|
|
|
Southern Red-backed Vole Description Distinguishing Features - Overall colouration, reddish above with grayish face, sides and rump; underparts and feet, whitish or buff. Ears, brown; snout, short; legs, short.
Habitat Common throughout Northwestern Ontario in mixedwood environments close to bogs and marshlands. Diet The southern red-backed vole is an omnivore. It prefers the stalks of shrubs and growing vegetative parts of weeds and most grasses; conifer seeds, nuts and roots; also insects and snails; sometimes lichens. Notes The southern red-backed vole is a good indicator of an environmental disturbance. Where extensive land development or clear-cutting occurs, southern red-backed vole populations become practically extinct. In short, where trees disappear, so do voles. With progress and high predation rates, this vole manages to survive in significant numbers. A female will typically produce a litter of 2 to 8 offspring 3 to 4 times each year. Other common voles of Northwestern Ontario-
Meadow Vole - Microtus pennsylvanicus Less-common vole of Northwestern Ontario-
Rock Vole - Microtus chrotorrhinus Return to Top of Page
| Ontario's North (West) Forest | Boreal Forests of the World | North (West) Forest Industry | | World Links and Resources | "Forest Finder" Search Engine | Educational Resources | | What's Happening | Contacts | Site Map | |
Size -