The exposition consists of 14 enclosures of different size. The enclosures' decorations imitate the following habitats:

The exposition of small mammals is located in the basement under "Animals of Russia" exposition. Opened in May 1996 it was named "The Night world". The exposition design is a result of a long term scientific research of the Research Department.

The rodents represent the majority of species at the exhibition as they are the most numerous mammals' order. Nevertheless, the rodents' expositions are unusual in zoos, especially in Russia. It is due to such rodents' specific characteristics as their small size, night activity as well as their ability to destroy all decoration elements that could be gnawed.
While developing rodents' exposition in the Moscow zoo we followed the principle of so-called "landscape groups". We introduced the representatives of other mammals' taxa from the corresponding areas to the exhibition. While decorating the enclosures we modelled the specific habitats of these animals on the base of numerous pictures and slides from the books and our field trips.

The exposition looks like a dark cave with illuminated windows of enclosures.

Each enclosure has shelters imitating burrows, cavities and hollows similar to the type of shelters the animals naturally inhabit. The shelters are constructed to make one open side visible for visitors and are red lightened. So the animals could be observed even in leisure time when they feel safe in the shelter. Some animals have closed nestboxes constructed in the shelter. The walls of enclosures are covered with paintings visibly enlarging them. The enclosures are decorated with artificial trees and stones.

During the visitor time the area is semi-dark. At the night time the shelters have day-lights on. As a result we were able to invert night mammals' activity rhythm. However they are more active in the morning or in the evening now, while at day time at peak visitors hours, they are rather passive. Many of the "Night world" inhabitants are well bred in captivity and the visitors may observe funny and active offspring. The exposition consists of 14 enclosures of a different size. The enclosures' decorations imitate the following habitats:

Rocky canyon with dry brook in Andas. There are two burrows under an artificial slope. The slopes have many ledges. Chinchillas are exhibited here.
Chinchillas (Chinchilla laniger) (CHINCHILLIDAE) are medium-sized rodents, which are relatives of porcupines. They are known from the Andes of northern Chile where they inhabit rocky mountains at elevations of 3000-6000 meters. Chinchillas are nocturnal, for daytime they shelter in different holes and rocky crevices. Their diet consists of different plant material. In the wild chinchillas form colonies. Females have one litter every year though captive females may give birth to three litters per year. Gestation lasts 3,5 months. Litter size ranges from 1 to 6 youngs, usually 2-3. The new-borns are fully furred, they have opened eyes and are capable to run quickly. In a few days they begin to eat vegetable food. Youngs reach sexual maturity at the age of 5-8 months.
In the wild chinchillas live for 10 yeas, but in captivity they may live for 20 years.
Chinchilla's fur is very expensive that's why almost all of them have been exterminated in the wild. Now they are protected by law and are successfully breeding in captivity in many countries. Often they are kept as a pet.

Savannah. The enclosure is designed for demonstration of small mammals from open and dry areas of any continent. Currently elephant shrews from South Africa are kept here.
These amusing animals are close to both insectivores and primitive primates. Short-eared elephant shrews (Macroscelides proboscideus) (MACROSCELIDIDAE) look like a shrew and a jerboa. They occur in the South Africa where they inhabit semi-deserts.
In the wild elephant shrews shelter in burrows, ground depressions and rock crevices. They are solitary but may form pairs. Their diet consists of ants and termites, sometimes they eat shoots, roots and berries.
Breeding occurs in August-September. Gestation lasts 56-61 days. Litter size is 1-2 youngs. Newborns are well developed. They are furred and are able to move from the first hours.
Elephant shrews are rare in zoo collections. In the Moscow zoo they are successfully kept and bred since 1992.

"African desert". One side of this rather long enclosure has a large artificial burrow connected to the nestbox. The opposite side models clayey ridge with a numerous rodents' burrows. This enclosure was designed for keeping springhares (Pedetes caffer) (PEDETIDAE).
These large rodents occur in semi-deserts of South Africa. They are nocturnal and take shelters in burrows for day-time. Their diet consists of vegetation and insects. Springhares form pairs or family units. Seasonal peaks in reproduction were not recorded. An adult female may give birth to 3 litters a year. Gestation lasts about 80 days. There is usually a single young in a litter. New-borns are fully furred and they are weaned at 45 days. When feeding springhares travel slowly, but when frightened they jump very quickly on hind legs. Leaps may be 3 meters long. One captive specimen lived for 14 years.
The enclosure is also inhabited by cairo spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus) (MURIDAE), which live in holes of the slope. The backs of these mice are covered with lamellar spines. Spiny mice are found in India, southern Iran, Cyprus and Crete in the north of Africa. These nocturnal animals are omnivorous but they often eat plant material. These mice are social.

"Kopetdag". The exposition imitates rocky areas in the mountains of Middle Asia. There are two artificial burrows in the front of the enclosure. There is an artificial tree in the right part of the enclosure for climbing animals to get to the feeders easily.
The exhibiting group of persian jirds (Meriones persicus) (CRICETIDAE), represents typical inhabitants of Turkmenistan mountains at elevations up to 2000 meters. They also are found in Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan. They are nocturnal. Individual home range includes the central part with a shelter for day-time, and peripherals with a series of protective holes. The burrow systems for winter are very complex. The diet consists of seeds and green vegetation. Breeding occurs in March-May. Litter usually consists of 4-5 youngs. They are weaned at 24-25 days but they leave mother a month later. Persian jirds are capable of reproduction when they are 1 year old.

Old wrecking mountains. The exposition imitates rocky ledges with scratches between rocks where visible rodents' shelters are situated. The exposition represents a piece of Bektau-Ata mountains located in Kazakhstan. It was designed for demonstration of picas and mountain voles inhabiting this mountains. However, we keep degu and cactus mouse here inhabiting similar areas in America as we do not have picas and voles currently available.
Degus (Octodon degus) (OCTODONTIDAE) inhabit rocky slopes of Andes in Chile at elevations up to 1200 meters. The species is common in zoo collections and it has been investigated in the wild and in the laboratory.
Degus are vegetarians, they eat grass, leaves, fruits and seeds. Captive groups usually well breed. Females may have 3 litters every year. Litters consist of up to 7 youngs. New-borns are fully furred and their eyes open after 2-3 days. The young degus reach puberty at 6 months.
Degus' vocalisations are very diverse. They are easily tamed in captivity. Cactus mouse (Peromyscus eremicus) (CRICETIDAE) look like a common mouse. They occur in south-western USA and northern Mexico. Cactus mice inhabit different landscapes. They eat seeds, nuts, berries, fruits and small invertebrates and are active at night. They form pairs and breed throughout the year. There are 3-4 litters every year consisting of 1-4 youngs. Gestation lasts 21-27 days and approximately 40 days in lactating females. New-borns cling up to mother's nipples.

A part of tropical forest – "Jungles". The walls are decorated with artificial trees and lianas. The visitors can observe cuts of two large artificial trees with hollows that serve as shelters for animals. The large snag in the floor masks feeders' entrance. The enclosure is designed for tropical species. Currently one can observe green acouchi and squirrels from Southeast Asia here.
Green acouchis (Myoprocta pratty) (DASYPROCTIDAE) are found in wet tropical forests of the Amazon basin. Acouchis' social units range from 2 to 7 individuals. Their diet consists of fruits, vegetables and various plants. Acouchis usually bury the food pieces in the forest litter for future eating. Usually there are 2 litters every year consisting of 1-3 precocial young. They are fully furred and have their eyes opened. Young acouchis become capable of reproduction at 8-12 months. Captive acouchis live for 15 years.
In the wild the numbers of green acouchis have declined because of habitat destruction and hunting.Acouchis in the Moscow Zoo shelter in the hollows among tree roots and store up their food in the litter of their enclosure. Breeding occur every year but after parturition the female is very aggressive towards the male and we usually separate them. Northern palm squirrel (Funambulus pennanti) (SCIURIDAE) are the most appreciable among other our squirrels. They look like a chipmunk and are known from India and Pakistan. These squirrels prefer palm and scrub growth where they forage on the ground and in trees for seeds, nuts, leaves, flowers and insects. They are social. Females build a nest of plant fibbers. Every year they give birth to 3 litters consisting of 2-4 young.
Berdmore's palm squirrel (Menetes berdmorei) (SCIURIDAE) are known from eastern Burma to southern Viet Nam, where they inhabit rocks surrounded by thick shrubs and also fields and forests. They are terrestrial. This species is not studied yet in the wild but in "Night World" these squirrels are quite visible as they often are sitting on the branches or running along artificial liana.

