What is the male mouse called? - briefly
A male mouse is called a buck (sometimes also referred to as a tom).
What is the male mouse called? - in detail
The standard term for an adult male mouse is buck. This designation aligns with the nomenclature used for other small mammals, such as rats and rabbits, where “buck” identifies the male and “doe” the female.
Alternative labels appear in specific contexts:
- Stud – used in breeding programs to indicate a male selected for reproductive purposes.
- Jack – occasionally encountered in colloquial or regional usage, though not widely accepted in scientific literature.
In scientific classification, mice belong to the genus Mus (e.g., Mus musculus for the common house mouse). Sex is recorded in research reports as “M” for male, but the term “buck” remains the conventional common name. Laboratory documentation often distinguishes males by reproductive status (intact, castrated) rather than by the term “buck,” yet the word persists in field guides and educational materials.
When describing behavior or physiology, the male mouse exhibits characteristics such as territorial marking, increased aggression during mating seasons, and higher circulating testosterone levels compared to females. These traits are referenced in studies of genetics, neurobiology, and endocrinology, where the sex of the animal is a critical variable.
Overall, “buck” serves as the primary, universally recognized name for a male mouse, supplemented by context‑dependent terms like “stud” in breeding and “jack” in informal speech.