Readers of Bunnicula know all about a vampire rabbit, but would you believe a werewolf mouse? When you hear about terrifying meat-eating, howling rodent who enjoys getting injected with toxic venom, you might think it is made-up tale from children’s literature. As it turns out, there actually is a real, fierce killer mouse that terrorizes anyone unlucky enough to get in its way. This terrifying creature is the grasshopper mouse. Find out why it has earned the apt nickname “the Werewolf Mouse.”

There are three species of grasshopper mouse. All of them are native to the United States and Mexico. With a body of 3.5 to 5.0 inches (8.9 to 12.7 cm) and a tail of 1 to 2.5 inches (2.5 to 6.4 cm) in length, it does not appear to be much different than a typical house mouse. That’s where the similarities end.

Unlike other mice, the grasshopper mouse is carnivorous. Its diet consists of insects, centipedes, scorpions, spiders, snakes and other mice.

Wait a minute…. Did that just say “centipedes, scorpions, spiders,” and “snakes”? Yes, the grasshopper mouse not only feasts upon venomous creatures, but it rather enjoys the experience. It has a natural immunity to many of the venoms that would drop any other mouse dead in its tracks. Not only that, but its body can adapt the deadly toxins into a painkiller, meaning that it can actually get a high off of being stung or bitten by its prey.

This makes the grasshopper mouse a formidable predator. It stalks its prey quietly like a cat, and can defend a territory of about 28 acres.

As if this were not terrifying enough, the grasshopper mouse has another quality that truly sets it apart from its cousins: it howls. It defends its territory with a horrifying howl that sounds like a wolf. (Listen to the howl of the grasshopper mouse here.)

It’s no wonder the grasshopper mouse has gained the nickname of the “Werewolf Mouse.”

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