Red mouse. Bank vole (lat. Myodes glareolus). Pictured is a water vole

Bank vole ( Latin name– Myodes glareolus) is a mouse-like rodent belonging to the Khomyakov family. The animal has other names: European bank vole, forest vole.

The animal is characterized by its small size. In length it grows to 8-12 centimeters, of which 3-6 centimeters falls on the tail. Weighs 14-45 grams.

About 35 subspecies of the bank vole are known, only 5-6 of them are found in Russia. The most common subspecies are bank, red and red-gray voles.

The forest vole lives on plains, mountains and foothills. You can see her at larger territory Europe, northern Asia and the Siberian taiga. In mountainous regions (Altai, Alps, Ural and Carpathian mountains) rises to the upper limits of forest plantations. Sometimes found at an altitude of 2400 meters above sea level. m.

The dense oval body of the animal is covered with short fur. On the back it is colored rusty brown, which gives the species its name. White and silver hairs are mixed on the abdomen. The ears are smoky. The tail is dark above and whitish below. In winter, the vole “changes its fur coat” to a lighter one with a more pronounced red color.

Size and color depend on habitat. Voles living in southern parts range are more yellow, and the inhabitants eastern parts and mountainous areas - more red. The largest individuals are found in the northeast, but in the mountains their sizes decrease.

There is no external difference between males and females.

The bank vole lives in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests. Loves linden and oak plantations. In the taiga, it prefers spruce forests in which berry bushes grow. Rodent avoids dense thickets, choosing open forests and well-lit forest edges.

IN southern regions range inhabits island forests, forest-steppe and shelterbelts, and floodplains. It can go out into the fields in search of food, but does not go further than 100-150 meters. In the Urals it settles among scatterings of stones.

In the northern regions of Europe, for the winter it moves into houses, basements, barns, granaries, straw stacks and haystacks. Easily adapts to anthropogenic changes.

Rodents lead a solitary lifestyle, but in the winter they usually gather in groups. Females occupy areas of 500-1000 square meters, to which no one is allowed during the breeding season. The areas of males range from a thousand to 8 thousand square meters and include areas of females.

Although voles belong to sedentary animals, in the absence of food they can migrate, but no further than 50-100 meters.

The wood vole does not hibernate. She is active all year round and at any time of the day. It is characterized by alternating periods of activity and rest. Usually the animal is in an active state for about an hour, devoting most of its time to searching for food, after which it rests for an hour and a half. But still the most active rodent is in the morning and evening.

The bank vole usually lives in natural voids formed under stones or tree roots, under piles of dry branches, in fallen trunks and rotten stumps, and in burrows dug by other animals. Digs holes on its own in extremely rare cases. Voles are capable of excellent tree climbing and can easily rise to a height of twelve meters. Therefore, they often build nests in hollows or birdhouses.

In its home, the animal builds a spherical nest with a diameter of 10-15 centimeters from dried leaves and grass (sometimes it can add feathers and wool to them). Leaves are also used as “doors”, closing the entrance with them. Several paths (usually 3-5) branch off from the nest leading to feeding areas. In winter, snow tunnels are built in place of the trails.

Nutrition

Voles mainly feed on:

• green food (they make up 75-95% of the diet);
• seeds of herbs, shrubs and trees;
• wild berries (blueberries, lingonberries).

They especially love acorns and linden seeds. IN eastern regions habitat prefer the seeds of cedar pine trees.

In summer, stems and leaves can be eaten various plants(over a hundred), fir cones, insects and their larvae, worms, and in winter - buds, bark and shoots of shrubs (they like the bark of aspens the most).

Usually alternate feeds, providing variety in the diet. If the main food is absent due to crop failure, they easily switch to plant roots, lichens, mosses and mushrooms. They can eat carrion. One individual eats 5-7 grams of food per day.

Rodents store small food reserves (no more than 100 grams), which often remain unused and contribute to the formation of new plantings.

To provide the body with moisture, they drink rainwater and dew, and eat snow.

