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Bank vole - CLETHRIONOMYS GLAREOLUS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Vole": "Vole" comes from the Swedish word "voll," which means "field," short for "field mouse."
Location: Europe and central Asia.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Broadleaf woodlands; hedgerows; terrain with bushes.
Description: The coat is reddish-brown on the back, and yellowish-white on the underside. The legs are gray and the ears and eyes are small. The molar teeth tend to wear down with use, but grow continuously. This vole grows to about five inches long, with another two and a half inches for the tail. It only weighs a little over an ounce.
Behavior: This solitary vole is diurnal but is also sometimes active at nightfall and just before dawn. It feeds on grass, roots, fruit, and seeds, as well as on insects, earthworms, and other animal matter. When food is scarce it climbs into trees to nibble the bark. It is a nimble climber and can run fast. It usually builds a nest in the ground quite near the surface in a tunnel, but it will occasionally build a nest on top of the ground. These nests are spherical in shape, and made with soft materials such as grass, moss, leaves, and feathers.
Reproduction: After about 18 days of gestation, the female gives birth to three to five young, which are blind and hairless. These reach full maturity after about nine weeks. The breeding season is in the warmer months of the year, and several litters are possible.
Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.
Or go to the Vole Index to study other
voles.
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