The exposition imitates the piece of Southern Eastern Karakumas with sandy mounds and sparse bushes. The front corner has the cut of mound with artificial burrows of gerbils.
Midday gerbils (Meriones meridianus) (CRICETIDAE), inhabit sandy deserts and semi-deserts of Eurasia. These solitary animals are primarily active at night and they remain in burrows during day-time. They eat green vegetation, roots and insects and store seeds in burrows for winter. Breeding occurs in spring and in autumn. Gestation lasts 21 days and a female may give birth to several litters per year. Litter size is 4-6, sometimes up to 8 youngs. Newborn are naked and blind and are weaned at 1 month. At this time they leave their mother and reach sexual maturity at 2-3 months. In future we plan to diversify this enclosure with large desert insects and lizards.

A piece of mountainous semi-desert of South America or Mexico. There are two artificial slopes with large burrows inside. One burrow tunnel opens to the underground nestbox. The slopes have shelters imitating burrows' entrances for small mammals. A pair of plains viscacha (Lagostomus maximus) (CHINCHILLIDAE) are kept in this enclosure now.
Plains viscachas are among the largest species of rodents. They inhabit the pampas and bushes of Argentina and in the extreme south of Paraguay. Their powerful hind paws and sharp claws are good for digging. These crepuscular animals are social, they form large colonies, usually of 20-30 individuals. Burrow systems may cover up to 700 sq. meters. The entrances and tunnels are very spacious. Many species of insects, reptiles and birds use these burrows as shelters. The members of c colony communicate using different acoustic signals, their vocalisations are very diverse. Plains viscachas are regarded as agricultural pests, so they are killed by people for this reason and are also hunted for their meat.

A piece of sandy tropical savannah or semi-desert with single big boulders. There is an artificial burrow's cut in front of the enclosure, and another burrow with removable cover, which is not exposed, is in the back of the enclosure.
The pictures of Australian deserts were used to design this exposition. Currently the small representatives of Australian marsupials are kept here.
Kowaris (Dasyuroides byrnei) (DASYURIDAE) are found in central and southern territories of Australia, where they inhabit semi-deserts and deserts. Their ecology and behaviour in the wild are not studied enough yet.
They are reported to dig burrows and to be active primarily at night. Their diet consists mainly of insects. In the wild they form pairs or small family groups.

The enclosure imitates a piece of the plain, almost barren desert. A big bush in one of the back corners decorates the door.
There is an artificial burrow's cut in the front. The enclosure is designed to keep jerboas. Now they are male and two females of major great jerboa (Allactaga major) (DIPODIDAE). This species is the largest among all jerboas. It inhabits deserts, semideserts and steppes of Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. These great jerboas are nocturnal and they spend the day-time underground in the burrows. Their winter hibernation lasts for 5 months. Reproduction is usually occur in April-May. Litter size is 3-4 youngs. Jerboas eat roots, seeds and insects.

