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P^fc^An adult mouse has
teeth, which it uses for gnawing and chewing its food
P^^^ Mice have one upper pair and one lower pair of long, chisel-like incisor teeth at the front of the mouth.
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P^^k Mice have 12 broader ' cheek teeth called molars
that they use for chewing food into smali particles.
Some rodents, includina mice> hamsters, and 9
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P^fc^During gnawing, lips
are sucked into the gap between the incisors and molars. This stops inedible stuff bitten off by incisors entering the mouth.
P^^^ The incisor teeth grow
continuously. Each pair is kept Sharp and at the right length by scraping against the other pair.
Hopping mice do not drink. They get all the water that they need from their diet of seeds, berries, leaves, green plants, and insects.
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The word “mouse” comes from the word for “thief” in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language.
As well as mice, the rodent family includes rats, gerbils, hamsters, lemmings, voles, and muskrats. They all have incisors that never stop growing.
Bank vole
Around 4 in (10 cm) long, this vole lives in hedgerows and woodland across Europę and Asia. It eats insects as well as leaves, fruit, and nuts.
This smali European and Asian mouse has a prehensile taił, which it uses like a fifth limb. Found in grain fields and hedges, it feeds on seeds and insects.
Lemmings are solitary rodents with thick, long fur that live in the tundra near the Arctic. They do not hibernate in the winter, but instead live in burrows under the snów.
Native to Syria, the golden hamster is a popular pet. In captivity it is nocturnal, but in the wild it is active by day. Its cheek pouches hoard and transport food.
Gerbils live in dry places with harsh climates. This one is found in the Namib Desert of Southern Africa. Hair protects the feet from the heat of the desert sand.
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