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Voles outwardly resemble several other small animals. Moles, gophers, mice, rats and even shrews have similar characteristics and behavioral tendencies. Voles thrive on small plants yet, like shrews, they will eat dead animals and, like mice and rats, they can live on almost any nut or fruit. In addition, voles target plants more than most ...
The resultant disease is called alveolar echinococcosis, and is caused by ingesting the eggs of E. multilocularis. The parasite is commonly maintained in a wildlife life cycle involving two mammalian hosts. Wild canids, dogs, and less commonly cats act as definitive hosts, harbouring the adult stage of the tape worm. Voles are the intermediate ...
Voles are seldom seen outside these runways, which enable a faster and safer locomotion and easier orientation. The climbing ability of the common vole is very poor. Underground nests are dug 30–40 cm (12–16 in) deep into the ground and are used for food storage, offspring raising, and as a place for rest and sleep.
Prairie voles make shallow burrows and runways through surface vegetation. In winter, they tunnel underneath the snow. Their runways are used for many purposes, from predator protection to obtaining food. Prairie voles are easily disturbed. They will not hesitate to use their burrows if they notice predators close by or disturbances that pose a ...
The eastern meadow vole is an important food source for many predators, and disperses mycorrhizal fungi. It is a major consumer of grass and disperses grass nutrients in its feces. [ 31 ] After disruptive site disturbances such as forest or meadow fires, the meadow vole's activities contribute to habitat restoration. [ 31 ]
The voles try to prevent being caught by avoiding open areas of ground, by using tunnels and well-worn paths through the undergrowth. [6] The bank vole acts as a reservoir of infection for the Puumala virus, which can infect humans, causing a haemorrhagic fever known as nephropathia epidemica and, in extreme cases, even death. [11]
The short-tailed field vole, short-tailed vole, or simply field vole (Microtus agrestis) [2] is a grey-brown vole, [3] around 10 cm in length, with a short tail. It is one of the most common mammals in Europe, with a range extending from the Atlantic coast to Lake Baikal .
Because they feed on roots and tubers, voles do not need to drink water much. [3] Voles cache food, primarily during the winter. [5] Voles spend most of their time underground in their burrow systems and seldom venture into the surface. This makes them safe from hawks and owls. [4] Other predators of voles include snakes, weasels and mountain ...