California Vole California Vole
Microtus californicus
Natural History of
California Voles
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A California vole. This animal is also known as the meadow mouse. |
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| Vole scat | |
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A vole tunnel from a vole's eye view. Voles make tiny tunnels underneath the grass. Their habitat usually has plenty of tall, tangly grass in which they feed, hide, and live their entire lives. |
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| A small hole showing an entrance to a vole tunnel. | |
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Vole scats can be found throughout their runs through the grass. The red arrows indicate the scats in the photo above. |
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| Looking down a vole tunnel that was found under an abandoned piece of plywood. | |
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| Looking down a vole tunnel in the grass. | |
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| This vole tunnel was found under an abandoned piece of plywood in a field. | |
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| A vole's eye view of one of its tunnels. | |
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| Vole tunnel in grass. | |
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A vole dug this tunnel to get to seeds that were dropped from a bird feeder above. Rather than running across open ground, it is safer for voles to use tunnels to travel. They are protected this way from predators from above, like hawks. |
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| Measuring a vole tunnel. | |
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| A vole that was caught by a domestic cat. I retrieved the vole from the cat and checked to see if it was injured. Aside from a possibly injured toe, it was OK. I took some photos of it and released it. | |
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The vole posed for a few photos nicely. It refused to eat though. Too scared. |
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This toe may have been injured in its encounter with the cat, or it could have been that way for a while. The animal got around OK and didn't seem bothered by it. |
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| These tiny scats were fresh from a vole. Vole scats can normally be found inside its grassy tunnels. | |
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| The vole as it was being released. It scampered away into the grass. | |
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| The lower jaw of a vole - unknown species. | |
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| Vole scat
found at Abbott's Lagoon, Pt. Reyes National Seashore |
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| Voles are very common, but we don't often see them. I did find that they don't run from noisy lawnmowers though. They are used to living in their tunnels and even such a noisy intrusion doesn't drive them away. I had cut some grass and saw something moving ahead of the mower. I stopped and found that it was a vole, still trying to use its tunnels, even though they had been opened to daylight by the mower. I caught the vole and moved it to a safer habitat - one that wasn't going to be mowed! |
Find vole posters, greeting cards, postage stamps and more in my new store.
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Visit Beartracker's Nature Store
online store at: www.dirt-time.com
Happy tracking!!
What else can you find in the nature store? Beartracker's T-shirts, sweatshirts, journals, book bags, toddler and infant apparel, mouse pads, posters, postcards, coffee mugs, travel mugs, clocks, Frisbees, bumper stickers, hats, stickers, and many more items. All with tracks or paw prints, or nature scenes. Custom products are available. If you don't see the track you want on the product you want, email me and I can probably create it. Proceeds from all sales go to pay the monthly fees for this web site. You can help support this site as well as get great tracking products! Thank you! |
| Find other tracking products: www.zazzle.com/tracker8459* |
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visit these fine stores for more products of
interest:
NDN Pride shop - For Indian Pride items for all tribes. Custom items available on request. ASL Signs of Love - For anyone who uses or is learning ASL, American Sign Language. Custom name items and more are available here. Get Every Child Outdoors (Get E.C.O.) - My shop dedicated to nature and getting kids interested in nature and the outdoors. Sales from all stores give commissions to Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den, which helps keep this site online as a free service. We are celebrating ten years online this year! |
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If you wish to help keep this site
online, donations are accepted through PayPal. |
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Got a vole story? E-mail me and tell me about it. You are visitor number: Copyright © 1997, 2018. Text, photos, and drawings by Kim A. Cabrera Updated: June 13, 2018. |
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