Tundra Vole
Encyclopedia
The Tundra Vole or Root Vole, Microtus oeconomus, is a medium-sized vole
found in Northern
and Central Europe
, Asia
, and northwestern North America
, including Alaska
and northwestern Canada
. In the western part of the Netherlands
the Tundra vole is a relict
from the ice age
and has developed to the subspecies
Microtus oeconomus arenicola.
They have short ears and a short tail. Their fur is yellowish brown with paler sides and white underparts. They are 18 cm long with a 4 cm tail and weigh about 50 g.
These animals are found in damp tundra
or moist meadows, usually near water. They make runways through the surface growth in warm weather and tunnel through the snow in winter. They feed on grasses, sedges and seeds.
Female voles have three to six litters of three to nine young in a shallow burrow. The vole population in a given area can vary greatly from year to year.
They are active year-round. They also dig underground burrows where they store seeds and roots, especially licorice root
, for the winter. The species epithet "oeconomus" refers to this "economical" behaviour.
Vole
A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars . There are approximately 155 species of voles. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America...
found in Northern
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
and Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and northwestern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, including Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and northwestern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In the western part of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
the Tundra vole is a relict
Relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.* In biology a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas....
from the ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
and has developed to the subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
Microtus oeconomus arenicola.
They have short ears and a short tail. Their fur is yellowish brown with paler sides and white underparts. They are 18 cm long with a 4 cm tail and weigh about 50 g.
These animals are found in damp tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
or moist meadows, usually near water. They make runways through the surface growth in warm weather and tunnel through the snow in winter. They feed on grasses, sedges and seeds.
Female voles have three to six litters of three to nine young in a shallow burrow. The vole population in a given area can vary greatly from year to year.
They are active year-round. They also dig underground burrows where they store seeds and roots, especially licorice root
Hedysarum
Hedysarum is a genus of the botanical family Fabaceae, consisting of about 309 species of annual or perennial herbs in Asia, Europe, North Africa, and North America.-Description:...
, for the winter. The species epithet "oeconomus" refers to this "economical" behaviour.
Subspecies
There are several subspecies of Tundra Vole.- Microtus oeconomus amakensis - Amak Island Tundra Vole - AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Microtus oeconomus arenicola - Dutch Tundra Vole - NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
- Microtus oeconomus elymocetes - Montague Island Tundra Vole - Alaska, United States
- Microtus oeconomus finmarchicus - Norwegian Tundra Vole - NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
- Microtus oeconomus innuitus - St. Lawrence Island Tundra Vole - Alaska, United States
- Microtus oeconomus medius - Norwegian Tundra Vole - Norway
- Microtus oeconomus mehelyi - Central European Tundra Vole - AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south... - Microtus oeconomus oeconomus
- Microtus oeconomus popofensis - Shumagin Islands Tundra Vole - Alaska, United States
- Microtus oeconomus punakensis - Punuk Islands Tundra Vole - Alaska, United States
- Microtus oeconomus sitkensis - Alexander Archipelago Tundra Vole - Alaska, United States
- Microtus oeconomus unalascensis - Unalaska Tundra Vole - Alaska, United States