The bank vole begins to breed in early spring, before the snow melts. The breeding season ends at the beginning of autumn. Sometimes they can breed offspring even in snowy winters, if there are no sharp temperature changes.

During the season, females give birth to 3-4 (and sometimes 5) broods. There can be from 3 to 13 babies in a litter, but most often there are 5-6.

The duration of pregnancy is 17-24 days. The cubs are born naked and blind. They weigh from 1 to 10 grams. They become covered with fur on the ninth to tenth day, their eyes open on the tenth to twelfth (at the same time they begin to eat green food on their own), and on the fourteenth to fifteenth day they already leave the home.

Usually the female becomes pregnant during lactation. Before giving birth, she abandons the previous brood and moves to another burrow. The abandoned cubs are divided into groups, and by the time they reach the age of one month, they gain independence. Already in a month and a half, females are capable of reproduction. Males become sexually mature at one and a half to two months.

Enemies

Voles have many enemies. These rodents serve as food for stoats, minks, weasels,.

IN wildlife The bank vole lives from half a year to one and a half years. The maximum life expectancy was recorded in the laboratory (3 years 1 month), slightly less - in the reserve (2 years 1 month).

This species is quite numerous. In Europe, it is the leader among all rodents inhabiting forests. In the most favorable years the population density is 200 individuals per hectare.

Ixodid ticks often settle on the animal.

It is a carrier of more than ten diseases, including:

1. tick-borne encephalitis;
2. tularemia;
3. hemorrhagic fever;
4. salmonellosis;
5. toxoplasmosis;
6. lymphocytic choriomeningitis;
7. leptospirosis;
8. pseudotuberculosis;
9. pig's face.

When the vole reproduces excessively, it harms gardens and forest nurseries and damages food supplies.

They can surprise not only novice tourists, but also those who have seen quite a few different and interesting places on the planet.

A small rodent can reach 9-10 cm in length, and more than half is occupied by the tail.

The body does not exceed 60 mm. The weight of this pest ranges from 20 to 45 g.

The whole body is covered short fur, painted in different colors.

On the back and head it is brownish-red, on the sides it smoothly turns into dark gray and steel. The color of the abdomen is light; silvery and whitish hairs are mixed here.

The ears and paws are smoky in color, as are the sparse hairs on the underside of the tail. The top side is much darker. By winter, the fur on the body lightens, acquiring a more intense rusty color.

The head is round, the nose is elongated and movable, the ears are small and round. The body is dense, oval in shape.

The genus is very small, it includes only 12-14 varieties. The most common on the territory of post-Soviet republics are 2 of them - red and bank voles.

We may also have the red-gray vole, and in other places the Californian, Shikotan, Tien Shan and Gapper's voles live.

Video

A short video of a bank vole taken in the Moscow Botanical Garden:

Large “squads” of rodents often cause damage to shelterbelts, gardens, groves and forests.

It is possible and simply necessary to fight against forest voles!

The amazing fertility and resistance of these rodents to unfavorable conditions can lead to a real disaster in any private sector.

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Have you ever seen a field mouse? This small rodent, despite its size, can cause enormous harm. Which? Let's find out...

This small mammal from the order of rodents belongs to the genus of forest and field mice. The mouse family is one of the largest on our planet, it includes a huge number of species, but the field mouse is one of the most popular.

And it is also known because it has a very wide habitat. These rodents live in Europe, Siberia, China, Primorye, Mongolia, Korea and other places.

Appearance of a field mouse

How can you tell if there is a field mouse in front of you? Take a look at her back: if along she's coming dark narrow stripe, then this is exactly the same animal.

The animal's body grows to approximately 12 centimeters in length. The tail of this species of mouse is not very long.

The coat color is dark: ocher-gray, brownish. But the belly of the field mouse is light.

Lifestyle of a field mouse and its diet

It is worth immediately noting that these mammals are, for the most part, nocturnal and twilight image life. IN daytime they have a more important task - to hide from predators so as not to become someone's lunch. And there’s more than enough to feast on the field mouse of hunters!

