The Wiesbaden and Rheingau region is home to a rare mammal: the garden dormouse. This mouse-sized rodent with a Zorro mask and long bushy tail inhabits the area in relatively large numbers, but populations in very many other regions of Europe are in drastic decline — which makes Germany responsible for the animal’s conservation. It is, so to speak, the ‘German panda’. Garden dormice are omnivores, living off insects and fruit. They colonize orchards and vineyards as well as the higher, cooler altitudes of Germany’s Mittelgebirge. This study exhibition draws attention to the importance of the garden dormouse and presents the results of the latest research findings.

Name: Garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus)
Family: Dormice (Gliridae)
Order: Rodents (Rodentia)
Head-torso length: 10 to 17 centimeters
Tail length: 9 to 13 centimeters
Weight: between 50 and 120 grams, before the hibernation, which takes place from the end of October to April, even up to 180 grams
Coloration: gray-brown to brown on top, white to gray underneath. In the face from the eyes to behind the ear a black band (nickname "Zorro" or "Panzerknacker")
Communication: animals eager to call, extensive repertoire of sounds reminiscent of bird chirping
Offspring: gestation period three weeks, birth of often four young in May or June, nursing period of young four weeks. Young independent after 40 days. Males reach sexual maturity after first hibernation, females after second.