Mice

For the computer peripheral, see computer mouse.

A mouse is a mammal that belongs to one of numerous species of small rodents in the genus Mus and various related genera of the family Muridæ. Mus musculus, the common house mouse (or laboratory mouse) is found in nearly all countries. The American white-footed mouse (Hesperomys peromyscus), and the deer mouse (Hesperomys leucopus) sometimes live in houses. These species of mice live commensally with humans.

Mice are popular as pets; special varieties of mice, especially albino ones, are also bred as laboratory specimens. In the 2006 Biosatellite project, for example, a group of mice-astronauts will orbit Earth inside a spinning spacecraft to learn what its like to live on Mars.

However, mice can also be harmful pests, damaging and eating crops and spreading diseases through their parasites and feces. The domestication of cats is thought to have been for their predation of mice and their relatives, the rats. A mouse trap can also be used to catch mice.

Mice generally live on a herbivore diet, but are actually omnivores - they will eat meat, the dead bodies of other mice, and have been observed to cannibalise their tails during starvation.

Mice are popular in fiction (usually as anthropomorphic funny animals). Mickey Mouse in particular is recognized throughout the whole world. See List of fictional mice.