And where can this little girl hide from keen eyes carnivorous hunters? Yes, anywhere: in a pile of leaves, a haystack, or you can climb into the roots of bushes and trees. In the end, in this case, field mice even build underground passages that resemble a labyrinth.

And these little animals can very carefully trample their “way back” on the ground, which is difficult to notice with the naked eye. They do this in order to return to their shelter as quickly as possible in case of danger.

The field mouse's diet includes both plant products and some animals. Rodents eat greens from plants, a variety of berries and fruits, seeds, including cereals, as well as insects.

To feed yourself in winter time, field mice try to “settle” closer to human habitation. Sometimes they spend the winter in the barn, in the attic, or they may even look into the kitchen.

Despite periodic lack of food, field mice do not lose fertility. Their ability to reproduce can be the envy of any animal.

About the reproduction of field mice

These rodents have offspring about 5 times a year. And each time one female is capable of giving birth to about 6 - 7 pups. So much for fertility!

Mouse cubs are born blind, but thanks to increased nutrition with mother's milk, they quickly gain weight and mature. Two weeks after birth, the pups become sighted, and after another couple of weeks they become independent.

The benefits and harms of the field mouse

Many will say - well, what is the use of them? They just chew and ruin everything! But this is not the case in the ecosystem. These animals are an important element of the food chain. Without the existence of this little tailed mischief, many birds and animals would be left without basic food, for example.

The field mouse is a small rodent distributed throughout the world. Refers to the most numerous species of mammals - mouse classification. There are more than 100 species on earth. They adapt perfectly to any living conditions. There are no mice only high in the mountains, in areas covered with ice.

Appearance

Little animal called differently: field vole, meadow vole, little vole, striped vole. The appearance is familiar to everyone, since field mice are frequent cohabitants of people. In cold weather or with the onset of other unfavorable conditions V natural environment moving into barns, warehouses, sheds, outbuildings, and houses. They often live in gardens, vegetable gardens, and personal plots.

Description of the field mouse:

• Maximum body length no more than 12 cm, the average size– 10 cm excluding the tail. The thin tail makes up 70% of the body length.
• The body is oblong, the hind feet are elongated. When running, they always come forward.
• Long muzzle, small round ears, oblong nose.

The appearance is very attractive, harmless, cute. The red nose is especially interesting. does not differ from the general proportions of most species of these rodents.

The coat is short, hard and uneven in color. The belly is always lighter, the back has a black stripe. You can distinguish a vole by the stripe on its back. Coat color varies depending on the region. The vole mouse can be gray, brown, ocher, or red. In summer it is darker, and by winter it begins to change. Below are field mice in the photo; you can clearly see the differences between the animal and other rodents.

Interesting!

The unique teeth of a vole grow throughout its life. Except for a row of small teeth on the upper jaw. On lower jaw there is a pair of long incisors. They appear in the second month of a mouse’s life and grow by 1-2 mm every day. To prevent excessive growth of teeth, rodents are forced to constantly grind them down. They bite hard objects that they have no idea nutritional value, but surrounding them.

It’s not hard to guess how much a small animal weighs. The small animal gains weight no more than 30 g. On average, a field mouse weighs 20 g.

Food cravings

What does a field mouse eat? most population. Because pests chew on almost everything - wood, concrete structures, bricks. Some are plastic, rubber and other synthetic materials.

Lifestyle

In countries with warm climate The meadow mouse is active all year round. In our area, with the onset of cold weather, mice do not hibernate, but the process of reproduction of the new generation slows down. Relatively well tolerated low temperature. They can safely spend the winter on the field.

How field mice overwinter depends on the objects surrounding them and natural conditions. In the warm season, rodents live in the field, with an increase in numbers, the onset of unfavorable weather, disasters - fire, drought, flood, premature frosts, they settle in gardens and vegetable gardens. Each individual makes its home at a depth of about 1 m; in winter it goes down to 3 m. Usually the meadow mouse spends the winter in a hole.

Interesting!

The vole's abode includes a nest where pups are born and mature, several chambers with food supplies, and labyrinths of passages with obligatory access to water.

