Water Vole (North America)

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Water Vole

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Cricetidae
Subfamily:	Arvicolinae
Genus:	Microtus
Species:	M. richardsoni

Binomial name

Microtus richardsoni
(De Kay, 1842)

This article deals with the American Water Vole. For the article concerning the European species known as the Water Vole, see Water Vole

The Water Vole, Microtus richardsoni, is the largest North American vole. It is found in the northwestern United States and southern parts of western Canada. This animal has been historically considered a member of the genus Arvicola, but molecular evidence demonstrates that it is more closely related to North American Microtus (Conroy and Cook, 2000).

These animals have grey-brown or red-brown fur with grey underparts. Their large hind feet help make them excellent swimmers. They are 25 cm (10 in) long, with an 8 cm (3 in) tail, and weigh about 110 g (4 oz).

They are found in alpine or semi-alpine meadows near water. They feed on grasses, leaves, roots and seeds, also eating small invertebrates. American and Canadian water voles dig burrows that are connected to water sources.^{[citation needed]} They live under the snow during the winter.^{[citation needed]}

Female voles have two litters of two to eight young in a year.

They are active year-round. Their burrows often have entrances at the water's edge or exiting into water. They are often found in colonies.

[edit] References

Conroy, C. J. and J. A. Cook. 2000. Molecular systematics of a Holarctic rodent (Microtus: Muridae). Journal of Mammalogy, 81:344-359.
Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894-1531 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
Rodent Specialist Group (1996). Microtus richardsoni. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 06 May 2006.