Dormouse
A dormouse is a rodent of the family Gliridae (this family is also variously called Myoxidae or Muscardinidae by different taxonomists). Dormice are nocturnal animals found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are named for their long, dormant hibernation period of six months or longer. There are 9 genera and 28 living species of dormice, with half of living species belonging to the African genus '' Graphiurus.'' Etymology The word dormouse comes from Middle English , of uncertain origin, possibly from a dialectal element ''*dor-'', from Old Norse and Middle English . The word is sometimes conjectured to come from an Anglo-Norman derivative of , with the second element mistaken for ''mouse'', but no such Anglo-Norman term is known to have existed. The Latin noun , which is the origin of the scientific name, descends from the Proto-Indo-European noun ''*gl̥h₁éys'' , and is related to Sanskrit () and Ancient Greek () . Characteristics Dormice are small rodents, with bod ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Muscardinus
The hazel dormouse or common dormouse (''Muscardinus avellanarius'') is a small dormouse species native to Europe and the only living species in the genus ''Muscardinus''. Distribution and habitat The hazel dormouse is native to northern Europe and Asia Minor. It is the only dormouse native to the British Isles, and is therefore often referred to simply as the "dormouse" in British sources, although the edible dormouse, ''Glis glis'', has been accidentally introduced and now has an established population in South East England. Though Ireland has no native dormouse, the hazel dormouse was discovered in County Kildare in 2010, and appears to be spreading rapidly, helped by the prevalence of hedgerows in the Irish countryside. The United Kingdom distribution of the hazel dormouse can be found on theNational Biodiversity Network website A 2020 study found that hazel dormice in Britain have declined by 51% since 2000. Woodland habitat loss and management and a warming climate are see ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hypnomys
''Hypnomys'', otherwise known as Balearic giant dormice, is an extinct genus of dormouse (Gliridae) in the subfamily Leithiinae. Its species are considered examples of insular gigantism. They were endemic to the Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean from the Early Pliocene until their extinction around the 3rd millennium BC. They first appeared in the fossil record on Mallorca during the Early Pliocene (around 5 million years ago), presumably as a result to the evaporation of the Mediterranean sea during the Messinian salinity crisis (5.96-5.33 million years ago) connecting the Balearic Islands with mainland Europe. They later spread to Menorca, and a possible molar is also known from Ibiza. ''Hypnomys'' became extinct during the late Holocene (around 4500-4000 years ago) likely shortly after human arrival on the Balearics. They were one of only three native land mammals to the islands at the time of human arrival, alongside the shrew '' Nesiotites'' and goat-antelope '' M ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chaetocauda
The Chinese dormouse or Sichuan dormouse (''Chaetocauda sichuanensis'') is a species of dormouse found in subalpine mixed forests in northern Sichuan, China, where it is known from Jiuzhaigou and Wanglang Nature Reserves. It is known only from two captured female specimens taken in the Wanglang Natural Reserve, and was first described by Wang Youzhi in 1985 and relisted by Corbet and Hill (1991, 1992) under a new genus as ''Chaetocauda sichuanensis''. It is currently the only member of the genus ''Chaetocauda''. The two specimens had head and body lengths of 90mm and 91mm and tail lengths of 92mm and 102mm, respectively. They weighed 24.5 and 36.0 g. It is nocturnal and arboreal, nesting in trees around 3 metres above the ground, and was found above an altitude of 2500m above sea level. It is classified as endangered by the IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainab ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are native to all major land masses except for Antarctica, and several oceanic islands, though they have subsequently been introduced to most of these land masses by human activity. Rodents are extremely diverse in their ecology and lifestyles and can be found in almost every terrestrial habitat, including human-made environments. Species can be arboreal, fossorial (burrowing), saltatorial/ricochetal (leaping on their hind legs), or semiaquatic. However, all rodents share several morphological features, including having only a single upper and lower pair of ever-growing incisors. Well-known rodents include Mouse, mice, rats, squirrels, prairie dogs, porcupines, beavers, Cavia, guinea pigs, and hamsters. Once included wi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Selevinia
The desert dormouse (''Selevinia betpakdalaensis'') is a species of rodent in the dormouse family, Gliridae. This species was formerly placed in its own family, Seleviniidae, but it is now considered to be a dormouse, monotypic within the genus ''Selevinia''. It is endemic to Kazakhstan. Taxonomy The desert dormouse was first described in 1939 by Belosludov & Bazhanov as ''Selevinia betpakdalaensis'', the specific name being derived from the Betpak-Dala Desert, west of Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan, where the type specimen was found. They included it in the rat and mouse family Muridae but later proposed placing it in a new family allied to the dormice (Myoxidae or Gliridae). By 1947, they had concluded that it should be placed in the dormouse subfamily Leithiinae. Relationship of the desert dormouse to other dormice based on mitochondrial DNA after Petrova et al. 2024: Description This dormouse has a head-and-body length of between and a tail of between . It has a robust, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Leithiinae
