Microtus
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Microtus
''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. About 62 species are placed in the genus. 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".ITIS database

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Water Vole (North America)
The water vole (''Microtus richardsoni'') is the largest North American vole. It is found in the northwestern United States and southern parts of western Canada. This animal has been historically considered a member of genus ''Arvicola'', but molecular evidence demonstrates that it is more closely related to North American ''Microtus'' species. Water voles are on the USDA Forest Service Region 2 sensitive species list because they maintain very small populations and there is high concern that their required habitat may be declining.Klaus, M., Moore, R., & Vyse, E. (2001, July). Microgeographic variation in allozymes and mitochondrial DNA of Microtus richardsoni, the water vole, in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana and Wyoming, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 79(7), 1286-1295. These animals have gray-brown or red-brown fur with gray under parts. Their large hind feet help make them excellent swimmers, and they are found in alpine or semi-alpine meadows near water. They feed ...
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Long-tailed Vole
The long-tailed vole (''Microtus longicaudus''), in some areas known as the San Bernardino long-tailed vole, is a small vole found in western North America. They have short ears and a long tail. Their fur is gray brown with light gray underparts. They are around long with an tail and weigh about . Taxonomy The scientific name of the long-tailed vole is ''Microtus longicaudus''. The generic name, ''Microtus'', derives from the Greek words '' μικρός'' meaning "small" + '' οὖς'' "ear". In Latin, the species name ''longicaudus'' derives from ''longus'' meaning "long" and ''cauda'' meaning "tail". The type specimen was a female collected by Vernon Orlando Bailey in the Black Hills at an altitude around near Custer, South Dakota, on July 19, 1887. The description was published by C. Hart Merriam in The American Naturalist the following year. The original scientific name was ''Arvicola longicaudus''. Certain features of the molars were noted, which distinguished the l ...
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Zempoaltépec Vole
The Zempoaltépec vole (''Microtus umbrosus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. The name ''Microtus'' is from the Greek word ''mikros'' meaning small and ''otus'' meaning ear. The name ''umbrosus'' could be from the Latin ''umbros'' meaning shady. It is rather large and has a long tail when compared with other voles. Its pelage is long and soft. In the upper parts, the hair is uniformly dusky with brown tips and the lower parts a dark grey thinly washed with a reddish yellow color. It is found only in Mexico, in a semi-isolated mountain range southeast of the Cajones River in Mixes district, in Oaxaca.Frey, Jennifer and Cervantes, Fernando. 1997. Microbus umbrosus. pp. 1-3 in Mammalian Species No. 555. Joseph F. Merritt, Alicia V. Linzey, Cynthia E. Rebar, Karl F. Koopman, Elaine Anderson, and Barbara Blake eds. American Society of Mammalogists Distribution ''Microtus umbrosus'' is limited to a semi-isolated mountain range southeast of the Cajones River in th ...
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Cabrera's Vole
Cabrera's vole (''Microtus cabrerae'') is a species of vole native to Spain and Portugal. It is named for Ángel Cabrera, a mammalogist then working at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid. It is the only living member of the subgenus ''Iberomys'', although two fossil species are also known, including ''M. brecciensis'', the likely direct ancestor of the living species. Description Cabrera's vole is one of the largest voles in the genus ''Microtus'', with a body length of and a tail in length. Adults weigh between , up to five times more than other voles native to Spain and Portugal. They have long, thick fur which is brownish olive over most of the body and yellowish in colour on the underparts. The guard hairs are particularly long, reaching as far as out from the body, greater than that in any other ''Microtus'' species. Internally, the caecum is longer than that in most other voles, relative to body size, a feature that may be related to its specialised diet. ...
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Field Vole
The short-tailed field vole, short-tailed vole, or simply field vole (''Microtus agrestis'') is a grey-brown vole, 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. These voles are found in moist grassy habitats, such as woodland, marsh or on river banks. Although they make shallow burrows, they usually build nests above ground. They are an important food source for owls and some other predators and their population size tends to peak and trough cyclically. Field voles breed prolifically, mainly in summer, but often all year round, even under snow. Females produce up to seven litters a year, each averaging from four to six young which are weaned after about fourteen days. The short-tailed field vole is both widespread and common and is listed as being of "Least Concern" by the IUCN. Description The short-tailed field vole is a small, dark brown rodent with a short tail, dis ...
