On May 25, for the first time in the 2021 season, dormice were caught in the territory of the Zhiguli Elevation (Samara Oblast, Middle Volga Region). They turned out to be three males, two adults already with "passports" and one-year-old. To become grown-up, the young mammal got a tattoo with the number 257and became a "legal citizen" of the reserve. According to the mass of the dormice (132 g and 105 g for grown-ups and 59 g for the yearling), they hibernated successfully, thanks to the abundant harvest of acorns last year.
In the Zhiguli, the research of dormice has been conducted for 18 years. Checking of nestboxes occurs twice a month. The second half of May is the usual time for dormice awakening. Males always arouse a week or two weeks earlier than females. In the first half of May, not a single animal was found in two hundreds of nest boxes.
During the census, the senior researcher of the Zhiguli Reserve Vladimir Vekhnik, was assisted by young employees of the Komandorskiy Reservewho shared their photos.
