House Mouse - Mice and Humans

Mice and Humans

House mice usually live in proximity to humans, in or around houses or fields. Originally native to Asia (probably northern India), they spread to the Mediterranean Basin about 8000 BC, only spreading into the rest of Europe around 1000 BC. This time lag is thought to be because the mice require agrarian human settlements above a certain size. They have since been spread to all parts of the globe by humans.

Many studies have been done on mouse phylogenies to reconstruct early human movements. For example, one study suggests the possibility of a previously unsuspected early link between Northern Europe and Madeira on the basis of the origin of Madeiran mice.

House mice can transmit diseases, and can damage food and food packaging. Some of the diseases the house mouse carries can be deadly: for example, leptospirosis, murine typhus, rickettsialpox, tularemia, lymphocytic choriomeningitis and potentially bubonic plague. House mice can also cause substantial damage when feeding on grain. House mice were thought to be the primary reason for the taming of the domestic cat. Various mousetraps have been developed to catch mice.

The first written reference to mice kept as pets occurs in the Erya, the oldest extant Chinese dictionary, from a mention in an 1100 BC version. Human domestication led to numerous strains of "fancy" or hobby mice with a variety of colours and a docile temperament. Domestic varieties of the house mouse, called "feeder" mice, are also used as food for some carnivorous pet reptiles, birds, arthropods, and fish. Mice bred for this purpose are genetically identical to other domestic mice, and they can be kept as pets themselves.