Uncovering the Origins of the Commensal House Mouse

Figure of house mouse. Copyright George Shuklin.
📷: George Shuklin

When I encounter my cat fixated on specific locations in my kitchen, her behavior shows me that she has heard some mice in those areas. In fact, mice have been attributed as a reason that cats became companions to humans. Mice start gathering and reproducing so cats followed the food source and hunted the rodents, thus endearing themselves to humans, who were storing food for their own use. However, new evidence described in Scientific Reports has shown that mice have been associated with humans even before grain storage was widespread. In fact, by making our dwellings comfortable, we also created an inviting place for mice to live.

Continue reading “Uncovering the Origins of the Commensal House Mouse”