A medium-sized vole with a longer tail than most voles. Often associated with subalpine streams. Prey for everything from weasels to red-tailed hawks.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The long-tailed vole, in some areas known as the San Bernardino long-tailed vole, is a small vole found in western North America. They have short ears and a long tail. Their fur is gray brown with light gray underparts. They are around 18 cm (7.1 in) long with an 8 cm (3.1 in) tail and weigh about 50 g (1.8 oz).
Source: Wikipedia — Long-tailed vole Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Medium vole with brown-gray back; pale belly; relatively long tail for voles.
Similar species. Other Microtus species.
Voice. Squeaks.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Grasses, sedges, forbs, occasional fungi.
Behavior. Common vole of western North American meadows.
§ Range
Western North America
§ Habitat
Mountain meadows, sagebrush, streamsides
§ Threats
Climate-driven snowpack changes, habitat loss, rodenticide-mediated predator effects.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the long-tailed vole is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Maintain alpine meadows. Skip rodenticides. Support climate action.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Long-tailed vole
- www.nwf.org — authoritative profile of Microtus longicaudus
- IUCN Red List · taxon 13449
- iNaturalist · taxon 42953
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Microtus longicaudus
§ Sources cited
- American Society of Mammalogists
- IUCN Red List 2016
