Tony Jackson tells the tale of a creature which spends a great deal of its life slumbering
ONE of the most charming members of our native wildlife, the hazel dormouse is, sadly, an endangered species. Once common throughout the land, this small, harmless little creature with an extraordinary lifestyle, has vanished from so many counties as a result of habitat loss due to modern farming practices, the spreading network of roads which isolate communities and changes in woodland management.
However, the good news is that the West Country, notably Devon and the West Dorset and Somerset borders, remain a stronghold for this furry-tailed little mouse which spends half its year sound asleep! Indeed, half its two- to three-year-old life is spent in a dormant coma.
This story is from the August 2017 edition of Somerset Life.
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This story is from the August 2017 edition of Somerset Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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