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Vole
Voles are small rodents that are relatives of lemmings and hamsters, but with a stouter body; a longer, hairy tail; a slightly rounder head; smaller eyes and ears; and differently formed molars (high-crowned with angular cusps instead of low-crowned with rounded cusps). They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America. Vole species form the subfamily Arvicolinae with the lemmings and the muskrats. There are approximately 155 different vole species. Description Voles are small rodents that grow to , depending on the species. Females can have five to ten litters per year, though with an average lifespan of three months and requiring one month to adulthood, two litters is the norm. Gestation lasts for three weeks and the young voles reach sexual maturity in a month. As a result of this biological exponential growth, vole populations can grow very large within a short time. A mating pair can produce a hundred more voles in a year. Voles outwardly resemble s ...
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Singing Vole
The singing vole (''Microtus miurus''), is a medium-sized vole found in northwestern North America, including Alaska and northwestern Canada. Physical characteristics Singing voles have short ears, often concealed by their long fur, and a short tail. The fur is soft and dense, especially in winter. They vary in color from pale tawny to pale grey, with buff-colored patches running from the undersides of the ears along the flanks to the rump, and buff or ochre underparts. The fur is lightly ticked with black guard hairs, but these are so sparse that have little effect on the visible coloration of the animal. The fur is greyer in color during the winter. The paws have sharp, narrow claws, which are largely hidden by fur. Adult singing voles range from in length, not counting the short, , tail. They can weigh anything from , depending on their exact age and recent diet. There is no significant difference in size or coloration between the two sexes. Male singing voles possess modified ...
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Mexican Vole
The Mexican vole (''Microtus mexicanus'') is a species of vole. The Hualapai Mexican vole (''M. m. hualapaiensis'') was formerly recognized as a subspecies and was a protected taxon under the United States Endangered Species Act until 2017. Several other populations of the vole were previously named subspecies but are no longer recognized as distinct. This species has a disjunct distribution in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It can be found in grasslands and other habitat types and is generally adaptable to a range of climate types. The Mexican vole mainly feeds on grasses and the roots of shrubs and trees.(Beacham, 2000) In several studies, the Mexican vole was baited using two plant products, barley and oatmeal. It has also been noted to eat monarch butterflies. The earliest description of the species was in 1861 by Swiss entomologist Henri de Saussure, a Swiss entomologist. Separate populations which appeared to have different morphologies were sometimes named sub ...
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California Vole
The California vole (''Microtus californicus'') is a type of vole which lives throughout much of California and part of southwestern Oregon. It is also known as the "California meadow mouse", a misnomer as this species is a vole, not a mouse. It averages in length although this length varies greatly between subspecies. Description The California vole is a medium-sized vole, and a typical member of its group in appearance. Males range from in head-body length, with a tail. Females are significantly smaller at in length with a tail. Males weigh from , and females from . Variation between different subspecies, though, is considerable, with the southern subspecies tending to be larger than those found further north. The body is covered with cinnamon to tawny olive fur, ticked with occasional darker hairs, and fading to a medium grey on the underside. The tail is black above and grey below. The whiskers and feet are grey in color, with a patch of white fur near the anus. Between s ...
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Mogollon Vole
The Mexican vole (''Microtus mexicanus'') is a species of vole. The Hualapai Mexican vole (''M. m. hualapaiensis'') was formerly recognized as a subspecies and was a protected taxon under the United States Endangered Species Act until 2017. Several other populations of the vole were previously named subspecies but are no longer recognized as distinct. This species has a disjunct distribution in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It can be found in grasslands and other habitat types and is generally adaptable to a range of climate types. The Mexican vole mainly feeds on grasses and the roots of shrubs and trees.(Beacham, 2000) In several studies, the Mexican vole was baited using two plant products, barley and oatmeal. It has also been noted to eat monarch butterflies. The earliest description of the species was in 1861 by Swiss entomologist Henri de Saussure, a Swiss entomologist. Separate populations which appeared to have different morphologies were sometimes named sub ...
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Taiga Vole
The taiga vole (''Microtus xanthognathus'') is a large vole found in northwestern North America, including Alaska and northwestern Canada. The name "taiga vole" comes from its living in the boreal taiga zone. It is also sometimes called the yellow-cheeked vole or chestnut-cheeked vole because of the rusty-yellow color on its face around its vibrisae (whiskers); The taiga voles derive their name from these features: "xantho" is Greek for yellow and "gnathus" is Greek for jaw. It is typically much larger than most other North American voles, especially those from the genus ''Microtus''. An adult taiga vole, excluding tail length, usually ranges from in length and usually weighs . This species is found in northern forests near water or bogs. It makes runways through the surface growth and burrows. It is usually found in colonies. It feeds on grasses, lichens, horsetails and berries. It stores food in its burrows for the winter. Like the singing vole, this animal may give a warning ...
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Microtus Skulls Bailey 1900
''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. About 62 species are placed in the genus. 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".ITIS database

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