Harvest Mice

Harvest mice are graceful animals. They climb from one plant to another with great ease. Each resembles a monkey swinging on the branches of a tree through the forest. These mice scamper through the forest looking for food. They feed on seeds and insects. They have to eat a lot of food in the summertime so that they can store enough food energy as fat for the winter months. This is necessary so they can stay in shelter from the cold. In the winter, the harvest mouse leaves the nest only during the warmest hours of the day.

The harvest mouse has a very long tail. The tail is helpful and works a lot like another hand or foot. It grabs onto the grass and supports the mouse. It also helps the mouse hang upside down and balance itself when it climbs upwards.

Harvest mice are some of the smallest mice in the world. An adult male harvest mouse weighs less than one-third of an ounce and measures no more than six inches—and that includes the tail! Harvest mice make a shrieking sound, and some of their noises are too high-pitched for humans to hear. These shrieks are usually a sign of distress.