Edible Dormouse

Edible Dormouse

Glis glis

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Prague

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

5 Verified sightings at Prague
36 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Edible Dormouse

The European edible dormouse (Glis glis), also known as the European dormouse or European fat dormouse, is a large dormouse and one of only two living species in the genus Glis, found in most of Europe and parts of western Asia. The common name comes from the Romans, who ate them as a delicacy.

The word dormouse comes from Middle English dormous, of uncertain origin, possibly from a dialectal *dor-, from Old Norse dár 'benumbed' and Middle English mous 'mouse'. The word is sometimes conjectured to come from an Anglo-Norman derivative of dormir 'to sleep', with the second element mistaken for mouse, but no such Anglo-Norman term is known to have existed.

The Latin word glis, which is the origin of the scientific name, is from the Proto-Indo-European root *gl̥h₁éys 'weasel, mouse', related to Sanskrit गिरि girí 'mouse' and Ancient Greek γαλέη galéē 'weasel'. The European edible dormouse is the largest of all extant dormice, being around 14 to 19 cm (5.5 to 7.5 in) in head-body length, plus an 11- to 13-cm-long tail. It normally weighs from 120 to 150 g (4.2 to 5.3 oz), but may almost double in weight immediately prior to hibernation. It has a generally... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:21

France · 2026

© Thierry THOMAS · XC1184009 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Defensive call0:38

Poland · 2022

© Adam Gruszczyński · XC1178227 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Social call0:17

France · 2025

© Carole Bizart · XC1044392 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~20%
2 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
3 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Munich 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
2 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden 🇭🇺 Hungary In captivity
2 Tropicarium 🇭🇺 Hungary In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Edible Dormouse in Prague?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Edible Dormouse sighting in Prague on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 18th most-seen of the 18 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Edible Dormouse in Prague?

June and August–September

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Edible Dormouse in Prague on a given day, against under 5% in July and October–May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Edible Dormouse?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Edible Dormouse sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Prague the best place to see an Edible Dormouse?

2nd of 2

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Edible Dormouse sightings, Prague ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Munich (Germany, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Edible Dormouse live in Prague?

Same order: Rodentia

The closest relatives of the Edible Dormouse that you can see in Prague (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Coypu (about 60%), Eurasian Red Squirrel (about 40%) and Eurasian Beaver (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Edible Dormouse sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Edible Dormouse is recorded against all the mammals logged in Prague (5 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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