Northern mole vole facts for kids
The northern mole vole (Ellobius talpinus) is a small rodent that belongs to the Cricetidae family. It lives in many parts of Eastern Europe and Asia.
Quick facts for kids Northern mole vole |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Arvicolinae |
| Genus: | Ellobius |
| Species: |
E. talpinus
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| Binomial name | |
| Ellobius talpinus (Pallas, 1770)
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| Synonyms | |
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E. ciscaucasicus Sviridenko, 1936 |
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Contents
Where They Live
You can find the northern mole vole in countries like Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. They also live in southern Russia, western Siberia, northern Afghanistan, Mongolia, and northern China.
What They Look Like
The northern mole vole is a small animal, usually about 130 mm (5.1 in) long. It has a short tail and weighs up to 70 grams. Female voles are a little bigger than males.
Their body is shaped like a wedge, which helps them dig. They have a flat head, a short neck, and very strong front legs. Their fur is short, thick, and brownish, a bit lighter on their belly. Their feet are bare and pink. These voles are perfectly built for living underground. They use their big front teeth to dig their burrows.
How They Live
Northern mole voles are active during the day. They are busy all day long! They might slow down when it's very dry or during winter. However, they don't truly hibernate, meaning they don't go into a deep, long sleep.
Scientists found that these voles can handle extreme weather changes. They change how their body controls heat depending on the season.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
A female vole is pregnant for about three weeks. She can have three or four litters (groups of babies) each year. Each litter usually has two to four young voles. The babies grow up very quickly. They can have their own babies when they are only six weeks old!
Their Home and Food
Northern mole voles are social animals. They live in groups of about 10 individuals. This is usually a family, with a pair of adult voles and their young from one or two litters.
Their burrows are very complex, like a maze underground. The entrances are usually sealed with soil. Their nesting rooms and food storage rooms can be as deep as 4 meters (13 feet) underground!
These voles eat roots, bulbs, tubers, and juicy underground stems of plants. In the summer and autumn, they collect small amounts of food to store. They rarely come out of their burrows. When they do, it's usually to spread out the dirt they've dug up or to move to a new area. They can travel up to 800 m (2,600 ft) when moving.
The number of voles in a group can change. Their population can be affected by diseases, parasites, very cold winters with frozen ground, or when meltwater floods their burrows in spring. Birds and other animals that hunt also affect their numbers.
 | Mary Eliza Mahoney |
 | Susie King Taylor |
 | Ida Gray |
 | Eliza Ann Grier |
