# Forest dormouse (*Dryomys nitedula*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/forest-dormouse  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) is a rodent in the family Gliridae, subfamily Leithiinae, within the order Rodentia of the mammals. It is a small, nocturnal, arboreal herbivore of forest habitat, with a representative adult body mass of 33.6 g. Its gestation period is 25 days, with 3.2 young per litter and 1.2 litters per year; lifespan is 4 years, with values up to 4.1 years. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 26 g – 33.6 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 4 years – 4.1 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 24.7 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.24 |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.2 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Arboreal |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Rodentia
- family: Gliridae
- genus: Dryomys
- species: *Dryomys nitedula* (Pallas, 1778)

Synonyms: *Dryomys aspromontis*, *Dryomys milleri*, *Dryomys nitedula aspromontis*, *Dryomys nitedula diamesus*, *Dryomys nitedula phrygius*, *Dryomys nitedula pictus*, *Dryomys nitedula ravijojla*, *Dryomys pictus*, *Dryomys yarkandensis*, *Dyromys milleri*, *Dyromys nitedula bilkjewiczi*, *Dyromys nitedula carpathicus*, *Dyromys nitedula caucasicus*, *Dyromys nitedula daghestanicus*, *Dyromys nitedula kurdistanicus*, *Dyromys nitedula obolenskii*, *Dyromys nitedula ognevi*, *Dyromys nitedula pallidus*, *Dyromys nitedula phrygius*, *Dyromys nitedula saxatilis*, *Dyromys nitedula tanaiticus*, *Dyromys nitedula tichomirowi*, *Dyromys robustus*, *Eliomys angelus*, *Mus nitedula*, *Myoxus dryas*, *Myoxus intermedius*, *Myoxus pictus*, *Myoxus wingei*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the forest dormouse?

The forest dormouse is a rodent, a mammal in the family Gliridae and order Rodentia. It is also called the common forest dormouse or Eurasian forest dormouse.

### How heavy is a forest dormouse?

An adult forest dormouse has a representative body mass of 33.6 g, which places it in the small size class.

### What does the forest dormouse eat?

The forest dormouse is a herbivore.

### Where does the forest dormouse live?

The forest dormouse lives in forest habitat, where it is arboreal and nocturnal.

### Is the forest dormouse endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses the forest dormouse globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a forest dormouse live?

The forest dormouse has a lifespan of 4 years, with values up to 4.1 years reported.

### How many young does a forest dormouse have?

The forest dormouse has 3.2 young per litter and 1.2 litters per year, after a gestation period of 25 days.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/forest-dormouse