Eastern Meadow Vole

Microtus pennsylvanicus

The Eastern Meadow Vole is a small, furry animal that loves to live in grassy fields. They are very good at hiding and can be found scurrying around in the grass.

Lebensraum: Grasslands

Aussehen

The Eastern Meadow Vole has a stocky body with dense, soft fur that is typically dark brown or grayish-brown on top, fading to lighter gray on its belly. It also has small, barely visible ears, tiny black eyes, and a short, scaly tail, distinguishing it from longer-tailed mice.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseMammaliaOrdnungRodentiaFamilieCricetidaeGattungMicrotus

Eastern Meadow Vole

Kategorie

Säugetiere

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

A single vole can eat its body weight in plants every single day!

Eastern Meadow Voles don't hibernate; they stay active even under winter snow!

They can hear sounds humans can't, helping them detect predators nearby!

Voles create "runways" through grass, like secret highways, to travel safely!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Eastern Meadow Voles can dig extensive underground tunnels because they have strong claws that help them create safe havens.

Eastern Meadow Voles can thrive on tough plant material because their ever-growing teeth help them continuously grind down fibrous foods.

Eastern Meadow Voles can have many litters each year that helps their populations rebound quickly.

Maße und Details

Länge: 12-20 cm
Gewicht: 0.02-0.07 kg
Lebenserwartung: 1-2 Jahre
Top Speed: 8 km/h
Wurfgröße: 1-11
Tragzeit: 20-23 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

These small rodents munch mainly on grasses and other green plants!

Hauptnahrung

grasses
sedges
clovers
roots
seeds

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eaten by

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Hawks frequently hunt voles in open fields.

eaten by

Coyote

Canis latrans

Coyotes often prey on these small rodents.

eaten by

Long-tailed Weasel

Mustela frenata

Weasels are agile hunters that target voles.

eats

Timothy Grass

Phleum pratense

Voles heavily graze on common meadow grasses.

Merkmale

Pelzig

Pelzig beschreibt Tiere, die eine dichte Schicht aus weichen Haaren oder Fell besitzen.

Sozial

Soziale Tiere leben in organisierten Gruppen und kooperieren, um ihr Überleben zu sichern, beispielsweise bei der Nahrungssuche, Verteidigung und Aufzucht der Jungen.

Graben

Grabende Tiere heben Tunnel und Kammern im Erdboden aus und nutzen diese unterirdischen Strukturen als Unterschlupf, zur Jagd oder zur Fortpflanzung.

Grasland

Grasland-Lebensräume sind terrestrische Biome, die von Gräsern und krautigen Pflanzen dominiert werden und einer Vielzahl von Weidetieren als Lebensraum dienen.