California vole facts for kids
Quick facts for kids California vole |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Microtus
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| Species: |
californicus
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| Subspecies | |
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17; see text |
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The California vole (Microtus californicus) is a small rodent that looks a bit like a mouse. But it's actually a type of vole! These furry creatures live in many parts of California and some areas of southwestern Oregon. People sometimes call them "California meadow mice," but that's not quite right because they are voles, not mice. They usually grow to be about 17 centimeters (7 inches) long. However, their size can change a lot depending on where they live.
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What Does a California Vole Look Like?
California voles are medium-sized voles. They look like typical voles. Male voles are usually 15 to 20 centimeters (6 to 8 inches) long from head to body. Their tails are about 4 to 6 centimeters (1.6 to 2.3 inches) long. Females are a bit smaller. They are 15 to 18 centimeters (5.9 to 7.2 inches) long. Their tails are 3.8 to 5.3 centimeters (1.5 to 2.1 inches) long.
Males weigh between 41 and 81 grams (1.4 to 2.9 ounces). Females weigh 36 to 63 grams (1.3 to 2.2 ounces). Voles from the southern parts of their range tend to be larger. Those from the north are often smaller.
Their fur is a mix of cinnamon and olive-brown colors. It has some darker hairs mixed in. Their belly fur is a medium gray. The tail is black on top and gray underneath. Their whiskers and feet are gray. They have a small patch of white fur near their bottom. Voles living in higher, mountainous areas often have more reddish fur. Those in marshy, wet places tend to be darker.
Male voles have special scent glands on their hips. They use these glands to mark their paths. This helps them show other voles where they have been. Female voles have four pairs of teats. Two pairs are on their chest, and two are closer to their back legs.
Where Do California Voles Live?
California voles are found in many places. They live from El Rosario in Baja California, Mexico, all the way north to Eugene, Oregon in the United States. However, you won't find them in most of the deserts in southeastern California. They are also absent from the far northeastern and northwestern parts of the state.
These voles live in many different types of grasslands. They can be found in wet coastal marshlands. They also live in dry uplands and open savannah areas.
Different Types of California Voles
Scientists recognize seventeen different types, or subspecies, of the California vole. Some of these subspecies are protected. This means they need special care to keep them safe. Here are a few examples:
- M. c. californicus - found near San Francisco.
- M. c. aestuarinus - lives in central California.
- M. c. halophilus - known as the Monterey vole, found near Monterey Bay.
- M. c. mohavensis - called the Mojave River vole, lives in the Mojave desert. This one needs special attention.
- M. c. scirpensis - known as the Amargosa vole. This subspecies is endangered by both federal and state laws. It lives in the Panamint Range.
- M. c. stephensi - the South Coast marsh vole, found near Los Angeles. This one also needs special attention.
- M. c. vallicola - the Owens Valley vole, living in the White Mountains. This one also needs special attention.
What Do California Voles Eat?
California voles are herbivores. This means they only eat plants. Their main diet includes grasses and sedges. They also eat other flowering plants. Some of their favorite foods are wild oats, ryegrass, and brome grass. Interestingly, these grasses were brought to California from Europe. So, they weren't part of the vole's original diet.
Sometimes, California voles can become a problem for farmers. They can cause a lot of damage to crops. This includes fields of artichokes, alfalfa, potatoes, and asparagus.
Who Eats California Voles?
California voles are quite common. Because of this, many animals hunt them. Their natural predators include hawks, owls, egrets, long-tailed weasels, coyotes, skunks, mountain lions, and garter snakes.
How Do California Voles Behave?
California voles are usually active during twilight (dawn and dusk) or at night. They spend a lot of time underground. They use burrows that are connected by paths above ground. They use these paths to find food.
Voles don't travel far from their burrows. Males usually have a home range of about 103 square meters (1,109 square feet). Females have smaller ranges, about 68 square meters (732 square feet). A male's range often overlaps with several female ranges. Males are usually aggressive only towards other males. They will claw and bite any male who enters their space.
Voles sometimes use old tunnels dug by gophers. But they also dig their own burrows. These burrows are blind-ending. They can be from 1.5 to 12 meters (5 to 39 feet) long. Inside their burrows, voles build nests from dried grass. These nests have only one entrance. They are usually 7 to 15 centimeters (2.8 to 5.9 inches) below the surface.
Voles come above ground mainly to find food. They stand on their hind legs to reach seeds on tall grasses. They clip the stems with their teeth. They often carry food back to their burrow to eat it. However, they do not store food for later. They also don't hibernate during winter.
California voles often live in groups. These groups usually include one male, one or more females, and their young. The male might help the female build her nest before she gives birth. California voles are also good swimmers. They might swim to escape from predators.
How Do California Voles Reproduce?
California voles can have babies almost all year long. However, most breeding happens during the wet season, from March to April. A male vole might mate with more than one female.
After mating, the female is ready to have babies. Gestation (the time she carries the babies) lasts three weeks. A female can give birth to up to 10 young. Four or five babies are most common. The female can breed again within 15 hours of giving birth. She might have several litters of babies during her life.
Baby voles are born without fur and are blind. They weigh about 2.8 grams (0.1 ounces). They start growing fur within five days. Their eyes open at 9 days old. They can sense light even before their eyes open. The young voles stop drinking milk from their mother at about two weeks old. They have a full set of adult teeth by three weeks.
Female voles can start having their own babies when they are as young as three weeks old. Males become ready to breed after six weeks. Because they grow up so fast, their lives are short. Most voles live for less than a year, even if they avoid predators.
How Did California Voles Evolve?
Fossils of voles from the Microtus group have been found in California. Some of these fossils are as old as 1.2 million years! It's not clear if these were exactly California voles or a related species that is now extinct.
Genetic studies suggest that the closest living relative of the California vole is the Mexican Vole (Microtus mexicanus). California voles can even produce babies with other closely related species, like the montane vole. However, these babies are usually not able to have their own babies.
Sometimes, when northern and southern subspecies of California voles mate, their male offspring cannot have babies. This might mean that some of these subspecies are slowly becoming separate species. Some scientists even think that the California vole might already be two different species!
See also
In Spanish: Topillo californiano para niños
