St Kilda house mouse (SciiFii)

The St Kilda house mouse (Mus musculus muralis) is a subspecies of the house mouse found only on the islands of the St Kilda archipelago of northwest Scotland. The St Kilda house mouse was once extinct since 1930 as a result of the native humans evacuating the island around the same time, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii due to demand for more kinds of exotic pets, although some were also introduced to the subspecies' former range once some humans returned to the archipelago in a few villages. It is uncertain when the subspecies first arrived on the islands, but it is possible that they were unwittingly transported there during the Norse period. Isolated on the islands, the St Kilda house mouse diverged from its relatives. It is up to twice the size of the mainland varieties, although it has a number of traits in common with a subspecies found on Mykines in the Faroe Islands, Mus musculus mykinessiensis. The St Kilda house mouse is an opportunistic omnivore. Its diet includes insects, snails, fruits, seeds, and grains, as well as human litter and animal carcasses. Most St Kilda house mice reach sexual maturity at about 35 days of age and begin mating when they are six weeks old. A single female St Kilda house mouse is capable of producing up to eight litters per year with an average of six pups per litter. After a 21-day pregnancy, these St Kilda house mouse pups are born naked, blind and dependent upon their mother for everything. At about 21 days the young are weaned from their mother and may begin to take short trips away from the nest to explore their surroundings. The conservation status of the St Kilda house mouse is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts and the St Kilda house mouse's tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii