The House Mouse is one of the rodents which, following man in his footsteps, has reached a world-wide distribution. Other well known examples of these so-called cosmopolitan species are the black and the brown rat, both living on our island. The original distribution centre of the House Mouse was in Central Asia. Once accustomed to the presence of human beings, it turned into an inseparable companion on all journeys undertaken by man. The upper half of its coat is brown-grey while its belly is much more lightly colored. Its tail is at least as long as its body or even longer. As the name indicates it takes its dwelling near houses and every so often even inside them. An analysis of regurgitated pellets from the barn owl and the kestrel shows that the House Mouse forms a staple of their diet; one more reason to protect these birds from extinction. Another species, the Dwarf-whitefoot Mouse has been found on Aruba. It is smaller than the House mouse, more yellowish and with a tail shorter that its body, which ends in a small white brush. Data about this species are very scarce however, and it would be interesting to know if it still exists on our island.
