Other family members are the “Gartenschläfer” (garden dormouse), the “Haselmaus” (hazel dormouse) and the “Baumschläfer” (engl. tree sleeper). They belong to the ordinance of Rodentia like rats and mice. The creature is around 13 – 18 cm long. Its food is vegetables, seeds and insects. Sometimes birds are eaten too. In Europe the species can be found in forests, vegetable gardens and buildings near to forests. They are in part endangered or critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List. The German name “Siebenschläfer” goes back to the usually seven months of hibernation from around October to May. It has around 3 to 6 offspring per year. In forests the species can “damage” younger trees, because of eating the bark. That “damage” can be mistaken with nutritional traces of squirrels. Two times I found a garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) on a lawn caught and killed by a cat.