St Kilda field mouse

St Kilda field mouse
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Apodemus
Species:
A. sylvaticus
Subspecies:
A. s. hirtensis
Trinomial name
Apodemus sylvaticus hirtensis
(Barrett-Hamilton, 1899)

The St Kilda field mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus hirtensis) is a subspecies of the wood mouse that is endemic to the Scottish archipelago of St Kilda, the island 40 miles (64 km) west of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, and 100 miles (160 km) from mainland Scotland.[1] Unique to the islands, the mouse is believed to have arrived on the boats of Viking settlers more than a millennium ago. It is not to be confused with the St Kilda house mouse (Mus musculus muralis), a subspecies of the house mouse which is now extinct.[2][3]

The last remaining human inhabitants of St Kilda abandoned the islands on 29 August 1930. Thereafter the mice that survived, even those occupying houses abandoned by the St Kildans, were field mice that had moved into the houses from the hills. The islands' house mice could not survive the harsh conditions for more than two years after the archipelago was abandoned by its human population.[3] The islands currently have temporary human habitations. While field mice are widespread on Hirta, their concentration is more pronounced in the old village areas where holes provide access into buildings.[4] Though rarely observed by casual visitors, the mouse is common and is present in every part of the habitat, from the harbour to the high point.[2]

  1. ^ "St Kilda Guide". Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b "St Kilda's 'super-sized' field mice studied". BBC. 3 September 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b "The new residents of St Kilda archipelago". BBC News. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  4. ^ Scottish Field. Holmes McDougall. 1980. p. 23. Retrieved 16 May 2013.