By Helen Briggs BBC News
28 March 2017
Mice have been living
alongside humans for 15,000 years, according to fossil evidence.
This is earlier than
previously thought - and predates the dawn of agriculture.
Scientists believe wild
mice crept into settlements in the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean) region to
steal wild grains and seeds that ancient people had gathered and stored.
The rodents became what
we know today as house mice, enjoying free food and shelter in human homes.
"Nowadays, thanks to
this relationship, house mice have colonised almost every corner of the globe
to become almost as ubiquitous as humans and also one of the most invasive
mammalian species," said Dr Thomas Cucchi of Museum national d'Histoire
naturelle, Paris.
His research is based on
studies of teeth from the remains of rodents found in the southern Levant.
Mice started their
relationship with humans "as soon as our species started to stay put and
build houses 15,000 years ago", he said.
The people lived in round
houses made of stone and mud. They foraged for wild cereals, such as emmer
wheat and barley, and hunted deer and wild boar.
Mice appear to have
thrived in this environment, with ample food to eat and few predators. It was a
while before cats and dogs arrived on the scene.
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