The brake of reeds. We used natural stems of reeds and dry weeds to decorate this enclosure.
This specialised exposition is developed for the small climbing rodents' demonstration and was specially designed for harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) (MURIDAE).
The harvest mice are among the smallest of rodents, they usually weight 5-7 g. They occur from Western Europe to Korea where they inhabit forest-steppes at elevations up to 2200 meters. They are well adopted to climbing among tall vegetation and are usually found in reeds, weed beds and tall grass.
Females occupy separate globe-shaped nests composed of grass leaves. Males usually help them to build a nest. In winter these mice may aggregate in granaries forming groups up to 5000 individuals. Their diet consists of seeds, green part of plants and insects.
There are usually 3-4 litters every breeding season, each consisting of 5-8 youngs. The newborn are naked and blind. They leave mother at 15-18 days.
Their longevity in the wild is about 6 months, but they can live in captivity for more than 5 years.

A piece of mixed forest of the middle zone. The exposition is based on the trunk of old curved hollow tree placed in a way that visitors can observe the part of the cut hollow. There is an artificial burrow in the front part of exposition.
A piece of mixed forest of the middle zone. The exposition is based on the trunk This enclosure is designed for the demonstration of small wood rodents. At present, common dormouse and yellow-necked field mouse are exhibited here.
Common dormice (Glis glis) (GLIRIDAE) are the largest in the family. They occur in deciduous and mixed forests of Europe and Asia Minor. They are generally nocturnal and usually shelter for day-time in hollow trees or birds' nests. The diet consists of fruits, nuts, berries, leaves and insects.
Before winter hibernation dormice become quite fat. After hibernation in April-June reproduction starts. Gestation is about 25 days. Litter size is 5-6 (up to 9) youngs. Newborn are naked and blind, their weight is about 2,5 g. When young are 1,5 months old they disperse from mothers home range.
Yellow-necked field mice (Apodemus flavicollis) (MURIDAE) are found in most of Europe, where they inhabit broad-leaved and mixed forests and grassy fields. These nocturnal animals nest in hollow trees, in shelters among tree roots or between stones. Their burrow systems are not complex. Yellow-necked field mice eat different parts of plants and insects. For winter they store up food (up to 4 kg.). Females produce 5 litters per year. Litter size is 5-7 (up to 9) youngs. A gestation period lasts 27-29 days. The youngs reach sexual maturity at 3-3,5 months.

The part of the taiga forest. Visitors can observe two big cuts of artificial trees with hollows in the upper part of the trunks, which are used as shelters. There are several replaceable artificial bushes between the trees and a fallen trunk in the bottom of the enclosure.
This enclosure was designed for flying-squirrels and european hedgehog. Russian flying squirrels (Pteromys volans) (SCIURIDAE) inhabit coniferous and mixed forests in the north and east of Europe, in all Siberia except for its northern regions, and in the Far East. They are primarily nocturnal and the day-time they spend in shelters in hollow trees or in nests made of moss and lichens. Flying squirrels feed on twigs, leaf-buds and seeds of trees, fungi and berries. There is one litter per year, born in June – July. Litters usually consist of 2-4 youngs.
Flying squirrels have large loose skin of the body between fore and hind paws. This membrane allows them to glide for about 50 metres. The tail helps to keep on course and to steer. European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) (ERINACEIDAE) is probably the most known species among insectivores. This medium-sized animal is covered with spines on the back and sides. It inhabits forest and grassland areas of Europe, Asia Minor, Siberia Far East, north-eastern China and Korea.
Hedgehogs are active at night. From October to April they hibernate. Their nests in burrows are usually made of dry leaves and grass. Hedgehogs consume nearly anything they find – invertebrates, frogs, lizards, young birds and birds' eggs. In the wild they live for 6-7 years.

The bottom of the forest ravine with tree roots and rocky outcrops. The complex artificial burrow visible for visitors is under one of the outcrops.
A group of egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) (PTEROPODIDAE) is disposed here. These small fruit bats are found in Africa, on Arabian Peninsula and Cyprus. They are flying in darkness and in the day-time they form large roosting groups. Their diet consists of fruit juice and nectar of flowers.
In November – December females usually give birth to a single young, twins are rare. In the Moscow zoo fruit bats breed successfully. In future we plan to enrich this enclosure with other small mammals.