Britain's cutest rodent is getting a helping hand from Somerset conservationists this autumn.
Staff at the Secret World Animal Rescue have returned dozens of harvest mice back into the wild this summer to help dwindling numbers of Europe's smallest mouse.
The mice have a life span of 18 months and weigh between five and 11 grammes.
At five to eight centimetres long, they are the smallest British rodent and the only 'old world' mammals to have a truly prehensile tail capable of gripping. The tail is approximately the same length as the head and body and can be wrapped around vegetation for support.
They can be found living in grass nests no bigger than a golf or cricket ball in a variety of habitats, ranging from tall grass on sand dunes to road verges, and feed mainly on seeds, fruit and bulbs. Hence why they were released among the blackberry bushes.
A spokesperson for the rescue centre said: "They seemed fearless as they stepped off a human hand onto the blackberries, some paused a while while others scampered quickly out of sight in the dense undergrowth.
"Who knows how many of the mice survive long enough to breed for the future of the little rodent, but staff at Secret World are doing their bit for the survival of the cutest little mouse in Britain."
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