Meadow Vole Prairie Vole | Slide Mouse
Meadow voles are more widely distributed but prairie voles are more common in prairie areas.
Meadow vole prairie vole. Pinetorum are found statewide. The prairie vole microtus ochrogaster is a small vole found in central north america. Moreover the same pairs were often retrapped months later. Using radio tracking getz and his co workers found that most trapped pairs were long term partners living together in underground.
Voles have small rounded ears that are often hidden by their fur small eyes and short tails. Its underparts are gray at times washed with silver or buff. The prairie vole microtus ochrogaster and woodland vole m. Its total length is 5 1 2 to 7 1 2 inches 14 to 19 cm and its fur is gray to yellow brown obscured by black tipped hairs.
The meadow vole is the most widely distributed vole species in the united states and is found in the northern united states and canada. It prefers low wetlands open grasslands and orchards. The woodland vole s tail is nearly the same length as the hind foot. The vole has long coarse grayish brown fur on the upper portion of the body and yellowish fur on the lower portion of the body.
When it is associated with the meadow vole it is generally in the drier habitats. Northern subspecies may also have some red in their fur. Two common species of voles in north america are the prairie vole and the meadow vole. Their fur is generally thick and light brown to gray.
The meadow vole m. This difference in the number of vasopressin receptors in the. Prairie voles live in the central grasslands of north america from central canada to oklahoma east of the rocky mountains to west virginia. The meadow vole is the most widely distributed microtus species in the united states.
It is the most common vole of the great plains grasslands. Adult male and female prairie voles microtus ochrogaster often appeared in the same live trap unlike the meadow vole whose sexes were more segregated. The prairie vole s tail is slightly less than twice the length of the hind foot. In prairie voles individuals have many more vasopressin receptors in the ventral palladum area of their brains than meadow voles do.
Pennsylvanicus is found only in our northern counties. Its east to west range is continuous from central alaska to the atlantic coast. South of the canadian border its western limit is the rocky mountains.