What is a meadow vole?

The meadow vole ( Microtus pennsylvanicus ) is a small, stout rodent and one of the most common mammals in North America. Also known as the meadow mouse, it weighs less than 50 grams (1.8 ounces) and is 15 to 20 cm (5.9 to 7.9 inches) long, including its short tail. Its dense, soft fur is chestnut-brown above and gray or grayish buff on the underparts, though some individuals are much darker. Meadow voles are primarily terrestrial and are active year-round. They can swim, but they don't climb. They are more active during the day in habitats with dense cover and at night when temperatures are high. Their diet includes grasses, seeds, herbaceous plants, and tender tree bark. They construct nests of dry grass on the ground or in underground burrows.

Where do meadow voles live?

The meadow vole ( Microtus pennsylvanicus ) is a small rodent common in North America. They live in diverse habitats such as meadows, swampy pastures, and fields of dead grass, preferring moist grasslands with thick cover. Meadow voles are primarily terrestrial, dwelling both above and below ground. They construct nests of dry grass on the ground or in underground burrows, or in grass tussocks in swampy areas. Their geographic range extends through most of Alaska and Canada, southward through the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico, and eastward to the Atlantic seaboard.

What does a meadow vole look like?

The meadow vole ( Microtus pennsylvanicus ) is a stout, prolific North American rodent that weighs less than 50 grams (1.8 ounces) and is around 15 to 20 cm (5.9 to 7.9 inches) long, including its short tail (3 to 6 cm). Its dense, soft fur is typically chestnut-brown above, with gray or grayish buff underparts, though some individuals are much darker. Meadow voles are primarily terrestrial creatures active all year round. They have the largest geographic distribution of any Microtus species in North America. They can be found in Alaska, Canada, and the United States.

How do meadow voles build their homes and nests?

Meadow voles are primarily terrestrial mammals active year-round. They construct nests of dry grass either on the ground surface or at the ends of their underground burrows. In swampy areas, they build their nests high and dry in a grass tussock. They create extensive trail and tunnel networks through meadow vegetation to search for food. Roots, tubers, and other plant parts are cached in a burrow to eat during the winter.

What role do meadow voles play in their ecosystem?

The meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus , plays a significant role in its ecosystem as a common North American rodent. Meadow voles maintain trails and tunnels in meadow vegetation while foraging for grasses, seeds, herbaceous plants, and tree bark. They serve as a food source for predators such as weasels, hawks, and owls, which can curtail population growth despite the vole's prolific breeding habits. Meadow voles can live solitarily during breeding season and communally during the nonbreeding season. Some vole species can be agricultural pests.

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Q: What do meadow voles eat?

The meadow vole ( Microtus pennsylvanicus ) is a rodent that lives in North America. Meadow voles are primarily terrestrial animals that can swim, but they have never been seen climbing. Meadow voles eat grasses (including the seeds), sedges, other herbaceous plants, and tender tree bark. They dwell both above and below the ground, traveling along networks of trails and tunnels through meadow vegetation to forage for food. Roots, tubers, and other plant parts are cached in a burrow to eat during the winter.

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Also known as: Microtus pennsylvanicus, field vole, meadow mouse(Show More)

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What is a meadow vole?
The meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) is a small, stout rodent and one of the most common mammals in North America. Also known as the meadow mouse, it weighs less than 50 grams (1.8 ounces) and is 15 to 20 cm (5.9 to 7.9 inches) long, including its short tail. Its dense, soft fur is chestnut-brown above and gray or grayish buff on the underparts, though some individuals are much darker.

Meadow voles are primarily terrestrial and are active year-round. They can swim, but they don't climb. They are more active during the day in habitats with dense cover and at night when temperatures are high. Their diet includes grasses, seeds, herbaceous plants, and tender tree bark. They construct nests of dry grass on the ground or in underground burrows.
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Where do meadow voles live?
The meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) is a small rodent common in North America. They live in diverse habitats such as meadows, swampy pastures, and fields of dead grass, preferring moist grasslands with thick cover.

Meadow voles are primarily terrestrial, dwelling both above and below ground. They construct nests of dry grass on the ground or in underground burrows, or in grass tussocks in swampy areas. Their geographic range extends through most of Alaska and Canada, southward through the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico, and eastward to the Atlantic seaboard.
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What does a meadow vole look like?
The meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) is a stout, prolific North American rodent that weighs less than 50 grams (1.8 ounces) and is around 15 to 20 cm (5.9 to 7.9 inches) long, including its short tail (3 to 6 cm). Its dense, soft fur is typically chestnut-brown above, with gray or grayish buff underparts, though some individuals are much darker.

