The 14 species of nocturnal rodents known as dormice resemble small squirrels rather than mice. Dormice feed on seeds, berries, fruits, and nuts during the summer and also store further supplies to sustain them when they wake from hibernation during the winter months. In Victorian England children kept dormice as pets. The edible, or fat, dormouse was considered a delicacy by the Romans and was fattened on walnuts.
(Image © Helicon)