Vole
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? Vole |
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 Meadow vole,
Microtus
pennsylvanicus
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Genera
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Microtus Myodes Phenacomys Lagurus Arvicola |
A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body; a shorter, hairy tail; and smaller ears and eyes.
Description
Most vole species have rootless molars that fold into a series of triangles. Voles are one of the few rodents whose molars continue to grow during their entire life. There is little to distinguish a vole from a lemming.
All rodents have incisors that grow continuously.
Adult voles, depending on the species, are three to seven inches long.
Habitat
Voles live in a variety of environments. The North American meadow vole lives in networks of above-ground "runways" in grassy areas, as well as underground burrows. California's red vole lives in the tree tops.
Range
Sometimes known as field mice in America, approximately 70 species of voles can be found in Europe, Asia, North Africa and North America.
Diet
Depending on the species, the Vole's diet consists of seeds, tubers, conifers needles, bark, various green vegetation such as grass and clover, and insects.
Predators
Most carnivores such as wolves, owls, hawks, coyotes, foxes, weasels, and cats eat voles.
Age
The average life of a vole is between 3-6 months. Voles rarely live longer than 12 months. The longest lifespan of a vole ever recorded was 18 months.
Popular Culture
The character of Ratty in The Wind in the Willows is actually a water vole, not a rat.