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The short-tailed field vole, short-tailed vole, or simply field vole (Microtus agrestis) [2] is a grey-brown vole, [3] around 10 cm in length, with a short tail. It is one of the most common mammals in Europe, with a range extending from the Atlantic coast to Lake Baikal .
Voles thrive on small plants yet, like shrews, they will eat dead animals and, like mice and rats, they can live on almost any nut or fruit. In addition, voles target plants more than most other small animals, making their presence evident. Voles readily girdle small trees and ground cover much like a porcupine. This girdling can easily kill ...
Eastern meadow voles are active year-round [8] [9] and day or night, with no clear 24-hour rhythm in many areas. [10] Most changes in activity are imposed by season, habitat, cover, temperature, and other factors. Eastern meadow voles have to eat frequently, and their active periods (every two to three hours) are associated with food digestion.
In South Dakota, meadow voles prefer grasslands to Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) woodlands. [15] In New Mexico, meadow voles were captured in stands of grasses, wild rose (Rosa sp.), prickly pear (Opuntia sp.), and various forbs; meadow voles were also captured in wet areas with tall marsh grasses. [16]
Amargosa voles are a subspecies that is active year-round; they have no period of hibernation. [10] Intraspecific interactions are frequent for Amargosa voles and can be attributed to their polygynous social system. They can found living in burrows in family groups of up to one male, several females, and their offspring. [3]
Microtus is a genus of voles found in North America, Europe and northern Asia. The genus name refers to the small ears of these animals. They are stout rodents with short ears, legs and tails. They eat green vegetation such as grasses and sedges in summer, and grains, seeds, root and bark at other times. The genus is also called "meadow voles". [1]
Gray-tailed voles are difficult to capture live in the wild, as they are unlikely to enter enclosure type traps. [2] The most effective traps are laid inconspicuously along commonly used runways, so that the voles run directly into them. [2] Much of what is known about the voles has been obtained from observing them in captivity. [2]
In Norway and Finland, field voles were the most numerous prey species, per one study in the latter country it made up 30.1% of the food but only provided 3.3% of the prey biomass. [ 14 ] [ 26 ] The European water vole, averaging at 75 to 140 g (2.6 to 4.9 oz), was the main prey species in Styria , Austria , although considerably secondary in ...