Blyth's Mountain Vole

About this species

Size

Head and body 98–128mm; tail 26–35mm

Diet

Vegetable matter

Habitat

Forest and alpine grassland on rocky mountains, burrowing in banks of rivers and lakes, at over 4,500m

Range

Mountains of northern India, Nepal and the Tibetan Plateau

Litter size

Up to 7 young

Blyth's vole is a burrowing rodent that lives in small colonies. The back is light yellowish brown, the underparts yellowish grey with a gradual transition, the feet yellowish white, and the short tail is one colour, yellowish brown above and below. The ears are small and rounded and the claws long, both adaptations to underground life. Head and body length is 98–128 mm and the tail only 26–35 mm (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is native to northern India, Nepal and the Tibetan Plateau, at altitudes of over 4,500 m. It inhabits forest and alpine grassland on rocky mountains, burrowing especially in the banks of rivers and lakes and sometimes tunnelling under boulders. It is diurnal and mostly lives underground, with up to twenty individuals living together in a deep burrow system. It feeds on vegetable matter and can have litters of up to seven (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)