Prairie Vole
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| Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842) |
The Prairie Vole, Microtus ochrogaster, is a small vole found in central North America.
These animals have long, coarse greyish-brown fur on the upperparts and yellowish underparts. They have short ears and a short tail, somewhat darker on top. They are 15 cm long with a 3 cm tail and weigh about 67 g.
They are found in grasslands in the central United States and the Canadian prairies. These animals make fairly shallow underground burrows and runways through the surface vegetation. In winter, they tunnel underneath the snow. They live in colonies.
They feed on grasses, roots, fruit, seeds and bark. Food is stored in their burrows. Predators include coyotes, hawks, owls, foxes and snakes. They may cause damage to garden plants and small trees.
The female vole has 2 to 4 litters of 2 to 7 young in a nest lined with vegetation in an underground burrow or in a depression on the ground. Pairs are usually monogamous.
Male voles share in the raising of pups. The paternal devotion shown by prairie voles has been tied to a long stretch of repeated DNA snippets near a gene linked to the hormone vasopressin which affects family behaviour in voles. Prairie voles have a longer string that do their cousins, the meadow vole, which do not show the same paternal skills. Male prairie voles with the longest DNA strings spend more time with their mates and pups than male prairie with shorter strings. In fact, they may stay with the female for life, akin to marriage. (Hammock & Young, 2005)
They are active year-round. In colder weather, they tend to be more active during the day; at other times, they are mainly nocturnal.
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[edit] References
- Hammock EA, Young LJ (2005). "Microsatellite instability generates diversity in brain and sociobehavioral traits". Science 308 (5728): 1630-4. PMID 15947188.