Meadow voles are primarily terrestrial creatures active all year round. They have the largest geographic distribution of any Microtus species in North America. They can be found in Alaska, Canada, and the United States.
2 Britannica Sources
1. vole
2. meadow vole
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What do meadow voles eat?
The meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) is a rodent that lives in North America. Meadow voles are primarily terrestrial animals that can swim, but they have never been seen climbing.

Meadow voles eat grasses (including the seeds), sedges, other herbaceous plants, and tender tree bark. They dwell both above and below the ground, traveling along networks of trails and tunnels through meadow vegetation to forage for food. Roots, tubers, and other plant parts are cached in a burrow to eat during the winter.
2 Britannica Sources
1. vole
2. meadow vole
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How do meadow voles build their homes and nests?
Meadow voles are primarily terrestrial mammals active year-round. They construct nests of dry grass either on the ground surface or at the ends of their underground burrows. In swampy areas, they build their nests high and dry in a grass tussock. They create extensive trail and tunnel networks through meadow vegetation to search for food. Roots, tubers, and other plant parts are cached in a burrow to eat during the winter.
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2. woodland vole
3. vole
4. meadow vole
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What role do meadow voles play in their ecosystem?
The meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus, plays a significant role in its ecosystem as a common North American rodent. Meadow voles maintain trails and tunnels in meadow vegetation while foraging for grasses, seeds, herbaceous plants, and tree bark.

They serve as a food source for predators such as weasels, hawks, and owls, which can curtail population growth despite the vole's prolific breeding habits. Meadow voles can live solitarily during breeding season and communally during the nonbreeding season. Some vole species can be agricultural pests.
2 Britannica Sources
1. vole
2. meadow vole
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

meadow vole, (Microtus pennsylvanicus), one of the most common and prolific small mammals in North America. Weighing less than 50 grams (1.8 ounces), this stout vole is 15 to 20 cm (5.9 to 7.9 inches) long, including its short tail (3 to 6 cm). The dense, soft fur is chestnut-brown above and gray or grayish buff on the underparts; some individuals are much darker.

Primarily terrestrial and active all year, meadow voles can swim but have never been seen climbing. They are more active during the day in habitats with dense cover and at night when temperatures are high. In addition to meadows, they are found in swampy pastures, fields covered with dead grass and herbs, coastal saline meadows, and sometimes grassy openings in forests. Preferred habitats include moist fields of grass and sedge (especially bluegrass) that provide thick protective cover. They dwell both above and below the ground but spend a higher proportion of time on the surface, traveling along networks of trails and tunnels through meadow vegetation to forage for food. Their diet comprises grasses (including the seeds), sedges, other herbaceous plants, and tender tree bark. Roots, tubers, and other plant parts are cached in a burrow to eat during the winter. Voles construct nests of dry grass either on the ground or at the ends of underground burrows. In swampy areas the nest is placed high and dry in a grass tussock.

Few mammals are more prolific than the meadow vole, which has a gestation period of 20 to 21 days and produces up to 17 litters per year. Depending upon the region, average litter size ranges from 4 to 8 young, with extremes of 1 to 11. Although highly prolific, population increase is curtailed by extremely high predation (especially by weasels, hawks, and owls), short life span, and sometimes disease. Although solitary in the breeding season, they live communally during the winter nonbreeding season.

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

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The meadow vole has the largest geographic distribution of any species of Microtus in North America. Its range extends through almost all of Alaska and Canada southward through the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico and eastward across the northern Great Plains to the Atlantic seaboard from Maine to Georgia. Isolated populations are found in western Florida and northern Chihuahua, Mexico.

Some meadow vole populations, particularly those in the northern parts of its range, are cyclical, reaching high densities every two to five years. During such a cycle in Ontario, Canada, for example, 166 individuals per acre (415 per hectare) were recorded. Factors responsible for such density fluctuations are unknown but are the subject of much ecological research.

The meadow vole is one of 61 species in the genus Microtus. Its closest living relative is the beach vole (M. breweri) of Muskeget Island off the coast of Massachusetts, which evolved from mainland populations of the meadow vole only during the last 3,000 years. The genus Microtus contains about half of all vole species. Voles, lemmings, and the muskrat are all classified in the subfamily Arvicolinae within the mouse family Muridae, order Rodentia.

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