Leithiinae is a subfamily of dormice. It is named after the ''Leithia'', an extinct genus of giant dormouse from the Pleistocene of Sicily. Classification Subfamily Leithiinae *Genus ''Chaetocauda'' ** Chinese dormouse, ''Chaetocauda sichuanensis'' *Genus ''Dryomys'' ** Woolly dormouse, ''Dryomys laniger'' ** Balochistan forest dormouse, ''Dryomys niethammeri'' ** Forest dormouse, ''Dryomys nitedula'' *Genus '' Eliomys'', garden dormice ** Asian garden dormouse, ''Eliomys melanurus'' ** Maghreb garden dormouse, ''Eliomys munbyanus'' ** Garden dormouse, ''Eliomys quercinus'' *Genus ''Hypnomys''† (Balearic dormouse) **'' Hypnomys morphaeus''† **'' Hypnomys mahonensis''† *Genus ''Leithia''† *Genus ''Muscardinus'' **Hazel dormouse, ''Muscardinus avellanarius'' *Genus '' Myomimus'', mouse-tailed dormice ** Masked mouse-tailed dormouse, ''Myomimus personatus'' ** Roach's mouse-tailed dormouse, ''Myomimus roachi'' ** Setzer's mouse-tailed dormouse, ''Myomimus setzeri'' *Genus ''S ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Leithia
''Leithia'' is an extinct genus of giant dormice from the Pleistocene of the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Sicily. It is considered an example of island gigantism. ''Leithia melitensis'' is the largest known species of dormouse, living or extinct, being twice the size of any other known species. Discovery and taxonomy The species were first named by Andrew Leith Adams in 1863 from remains found in caves in Malta and were assigned to the living genus '' Myoxus.''Adams, A. L. (1863), ‘Observations on the Fossiliferous caves of Malta’. ''Journal of the Royal Society,'' 4 .2. pp.11–19. ''Leithia'' was proposed in 1896 by Richard Lydekker as a new genus, suggesting an arrangement currently recognised as the subfamily Leithiinae; the names honour Leith Adams. Two species of ''Leithia'', namely ''Leithia melitensis'' and the smaller ''L. cartei'', lived in Sicily and Malta. (in Italian) Description The skull of ''Leithia melitensis'' reached a length of approximately , ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English period. Scholarly opinion varies, but the University of Valencia states the period when Middle English was spoken as being from 1150 to 1500. This stage of the development of the English language roughly coincided with the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages. Middle English saw significant changes to its vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and orthography. Writing conventions during the Middle English period varied widely. Examples of writing from this period that have survived show extensive regional variation. The more standardized Old English literary variety broke down and writing in English became fragmented and localized and was, for the most part, being improvised. By the end of the period (about 1470), and aided by the movabl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their Viking expansion, overseas settlements and chronologically coincides with the Viking Age, the Christianization of Scandinavia, and the consolidation of Scandinavian kingdoms from about the 8th to the 15th centuries. The Proto-Norse language developed into Old Norse by the 8th century, and Old Norse began to develop into the modern North Germanic languages in the mid- to late 14th century, ending the language phase known as Old Norse. These dates, however, are not precise, since written Old Norse is found well into the 15th century. Old Norse was divided into three dialects: Old West Norse (Old West Nordic, often referred to as ''Old Norse''), Old East Norse (Old East Nordic), and Old Gutnish. Old West Norse and O ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Anglo-Norman Language
Anglo-Norman (; ), also known as Anglo-Norman French, was a dialect of Old Norman that was used in Kingdom of England, England and, to a lesser extent, other places in Great Britain and Ireland during the Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman period. Origin The term "Anglo-Norman" harks back to the time when the language was regarded as being primarily the regional dialect of the Norman settlers. Today the generic term "Anglo-French" is used instead to reflect not only the broader origin of the settlers who came with William the Conqueror, but also the continued influence of Parisian French from the House of Plantagenet, Plantagenet period onwards. According to some linguists, the name Insular French might be more suitable, because "Anglo-Norman" is constantly associated with the notion of a mixed language based on English and Norman. According to some, such a mixed language never existed. Other sources, however, indicate that such a language did exist, and that it was the language desc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Graphiurus
The African dormice (genus ''Graphiurus'') are dormice that live throughout sub-Saharan Africa in a variety of habitats. They are very agile climbers and have bushy tails. They primarily eat invertebrates, with other components of their diet including small vertebrates Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ..., fruit, nuts and eggs. They represent the most diverse living genus of dormice, making up half of all living species. Species Genus ''Graphiurus'', African dormice * Angolan African dormouse, ''Graphiurus angolensis'' * Christy's dormouse, ''Graphiurus christyi'' * Jentink's dormouse, ''Graphiurus crassicaudatus'' * Johnston's African dormouse, ''Graphiurus johnstoni'' * Kellen's dormouse, ''Graphiurus kelleni'' * Lorrain dormouse, ''Graphiurus lorraineus'' * Small ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. Far more work has gone into reconstructing PIE than any other proto-language, and it is the best understood of all proto-languages of its age. The majority of linguistic work during the 19th century was devoted to the reconstruction of PIE and its daughter languages, and many of the modern techniques of linguistic reconstruction (such as the comparative method) were developed as a result. PIE is hypothesized to have been spoken as a single language from approximately 4500 BCE to 2500 BCE during the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age, though estimates vary by more than a thousand years. According to the prevailing Kurgan hypothesis, the proto-Indo-European homeland, original homeland of the Proto-Indo-Europeans may ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |