What is the term for male mice? - briefly
A male mouse is called a buck. This term is standard in laboratory, breeding, and scientific literature.
What is the term for male mice? - in detail
The standard designation for a male mouse is buck. In zoological terminology, “buck” applies to the adult male of several rodent species, including Mus musculus. The counterpart for a female mouse is doe.
In breeding contexts the term stud is also employed to identify a male selected for mating, while sire refers specifically to a father of offspring. These labels are interchangeable in informal settings but retain distinct meanings in genetics and animal husbandry.
Key points:
- Buck – general term for an adult male mouse.
- Stud – male used for controlled breeding programs.
- Sire – male parent of a particular litter.
- Doe – female mouse, providing the gender contrast.
The usage of “buck” originates from older English vernacular for male mammals, extending to small mammals such as rabbits and rodents. Scientific literature consistently adopts this term when describing sex‑specific physiological studies, behavioral experiments, and genetic research involving Mus musculus.