About 155 species of small, stout rodents, sometimes called meadow or field mice, related to lemmings and hamsters. They breed fast: litters come monthly from spring to autumn, and the young can breed themselves at a month old.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inEurope, Asia, North America
ColoursBrown, Grey
SizeTiny
Length8–23 cm, depending on species
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives incolonies
Lives for1–2 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Across North America, Europe and Asia.
- What it eats
- Plants; a vole eats its own body weight in plant material every 24 hours.
Did you know
A stout little rodent that can have a new litter every month from spring to autumn.
Most voles live no longer than 16 months in the wild.
Some vole species have males and females with different numbers of chromosomes.
Often confused with
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