Northern Red-backed Vole

About this species

Size

About 14 cm, plus a 3.5 cm tail

Weight

About 30–40 g

Diet

Berries, fungi and varied plant matter; occasional insects

Habitat

Northern forest, shrubland and tundra with dense ground cover

The northern red-backed vole is a small, slender vole with a conspicuous rust-coloured band along the back. Its sides and underparts are light brown, the tail is short and thick, and its small ears remain visible through the fur. Adults are about 14 centimetres long with a tail near 3.5 centimetres and commonly weigh 30–40 grams. The warm dorsal stripe, compact body and visible ears help distinguish it from more uniformly coloured northern voles. (Wikipedia, northern red-backed vole account)

This vole inhabits northern shrubland, open taiga, mature forest and tundra, favouring dense moss or vegetation that provides shelter. It remains active all winter, using runways beneath snow and nesting under roots, rocks or thick moss. Berries are important foods, supplemented by fungi, green plants, mosses, lichens and occasional insects. Breeding generally runs from May to August, when females may produce two or three litters. The species occurs in Mongolia, though the opened account provides no named Mongolian site. (Wikipedia, northern red-backed vole account)

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