A dormouse is a small, furry rodent known for sleeping through most of the winter. These mouse-sized animals, found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, hibernate for months at a time, sometimes curled up in underground burrows or cozy nests. Their name comes from the French word dormir, which means “to sleep.”

Dormice look like a cross between a mouse and a small squirrel, with fluffy tails, big dark eyes, and soft fur. They're excellent climbers who live in trees and bushes, eating nuts, berries, and insects. Before winter arrives, a dormouse stuffs itself with food to build up fat reserves, then finds a safe spot and falls into such a deep sleep that you could pick it up without waking it.

You might recognize the dormouse from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, where the sleepy Dormouse keeps dozing off at the Mad Hatter's tea party. Lewis Carroll chose this creature perfectly: dormice really do spend much of their lives asleep. A dormouse might sleep for seven or eight months straight during hibernation, waking only when spring arrives and food becomes plentiful again.