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Male voles are territorial and tend to include territories of several female voles when possible. Under these conditions polygyny exists and males offer little parental care. [ 22 ] Males mark and aggressively defend their territories since females prefer males with the most recent marking in a given area.
A young female vole usually first conceives around 105 days but can conceive as early as 77 days. A female will develop a vaginal plug after copulation which lasts for three days. [4] Gestation lasts 20–24 days with 1–4 litters produced per year, each with 1–5 young. [4] When a vole's partner dies, it is replaced by an unrelated individual.
The California vole is a medium-sized vole, and a typical member of its group in appearance. Males range from 152 to 196 mm (6.0 to 7.7 in) in head-body length, with a 42 to 58 mm (1.7 to 2.3 in) tail. Females are significantly smaller at 149 to 182 mm (5.9 to 7.2 in) in length with a 38 to 53 mm (1.5 to 2.1 in) tail.
The biggest difference between moles and voles is how they inflict their damage. Damage From Moles Moles are meat-eaters, and their diet usually consists of insects, grubs, and earthworms.
Eastern meadow voles are active year-round [8] [9] and day or night, with no clear 24-hour rhythm in many areas. [10] Most changes in activity are imposed by season, habitat, cover, temperature, and other factors. Eastern meadow voles have to eat frequently, and their active periods (every two to three hours) are associated with food digestion.
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.
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Female field voles sometimes spontaneously move in the time gap between weaning one litter and producing the next, a phenomenon typical of this species. One of the causes of the large population swings that occur in the short-tailed field vole is the scramble competition which comes into play when the most desirable food plants are less ...