Mus musculus?  What's that?



     Mus musculus is a species of rodent that is more commonly known as a house mouse.  This critter's  

Awwah What a Cute Mouse!
 scientific name Mus  musculus is Latin "mus" meaning mouse and "musculus" meaning small mouse (seems a bit redundant huh?).  The common name comes from "house" being the human habitat where many of these animals also like to take shelter and "mouse" the Anglo-Saxton word for mus which is derived from the ancient Sanskrit word "musha" meaning thief.
    Many may think that these pesky little guys are nothing more than an annoyance and to others they are even a bit scary, but there is much more to them than we may think.  They are fascinating creatures that have adapted well throughout the years and by many are thought to be the second most successful mammal species on earth (behind humans of course).  They may be quite destructive in ways, but they are also very beneficial to the ecosystem and humans in some unexpected ways. I hear they really love to sing karaoke too!

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