Sleepy Dormouse is YouTube Sensation

Here's your obligatory cute animal video of the day.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eyaOXN6Vgrw]

The dormouse was nestled all snug in his bed, while visions of hazelnuts danced in his head.

That was until a British ecologist pulled him out of his nesting box, took a video and made the adorable snoring rodent a YouTube sensation.

The Telegraph waxes poetic about the 31-second clip, which shows the mouse “gently rocking as with his eyes closed and little paws tucked in he takes deep breaths, while being cradled in the hand of a nature officer, who gently strokes the top of his head with his thumb.” Aww.

The only downside is that there’s no sound, but the wildlife officer said the mouse’s snore sounded like a soft whistle.

Luckily, the wee beastie was not disturbed to delight viewers – dormice, which are endangered, spend a third of their lives hibernating. During the spring, summer and autumn the mice plump up on tasty fruits, nectar, insects and hazel nuts to prepare for their winter slumber. Once they’re asleep, they’re pretty hard to wake up.

The tiny creature, discovered on a wildlife survey, was weighed and then nestled back into his box. Not all of his brethren lead such peaceful lives, however.

“Sadly their populations are under threat from living in isolated, poorly managed woodland and scrub habitats,” Surrey Wildlife Trust project officer Dave Williams told the Telegraph. “They’ve been turning up in some unexpected places including suburban gardens, some full of non-native plants such as rhododendron and bamboo, with no woodlands nearby.”

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