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The shrew constructs a nest up to 20 cm (8 in) in diameter underground or underneath a log, and lines it with leaves or the fur of the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). [3] [5] This nest is kept clean, with wastes deposited outside the nest in a latrine area. [3] [5] Other parts of the burrow system are used for food storage. [5]
Eastern meadow voles have to eat frequently, and their active periods (every two to three hours) are associated with food digestion. [8] [9] In Canada, eastern meadow voles are active the first few hours after dawn and during the two- to four-hour period before sunset. Most of the inactive period is spent in the nest. [9]
Voles often eat succulent root systems and burrow under plants and eat away until the plant is dead. Bulbs are another favorite target for voles; their excellent burrowing and tunnelling skills give them access to sensitive areas without clear or early warning. The presence of large numbers of voles is often identifiable only after they have ...
The nest burrows are for reproducing and raising young; they are usually 5–11 cm deep in well-drained soil with the nest resting at the deepest part of the burrow. [8] The auxiliary burrows do not contain nests; they are less than 50 cm, built 100m from nest burrows, and are constructed in shallow soils. [8]
It also inhabits wetter and drier sites when meadow voles are scarce or absent. The southern bog lemming creates a maze of interconnecting tunnels and runways and builds nests from plant fibers. Summer nests are on the surface of the ground or in a clump of sedges or grasses, but winter nests are usually underground in an enlarged tunnel.
The nest is a flexible sac with a small, round entrance on top, suspended low in a gorse or bramble bush. The structural stability of the nest is provided by a mesh of moss and spider silk. The tiny leaves of the moss act as hooks and the spider silk of egg cocoons provides the loops; thus forming a natural form of velcro. [20]
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.
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, and can be found in nearly every biome and among various biological interactions .