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Plantdrew: taxobox cleanup

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taxobox cleanup

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{{Taxobox
| image = Micromysminutus1.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite journal |author1=Aplin, K.|author2=Lunde, D.|author3=Batsaikhan, N.|author4=Kryštufek, B.|author5=Meinig, H.|author6=Henttonen, H. | title=''Micromys minutus''| journal = The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species| volume= 2008|publisher = [[IUCN]] | year = 2008 | page = e.T13373A3875408| url = http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/13373/0|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T13373A3875408.en| accessdate = 7 August 2016}}</ref>
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| classis = [[Mammalia]]
| ordo = [[Rodentia]]
| familia = [[Muridae]]
| subfamilia = [[Murinae]]
| genus = ''[[Micromys]]''
| species = '''''M. minutus'''''
| binomial = ''Micromys minutus''
| binomial_authority = ([[Peter Simon Pallas|Pallas]], 1771)
| range_map = Distribution of Micromys minutus Map.png
| range_map_caption = Distribution of harvest mice
}}

The '''harvest mouse''' (''Micromys minutus'') is a small [[rodent]] native to [[Europe]] and [[Asia]]. It is typically found in fields of [[cereal]] crops, such as [[wheat]] and [[oat]]s, in [[reed bed]]s and in other tall ground vegetation, such as long [[grass]] and [[hedgerow]]s. It has reddish-brown fur with white underparts and a naked, highly [[prehensile tail]], which it uses for climbing. It is the smallest European rodent; an adult may weigh as little as {{Convert|4|g|oz}}. It eats chiefly [[seed]]s and [[insects]], but also nectar and fruit. Breeding nests are spherical constructions carefully woven from [[grass]] and attached to [[Plant stem|stems]] well above the ground.

==History==
Before the harvest mouse had been formally described, [[Gilbert White]] believed they were an undescribed species, and reported their nests in [[Selborne|Selborne, Hampshire]]:
<blockquote>They never enter into houses; are carried into ricks and barns with the sheaves; abound in harvest; and build their nests amidst the straws of the corn above the ground, and sometimes in [[thistle]]s. They breed as many as eight at a litter, in a little round nest composed of the blades or grass or wheat.
One of these nests I procured this autumn, most artificially platted,<ref>"artificially platted": skillfully woven.</ref> and composed of the blades of wheat; perfectly round, and about the size of a [[Cricket ball|cricket-ball]]. It was so compact and well-filled, that it would roll across the table without being discomposed, though it contained eight little mice that were naked and blind.<ref>White, ''The Natural History of Selborne'', letter xii (4 November 1767).</ref></blockquote>

Conservation efforts have taken place in Britain since 2001. Tennis balls used in play at [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] have been recycled to create artificial nests for harvest mice in an attempt to help the species avoid predation and recover from near-threatened status.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1406612.stm|title='New balls, please' for mice homes|date=25 June 2001|publisher=|via=bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Harvest Mouse (face).jpg|220px|left|thumb|Portrait]]
The harvest mouse ranges from {{Convert|55|to|75|mm|in|abbr=on}} long, and its tail from {{Convert|50|to|75|mm|in|abbr=on}} long; it weighs from {{Convert|4|to|11|g|oz|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/266.shtml |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2004-09-11 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041119125341/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/266.shtml |archivedate=2004-11-19 |df= }}</ref><ref>[http://www.arkive.org/harvest-mouse/micromys-minutus/#text=FactsStatus Arkive: ''Micromys minutus''.]</ref> or about half the weight of the [[house mouse]] (''Mus musculus''). Its eyes and ears are relatively large. It has a small nose, with short, stubble-like whiskers, and thick, soft fur, somewhat thicker in winter than in summer.<ref name=ADW>{{cite web |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Micromys_minutus.html |author=Ivaldi, Francesca |title=Micromys minutus |accessdate=28 May 2009 }}</ref>

The upper part of the body is brown, sometimes with a yellow or red tinge; the under-parts range from white to cream coloured. It has a prehensile tail which is usually bicoloured and furless at the tip. The mouse's rather broad feet are adapted specifically for climbing, with a somewhat opposable, large outermost toe, allowing it to grip stems with each hindfoot and its tail,<ref name=ADW/> thus freeing the mouse's forepaws for food collection. Its tail is also used for balance.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.yptenc.org.uk/docs/factsheets/animal_facts/harvest_mouse.html Young Peoples Trust for the Environment Fact Sheet]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/266.shtml BBC Wildfacts]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1406612.stm BBC News 'New Balls Please' For Mice Homes]
{{Murinae (Melasmothrix–Mus)}}

[[Category:Old World rats and mice]]
[[Category:Mammals of Asia]]
[[Category:Rodents of Europe]]
[[Category:Mammals of Russia]]
[[Category:Mammals of Turkey]]
[[Category:Mammals of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Mammals of Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:Mammals of the Middle East|Mouse, Harvest]]
[[Category:Mammals of Mongolia]]
[[Category:Mammals of South Korea]]
[[Category:Mammals of North Korea]]
[[Category:Mammals of Japan]]
[[Category:Mammals of China]]

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