The harvest mouse looks similar to the house mouse but it is smaller, has more fur on its tail and has larger ears. Its head has a pointed snout, rounded ears and round, black eyes. Its body is covered in very soft fur.
Harvest mice live in parts of Canada, the United States and Ecuador. They can live in salty marshes or tropical forests but prefer grassy regions. They build their nests in branches about 15 to 30cm above the ground. They weave leaves and grass into ball-shaped nests. These nests can be about 16cm in diameter.
Harvest mice will eat green plants and sprouts but they prefer to eat seeds. They pick the seeds off the ground. They will eat almost anything they can find.
A female has to 7 young at a time. She carries them in her body for 21 to 24 days. When the young are 2 months old, they can start their own families.
By Anna, Cissie, Dhruv, Kylie, Rowell, Sarah
used by permission of Andrea C. Jacobs © 1999
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