| Insular Vole | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Genus: | Microtus |
| Species: | M. abbreviatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Microtus abbreviatus Miller, 1899 |
|
The Insular Vole or St. Matthew Island Vole (Microtus abbreviatus) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It occurs only on St. Matthew Island and the adjacent Hall Island, in Alaska.[1] On these Bering Sea islands, Insular Voles live in damp lowland areas, on the lower slopes of mountains, and on rye grass-covered beaches. They are diurnal and eat plant matter. Birds and arctic foxes, which are the only other mammals on the island, prey on the voles.[2]