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Animal profile

Hazel Dormouse

Muscardinus avellanarius

MammaliaDeciduous woodland with a diverse shrub layer, coppice and species-rich hedgerowsLeast Concern

Field profile

The hazel dormouse is a small golden-brown arboreal rodent with a furred tail, which spends most of its life above ground in the shrub layer. It hibernates on or near the ground from autumn to spring. In Britain it has declined sharply with the loss of coppiced woodland and managed hedgerows.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-04-26

Hazel Dormouse

A hazel dormouse sleeps most of the year

Hibernation from around October to April accounts for half the calendar, and in cool or wet summers the dormouse adds bouts of daytime torpor on top. An individual may spend three-quarters of its life inactive, which is why it lives unusually long for its size.

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Hazel Dormouse | Daily Animal Facts