Chihuahua vole, Field mouse, Florida salt marsh vole, Meadow mouse, Saltmarsh vole, Eastern meadow vole, Field mouse, Meadow mouse
The eastern meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus ), sometimes called the field mouse or meadow mouse, is a North American vole found in eastern Canada and the United States. Its range extends farther south along the Atlantic coast.
The eastern meadow vole is active year-round, usually at night. It also digs burrows, where it stores food for the winter and females give birth to their young. Although these animals tend to live close together, they are aggressive towards one another. This is particularly evident in males during the breeding season. They can cause damage to fruit trees, garden plants, and commercial grain crops.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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LignivoreTe
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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PolygynandryPolygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season.
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Meadow vole is a rodent with a rounded, stocky body and a blunt nose. The size and color of this large vole depend on location. Those in southern parts of their range are usually larger, exhibiting darker coloration. Overall, the fur of this species is dense and soft with some coarser hairs. As compared to other voles, the whiskers of Meadow vole are somewhat inconspicuous, and their fur is considerably finer. Young of this species is born hairless, beginning to grow fur at 3 days old. Young are identified by darker coloration as well as black feet and tail.
The most common North American voles, the Meadow voles inhabit a huge territory, stretching eastwards from central Alaska to the Atlantic coast and southwards to the Canadian border (Rocky Mountains), Georgia and even New Mexico. The primary habitats of this species are meadows, lowland fields, grassy marshes and areas along rivers and lakes. Meadow voles may also occur in flooded marshes, orchards, high grasslands, located near water as well as open, grassy woodlands.
The meadow voles may be active throughout the day. However, they are more diurnal during the winter months, and are more nocturnal in summer. Territories of males are overlapping and about 3 times bigger than these of females. Meanwhile, females of this species display highly territorial behavior, fiercely defending their home ranges. If a group of more than one female occurs in the same territory, it's likely to be a mother and her daughters. Usually solitary, in winters these animals gather in nesting groups of non-overlapping maternal families. These families consist of non-breeding animals of both sexes and different ages. Meadow voles are excellent diggers and swimmers. These animals are known to make long runways through vegetation, where they store waste products. In order to defend themselves, meadow voles may use vocalizations.
As herbivorous animals, Meadow voles primarily consume fresh grass, sedges and herbs, supplementing their diet with occasional seeds and grains. In winter, they may also use bark and roots of shrubs and small trees.
Meadow voles have a polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating system, where individuals of both sexes mate with multiple mates. These animals breed year-round with a peak period, occurring in spring and autumn, between March and November. Gestation period lasts for 20 - 21 days, yielding up to 11 young with an average of 4 - 5. Female gives birth in a nest, located above or just beneath the surface of the ground. Those in swampy areas build their nests in the center of a grass tussock. Young voles live in the nest, growing up very quickly. Weaning occurs at 12 - 14 days old. Females of this species reach sexual maturity within the first month of their lives.
Presently, there are no notable threats to the population of Meadow voles, although the species appear to be hunted by weasels, stoats, house cats and other predators of their range. Possible threats include habitat changes that may affect certain subspecies, inhabiting small islands.
According to IUCN, the Meadow vole is locally common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) and its numbers remain stable.
Meadow voles play an important role in the local ecosystem. Due to digging, Meadow voles contribute to aeration of the soil. Feeding upon grass, they recycle the nutrients, found in the grass, through defecation. And finally, these voles are key prey species for a number of predators, including owls, small hawks and falcons.
