This article is about the North American species. For Old World water voles, see Arvicola.
Water vole
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Rodentia
Family:
Cricetidae
Subfamily:
Arvicolinae
Genus:
Microtus
Subgenus:
Pitymys
Species:
M. richardsoni
Binomial name
Microtus richardsoni
(De Kay, 1842)[2]
The North American water vole or just water vole (Microtus richardsoni) is the largest North American vole. It is found in the northwestern United States and southern parts of western Canada. This animal has been historically considered a member of genus Arvicola, but molecular evidence demonstrates that it is more closely related to North American Microtus species.[2][3] Water voles are on the USDA Forest Service Region 2 sensitive species list because they maintain very small populations and there is high concern that their required habitat may be declining.[4]
These animals have gray-brown or red-brown fur with gray under parts. Their large hind feet help make them excellent swimmers, and they are found in alpine or semi-alpine meadows near water. They feed on grasses, leaves, roots and seeds, also eating small invertebrates. Water voles dig burrows that are connected to water sources, and are considered a semi-aquatic species.[5]
They are active year-round, tunneling through snow during the winter. Their burrows often have entrances at the water's edge or under water,[5] and they usually live in colonies of 8-40 individuals along the waterway.[6]
^Linzey, A.V. & Hammerson, G. (2008). "Microtus richardsoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2010.old-form url
^ abMusser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
^Conroy, C. J. & Cook, J. A. (2000). "Molecular systematics of a Holarctic rodent (Microtus: Muridae)" (PDF). Journal of Mammalogy. 81 (2): 344–359. doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2000)081<0344:MSOAHR>2.0.CO;2.
^Klaus, M., Moore, R., & Vyse, E. (2001, July). Microgeographic variation in allozymes and mitochondrial DNA of Microtus richardsoni, the water vole, in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana and Wyoming, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 79(7), 1286-1295. doi:10.1139/z01-082
^ abLudwig, D. (14 November 1984). "Microtus richardsoni". Mammalian Species (223): 1–6. doi:10.2307/3504069. JSTOR 3504069. Archived from the original on 24 November 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
^Ludwig, D. (1988). "Reproduction and population dynamics of the water vole, Microtus richardsoni". Journal of Mammalogy. 69 (3): 532–541. doi:10.2307/1381345. JSTOR 1381345.
and 28 Related for: North American water vole information
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