her body and tail are the same length.
7. The ancient Egyptians prepared a drug from mice and took it as a medicine against various diseases.
8. Each person needs to replenish the reserves of vitamin C in the body, and mice do not have to do this, because vitamin C is produced in them “automatically”.
9. The most famous mouse is Mickey Mouse, which was first discovered in 1928.
10. In some African and Asian states, mice were considered a delicacy. So, for example, they are not disdained in Rwanda and Vietnam.
11. Hearing in mice is approximately 5 times sharper than in humans.
12. Mice are very shy creatures. Before getting out of its own shelter, this rodent will carefully study the situation. Having noticed the danger, the mouse will run away, hiding after that in a secluded place.
13. The heart of such a rodent beats at a frequency of 840 beats per minute, and its body temperature is 38.5-39.3 degrees.
14. Mice are able to communicate with each other using sounds. A person hears some of these sounds in the form of a squeak, and the rest is an ultrasound that is not perceived by us. During the mating season, due to ultrasound, males attract the attention of females.
15. The mouse is able to crawl into the narrowest gap. She has this opportunity due to the absence of clavicles. This rodent simply compresses its own body to the required size.
16. The sight of the mouse is colored. She sees and distinguishes between yellow and red.
17. Female mice rarely scandal among themselves. Together they are able to raise offspring without showing any aggression towards other people's cubs. Male mice are not involved in raising babies.
18. The word "mouse" comes from the ancient Indo-European language, which means "thief".
19. The ability of mice to completely regenerate damaged heart muscle tissue shocked society. Before it was possible to discover such an ability in a rodent, it was believed that this function is lost by all living creatures that stand on the evolutionary ladder above reptiles.
20. In the retina of the mouse eye, it was possible to find a structure of light-sensitive cells, which affected the work of the biological clock. If a blind mouse has eyes, then they live in the same daily rhythm as in sighted rodents.
21. Each mouse has a special gland on its legs, thanks to which the rodent marks its territory. The smell of these glands is transmitted to all objects that they touch.
22. The strongest mouse, which was able to defeat all contenders in the process of bloody battles, is chosen as the leader. The leader is obliged to establish order among the members of the pack, because a rigid hierarchy prevails in mice.
23. In nature, mice are considered to be most active at night. It is with the onset of darkness that they begin to look for food, dig holes and guard their own territory.
24. Modern scientists have identified about 130 species of domestic mice.
25. When running, the mouse develops a speed of up to 13 km / h. This rodent is also good at climbing various types of surfaces, jumping and swimming.
26. Mice are not able to sleep or stay awake for a long time. During the day, they have up to 15-20 periods of activity with the duration of each of them from 25 minutes to 1.5 hours.
27. Mice have a reverent attitude towards the cleanliness of their own shelter. When a mouse notices that its bedding is dirty or wet, it leaves the old nest and builds a new one.
28. In a day, such a rodent should drink up to 3 ml of water, because in a different situation, after a few days, the mouse will die due to dehydration.
29. Mice can produce offspring up to 14 times per year. Moreover, each time they have from 3 to 12 mice.
30. The smallest mouse reached 5 cm in length with its tail. The largest mouse had a body length of 48 cm, which was comparable to the size of adult rats.
31. At the end of the 19th century, it was possible to create a club for the breeding of various species of mice. It is also considered surprising that this club is still working.
32. Ancient Greek Apollo was the god of mice. In some temples, mice were kept to interrogate the gods. Their proliferation was a sign of divine favor.
33. Mice can be brave and bold. Sometimes they attack an animal that is several times their size.
34. White mice were bred by the Japanese 300 years ago.
35. Spiny mice live in the states of the Middle East, which can shed their own skin in case of danger. In place of the discarded skin, a new one grows after a while and is covered with wool.
36. When a male mouse starts courting a female, he sings a mouse "serenade", which attracts the opposite sex.
37. In ancient Rome, mice were saved from fornication. For this, the wives smeared their own chosen ones with mouse droppings. This ensured that the husband would not go "to the left".
38. Mice are beneficial not only because the cat will be healthier and more agile by eating it. Such love has a physiological explanation. The wool of mice contains a large amount of sulfur, and when eaten by the cat, it protects against baldness.
39. Mice often prepare supplies for themselves for the winter, but this does not mean that their activity in this period drops sharply. Their movements are carried out under the snow, because this is where they look for food.
40. In ancient times, it was believed that mice were born from the mud of the Nile River or from household trash. They lived in temples, and by their behavior the priests predicted the future.
