meadow vole
(Microtus pennsylvanicus)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
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| NatureServe | N5 - Secure SNR - Unranked |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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Meadow vole is the largest vole found in Minnesota and the most widely distributed mole in North America. It weighs between 1 and 2½ ounces. The length of the head and body together is The ears are small, inconspicuous, and hidden by the fur. The coat (pelage) is long and soft. It is dark brown on the back, a little lighter on the sides, and silvery on the belly. It is darker on young individuals, lighter on older individuals. The tail is |
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Size |
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Total Length: Head and body: Tail: |
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Sign |
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Similar Species |
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| Prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) pelage has a grizzled appearance. The belly is yellowish. The tail is shorter, |
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Habitat |
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Meadows, fields, grassy marshes, grassy woodlands. Moist places. |
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Biology |
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Behavior |
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Adults are active all times of day. |
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Lifespan |
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Less than one year |
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Life Cycle |
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Breeding takes place between April and December. Two to four litters are produced each year. There are usually 4 to 6 offspring per litter though there may be as few as 1 or as many as 11. Gestation lasts 20 to 23 days. Due to high nestling and juvenile mortality, an average of only 2.6 offspring are successfully weaned. The offspring reach sexual maturity at 5 to 6 weeks. Adults usually live less than one year but may live up to two years. |
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Food |
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Diet consists mostly of grasses, sedges, and herbs, but also includes seeds, grains, and when available, tubers, bulbs, and fruits. In the winter they sometimes eat the bark and roots of woody shrubs and trees. |
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Distribution |
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Sources Drummond vole (M. p. drummondii) is found only in an area from Kittson County south along the Red River to Traverse County. Eastern meadow vole (M. p. pennsylvanicus) occurs throughout most of the state. |
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| 9/29/2015 | ||||
Occurrence |
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Common |
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Taxonomy |
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| Class | Mammalia (mammals) | ||
| Subclass | Theria | ||
| Infraclass | Eutheria (placentals) | ||
| Magnorder | Boreoeutheria | ||
| Superorder | Euarchontoglires | ||
| Clade | Glires (rodents and rabbits) | ||
| Order | Rodentiia (rodents) | ||
| Suborder | Myomorpha (mice, rats, voles, gerbils, hamsters, lemmings) | ||
| Superfamily | Muroidea (mice, rats, voles, hamsters, gerbils, and relatives) | ||
Family |
Cricetidae (New World rats and mice, voles, hamsters, and relatives) | ||
Subfamily |
Arvicolinae (voles, lemmings, and muskrats) | ||
| Tribe | Arvicolini (water voles and muskrats) | ||
Genus |
Microtus (meadow voles) | ||
| Subgenus | Mynomes | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Acadian meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus acadicus) Admiralty Island meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus admiraltiae) Alcorn meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus alcorni) arctic meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus arcticus) Barren Ground meadow mouse (Microtus pennsylvanicus aphorodemus) bean meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus wahema) black meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus nigrans) Block Island meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus provectus) Chihuahua meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus chihuahuensis) Drummond vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus drummondii) eastern meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus pennsylvanicus) Florida marsh vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus dukecampbelli) Hudsonian meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus fontigenus) Kincaid meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus kincaidi) large Labrador meadow mouse (Microtus pennsylvanicus enixus) little Labrador meadow mouse (Microtus pennsylvanicus labradorius) Magdalena Island meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus magdalenensis) meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus copelandi) meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus finitus) meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus funebris) meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus insperatus) meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus pullatus) meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus uligocola) Newfoundland Island meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus terraenovae) Penobscot meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus shattucki) Sawatch meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus modestus) Tanana meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus tananaensis) |
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Synonyms |
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Microtus nesophilus |
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Common Names |
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meadow vole |
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Glossary
Pelage
The coat of a mammal, consisting of fur, wool, or hair, and including a soft undercoat and stiff guard hairs.
| Visitor Photos | |||
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| MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos | |||
Eastern Meadow Vole |
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_03.jpg "meadow vole") |
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| Slideshows | ||
| Microtus pennsylvanicus (Meadow Vole) Allen Chartier |
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| Visitor Videos | |||
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| Other Videos | |||
| Meadow Vole (Cricetidae: Microtus pennsylvanicus) Carl Barrentine |
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About
Published on Feb 24, 2013 Photographed at the Turtle River State Park, North Dakota (23 February 2013). |
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| Meadow vole at the "Good" field, Bryn Athyn College campus Eugene Potapov |
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About
Published on Apr 5, 2013 The meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) at the "Good" field, Bryn Athyn College campus was busy marking the camera in a clipped grassy pathway (run). |
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| Meadow vole running in a panic (HD) Bart B. Van Bockstaele |
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About
Published on Jul 23, 2012 A meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) climbed in a plant and started gnawing the stem. When the stem breaks and falls down, the vole runs in a panic and doesn't return. Quite hilarious, and an indication for limited intelligence. This is one meadow vole that certainly won't be doing calculus any time soon. |
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| Jack Hubley's Mightiest Mammal -- The Meadow Vole wgaltv |
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About
Uploaded on Apr 2, 2010 The Susquehanna Valley's mightiest mammal may not be the big, bad creature you might think |
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| Visitor Sightings | ||||
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| viner 66 1/13/2020 |
Location: St. Louis County, Minnesota So many trapped in my garage, it feels like an infestation. |
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| MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings | ||||
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