Whiskers

Several days ago, my mother found a dead mouse at her workplace; it had fallen into an empty bucket and, unable to escape, eventually perished. It's not a very pleasant way to die, and this sort of death seems to be a frequent fate for mice. I have tentatively identified the rodent as a deer mouse; deer mice and white-footed mice are very similar in appearance.

This is the first intact mouse I've photographed, as the other two were both partially-eaten, most likely by cats. These macro photographs highlight just how long and delicate this animal's numerous whiskers are -- something I'd never really noticed before.

See also -- Rainy, March 5 2011 and A Feline "Gift", November 9 2010.