In addition to the burrow, wintering occurs in haystacks, haystacks left on the field, stacks, barns, sheds, and outbuildings. The bravest or most arrogant sneak into the house. The question of where voles live in winter can be answered ambiguously - wherever possible.

Hibernation is not typical for the field mouse. The rodent living in our area cannot hibernate. If there is not enough food, if the animal was unable to store food, it risks dying. In winter, it occasionally comes to the surface during a thaw.

On a note!

Some species of voles sleep in winter and can wake up when it gets warmer. They prefer to sleep in a hole. Accumulate useful material starts in the summer, a layer of fat is deposited, which disappears during the winter.

Features of behavior

Field mice are extremely active and mobile, which is due to their metabolic characteristics. The rodent eats about 6 times per day, but quickly uses up energy. Can't stand hunger, even more thirst. Without food or water, it lives no more than a week.

They adapt well to new conditions. They move along mastered lines, defined trajectories. They mark their territory with urine. Activities intensify with the onset of darkness. They are active during the day in dark rooms.

Mice are extremely cautious, which makes them shy in the eyes of humans. The slightest rustle or sound makes the rodent run for cover and hide in a hole. Enemies of mice: lizards, snakes, rats, dogs, cats, wild animals. Danger lurks at every step. The list of who eats the field mouse can go on for a long time.

The small rodent tries not to run far from the hole, moving away by 1 m. It prefers to move in the shade, under bushes, in tall grass. Each individual is assigned its territory. They live in flocks, where there is a leader - a male, and several dominant females.

On a note!

Life expectancy in the wild is 1 year, although according to genetic data they can live up to 7 years. It's all the fault of the predators who hunt for food every day. field mice. How long they live in artificial conditions depends on the conditions of detention, proper nutrition. Average age- 3 years.

Features of reproduction

The field mouse becomes sexually mature after 3 months. A young female gives birth to from 1 to 3 cubs, an adult – up to 12 in one litter. Pregnancy lasts about 25 days.

The cubs are born blind, naked, absolutely helpless. A photo of field mice after birth is presented below. The female takes care of the young offspring for up to 1 month, then the young are expelled. They arrange their own housing and get food.

9-10 days after birth, the mouse is again ready for fertilization. Reproduces new offspring up to 4 times per year. The favorable period for this begins in May and lasts until October.

Sabotage

A field mouse can cause enormous damage agriculture. It digs numerous holes in the fields, damages ears of wheat, and leaves mounds of earth. As a result, this makes harvesting difficult and the grain loses its marketable appearance.

Settling in barns, warehouses, and other premises where people began to store cereals, grain, flour, mice eat a third of the reserves over the winter. The product is contaminated with feces and urine. There is an unpleasant mouse smell in the room.

On a note!

The vole doesn't bite. When he sees a person, he tries to quickly hide. But, when driven into a corner, it is capable of piercing with sharp teeth. Dangerous due to the spread of viral, bacterial, fungal infections, tularemia, plague, fever, rabies.

Rodent control

An increase in the number of mice in the field threatens serious losses for agricultural workers. No less damage from rodents in the garden. To destroy pests, poisonous baits are used. They are fighting. Products with a strong odor are used indoors. Also important preventive measures.

Vole family (Microtidae).

Widespread and numerous species voles in Belarus. In the south of the republic it lives in almost all forest biotopes. Forest bank voles of Belarus belong to the nominal form - C. g. glareolus. In Grodno, Minsk and Mogilev regions. the nominal form of this species inhabits. However, among voles in the Vitebsk region. There are darker specimens - C. g. suecicus, and in the south of the Gomel region. There are specimens with a lighter coat color - C. g. istericus.

Length: body 8.1-12.3 cm, tail 3.6-7.2 cm, feet 1.5-1.8 cm, ear 1.0-1.5 cm. Body weight 14-28 g (up to 36 g). The tail is covered with short and sparse hair, distinctly, rarely faintly, two-colored; its length, as a rule, is more than 45% of the length of the body.

