Rodents
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Glasgow Museums has a collection of 220 rodent specimens. These date from 1877 to 2005.
This collection comprises about 80 mounted and freeze-dried specimens, 84 skins, 38 skulls or skeletons, two specimens preserved in spirit and several examples of rodent damage and nests. Together these specimens represent 31 species. There are good examples of most British species – wood mice, house mice, harvest mice, brown rats, black rats, water voles, field voles, bank voles, red squirrels and grey squirrels. Most are from Scotland, but there are a few from England. There are also a small number of non-British species, including capybara, musk rat, chinchilla, beaver and porcupine from various localities. Interesting specimens include St Kilda field mice (Apodemus sylvaticus hirtensis) and two black rats from Glasgow docks dating from 1938.
About rodents
All rodents have characteristic teeth, including a single pair of razor-sharp incisors, and the term rodent comes from the Latin word ‘rodere’, meaning ‘to gnaw’. There are over 2,000 species of rodents found throughout the world in all kinds of habitats. - Broader term
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