Mice and shrews – some of the most defenseless beings in the kingdom of animals. But paradoxically, their most vicious enemy are not predators, but frosts. In the winter little small animals can freeze to death if in time are not prepared properly.
Instruction
1. The main protection against a winter icy cold for field mice is, strangely enough, snow. Like a blanket it wraps up the earth in the depth of which it is possible to hide from wind and cold. Preparing for frosts, mice the main courses and multy-storey minks dig. Under roots of trees and also in places where snowdrifts in the winter the biggest, they pull out holes up to 50-60 cm in depth and equip the round nests covered with dry stalks of herbs.
2. Water rats – the largest version of voles – live in floodplains of the rivers and on coast of reservoirs. In the winter they move to parks, forest belts, kitchen gardens or gardens. There they dig superficial fodder holes where wait winter.
3. Forest mice, unlike field, are closer to winter get over closer to the person and occupy basements of residential buildings. Nevertheless they also train in temporary shelters supplies from nuts, seeds and other food. House mice also winter in barns, ricks, cellars, basements, attics, etc.
4. Gerbils with approach of fall become active 24 hours a day. They prepare stocks for the winter weight to 500 g. They winter in multichamber minks which depth can reach two meters. From five to fifteen individuals usually huddle in them.
5. For shrews winter – a difficult period as they do not eat vegetable food and them for the future have nothing to prepare. Therefore with the onset of cold weather they move closer to people. Quick and dexterous, the shrew takes the wintering insects from under snow and even attacks voles in spite of the fact that those are larger than her.
6. Practical all mice prepare stocks for the winter: nuts, acorns, high-calorific seeds of cereals, etc. Separate types mouse, – first of all those that live on Far North – fall into hibernation in the winter. Sometimes, that some mice (above-mentioned voles, shrews) get on tops of fir-trees and are dug in in the emptiness brought by snow.