Yellow-necked mouse

The yellow-necked mouse was only acknowledged as a separate species this century. Prior to this it was mistaken for the wood mouse. Both species strongly resemble each other. As its name suggests, the yellow-necked mouse sports a varyingly pronounced yellow band of fur on its neck. With a larger body weight, it has the edge on the wood mouse and otherwise makes strong claims to its territory. It prefers primarily mature deciduous woodland with plenty of deadwood, whereas the somewhat smaller wood mouse is more likely to be found in fields, parks and meadows. An area abundant with beechnuts, acorns and hazelnuts is prized by female yellow-necked mice for the purpose of raising their young and they will subsequently strive to defend such territories against other females and even wood mice. Typically, the yellow-necked mouse will dominate the wood mouse and is therefore able to select the most suitable habitats for itself.