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Animal Age

How old does a Forest dormouse get? (age expectancy)

What is the maximal age a Forest dormouse reaches?

An adult Forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) usually gets as old as 4 years.

Forest dormouses are around 24 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 1 grams (0 lbs) and measure 4 cm (0′ 2″). As a member of the Myoxidae family (genus: Dryomys), a Forest dormouse caries out around 3 little ones per pregnancy, which happens around 1 times a year. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 10.5 cm (0′ 5″).

As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.

A Forest dormouse gets as old as 4 years

The forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae found in eastern Europe, the Balkans and parts of western Central Asia. It is categorized as being of least concern in the IUCN List of Threatened Species due to its wide range and stable population trend. Forest dormice have a diploid count (2n) of 48 chromosomes. Even though this species lives in a variety of geographic locations, its greatest population density is in the forests of central Moldova, in Transcaucasia, and in the mountains of Central Asia. In most other locations, population density of this species is rather low. Population density is dependent on many factors. But the main features that this species depends on for choosing a location are the presence of the appropriate food sources as well as good foliage that can be used for a habitat. The reason why the forests in central Moldova have the highest population density is they provide the largest diversity of food sources which are available throughout the year. This location also provides the best type of foliage for the forest dormice to build their nests as well as swing from branches. The combination of both of these aspects allows for this species to have its highest needs met. Therefore, during mating season they produce offspring who also stay in the same general area when they mature. It makes sense not to move from an area if it is providing for your most basic needs.The common name for Eliomys is the garden dormouse. Dryomys are often compared to Eliomys as they have many similarities. However, Dryomys is smaller in size. Two more differences between the two are the braincase for Dryomys is more rounded and the auditory bullae is smaller than that of Eliomys. In addition, their tails are slightly different. The Dryomys’s tail is more uniform in color than that of Eliomys. The forest dormouse competes in artificial and natural nests with hazel dormice, fat dormice, and birds. Its biggest competitors are those species which eat similar types of food and who live in the same kind of habitat.

Animals of the same family as a Forest dormouse

Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Myoxidae):

Animals that reach the same age as Forest dormouse

With an average age of 4 years, Forest dormouse are in good companionship of the following animals:

Animals with the same number of babies Forest dormouse

The same number of babies at once (3) are born by:

Weighting as much as Forest dormouse

A fully grown Forest dormouse reaches around 29 grams (0.06 lbs). So do these animals:

Animals as big as a Forest dormouse

Those animals grow as big as a Forest dormouse: