Steppe Vole

About this species

Size

Body up to 12 cm; tail about 2 cm

Weight

About 30 g

Diet

Shoots, leaves, seeds and other plant parts

Habitat

Steppe, forest-steppe and semi-desert

The steppe vole, also called the steppe lemming, is a small, plump rodent with tiny ears and eyes. Its body reaches about 12 centimetres, while the tail is only around 2 centimetres, and adults weigh roughly 30 grams. Brownish-grey to light-grey fur is marked by a distinct black stripe running down the back. This combination of a rounded build, very short tail and dark dorsal stripe gives it a recognizable appearance among the open-country voles of Central Asia. (Wikipedia, steppe lemming account)

Steppe voles inhabit steppe, forest-steppe and semi-desert across central Eurasia, including western Mongolia. They are colonial burrowers and emerge for brief feeding bouts during both daylight and darkness. Shoots, leaves, seeds and other plant parts make up the diet. Females mature rapidly and, under favourable conditions, may produce several litters in a year. Numbers fluctuate sharply with climate and food availability; during outbreak years the animals disperse from crowded areas. They remain closely tied to dry, open vegetation rather than forest. (Wikipedia, steppe lemming account)

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