Uploaded December 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Rachel, who is a PHD student at the University of Cumbria, is working with us to find out how warming winters may be impacting dormice. Dormice hibernate over winter and emerge again in the spring. We don't know how they know when to wake up but it could be due to temperature change. Warmer winters due to climate change could cause dormice to wake up too early, when there is not enough food for them. Rachel has been on the search for dormice, using micro-chip detectors and camera traps, to find their nests and to time when they emerge from hibernation. This will help to produce future-proof conservation plans for the species in the face of climate change, as well as informing woodland management plans.
Find out more about how we are saving the hazel dormouse and what you can do to help: ptes.org/campaigns/dormice/.
Video credit Rachel Findlay Robinson (Cumbria University).
Rachel, who is a PHD student at the University of Cumbria, is working with us to find out how warming winters may be impacting dormice. Dormice hibernate over winter and emerge again in the spring. We don't know how they know when to wake up but it could be due to temperature change. Warmer winters due to climate change could cause dormice to wake up too early, when there is not enough food for them. Rachel has been on the search for dormice, using micro-chip detectors and camera traps, to find their nests and to time when they emerge from hibernation. This will help to produce future-proof conservation plans for the species in the face of climate change, as well as informing woodland management plans.
Find out more about how we are saving the hazel dormouse and what you can do to help: ptes.org/campaigns/dormice/.
Video credit Rachel Findlay Robinson (Cumbria University).