There is no sexual dimorphism. The color of the fur on the back is rusty brown, on the sides it is dark gray, the underside is light gray with an admixture of yellow. The tail is dark above, light below, slightly pubescent. In winter, the back is brighter, rusty-buffy, the sides are reddish-buffy, and the belly is whitish. In the northern or dark bank vole C. g. suecicus has darker fur color. The winter fur on her back is rusty brown, noticeably darker than the typical form. U southern form S.g. istericus has a lighter fur color than the typical form.

It is easily distinguished from gray voles by the color of the upper part of the body (rusty and reddish-red tones are present).

A typical background representative of the faunal complex of broad-leaved and coniferous-deciduous forests of Belarus. Everywhere it prefers cleared areas of forest, clearings with well-developed undergrowth and grass. It usually avoids wetlands, dry forests and cultivated areas, appearing there only during periods of high abundance. In favorable years, the maximum vole density is observed in mixed coniferous-deciduous forests. The animals stick to areas with natural shelters - hollow trunks of fallen trees, root tangles, piles of dead wood or stones. The animal climbs trees well.

The holes and passages dug by the vole do not lie deeper than 15 cm. However, it digs holes relatively rarely; according to other data (Savitsky et al., 2005), it does not dig at all. For nests it uses natural shelters - piles of brushwood, rotten stumps, the root system of various trees. The nests are spherical, 10-15 cm in diameter, built from shoots of moss, herbaceous plants and tree leaves. During the wintering period, it often moves to human habitation, settling in straw stacks, cellars, gardens, outbuildings and residential buildings.

The bank vole is active at any time of the day, but mainly during twilight and night. Usually the animal moves from shelter to shelter under fallen trees, dry grass or fallen leaves, avoiding staying on the ground for a long time. open spaces. Summer heat and prolonged rains shorten the duration of the active period. The size of a vole’s individual home range depends on seasons of the year, sexual and age characteristics animal, population density, living conditions and can reach 2 hectares.

Males are more sedentary than females. Regular seasonal migrations are not typical for this species, but in the fall, in the absence of food, the animals can move to better feeding areas. Migration of bank voles from forest biotopes to agricultural lands and shores of water bodies does not exceed 50-100 m.

The range of food for bank voles is extremely wide and varied. In the summer, its food consists of green shoots of strawberries, anemone, lungwort, bedstraw, St. John's wort, lily of the valley, chickweed, in the fall - seeds of forbs, trees and shrubs, berries and all edible mushrooms, winter and in early spring the set of feeds is poorer. These are shoots and bark of tree species, rhizomes of herbaceous plants, mosses, and lichens. At all times of the year, animal food (worms, insects and their larvae), and sometimes carrion, can be found in the vole’s stomach. In total, they consume 5-7 g of food per day. In general, green food is the main one in all seasons of the year, making up 75.6% of the diet and increasing in the spring to 95.1%. Seeds make up 26.7% of the diet. Berries and mushrooms are found in summer and autumn.

The instinct to store food is not sufficiently expressed and manifests itself only in individuals poorly supplied with food. However, the amount of reserves is small (usually less than 100 g) and most often they remain unused by spring. Supplies are placed in root voids, hollows of fallen trees, crevices of rotten stumps and other random places.

The bank vole begins to reproduce at the age of about 1-1.5 months, according to other data (Savitsky et al., 2005), at the age of 1.5-2 months.

It reproduces quite intensively. In spring, sexual activity in males begins earlier than in females and ends later. Due to polygamy, adult females become unmarried very rarely. Pregnancy lasts 18-20 (sometimes more) days. The first pregnant females appear at the end of April, the breeding process ends in early October. Females of the first generations begin breeding in the same year and are capable of producing up to 2 litters. Females of the third generation begin to reproduce only next spring. The number of litters is often 3, sometimes 4, with 3-9 cubs in each. Newborns are naked, blind, weighing 1.3-1.8 g. Hair appears on the 9th-10th, eyes open on the 10th-12th day. From this time on, young animals begin to eat natural food.

An important food item for predatory animals, birds and reptiles (common viper).

Populations are renewed annually by 90%, as in natural conditions A small number of voles live for more than a year.