Stats

Lifespan: Under 1 yr
Size: Small
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Cathemeral
Social: Colony
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Western North America
Movement: Running
Breeding: Live birth
Defense: Burrowing
Status: Uncommon

About

A small, stocky grassland rodent found only in California and a sliver of Oregon, weaving dense networks of runways through thick grass to reach its burrows unseen. Populations periodically boom into so-called 'vole plagues,' with densities spiking to thousands per acre before crashing again within a year or two.

Life cycle

1.
newborn pup
A blind, hairless pup nurses in the nest and is unable to regulate its own warmth.
2.
juvenile
A weaned juvenile is fully furred, leaves the nest, and begins foraging on solid food.
3.
adult
Fully grown and self-sufficient.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Genus: Microtus
Species: Microtus californicus