| The Western Red-backed Vole lives in conifer forests from the Columbia River south through western Oregon to northern California. Its population densities are greatest in dense, dark forests where there is little or no understory. These Voles prefer old-growth to young forest, and upland to riparian areas. They use decaying logs for foraging, nesting, and inner-log travel routes, and they make other pathways along large, hard logs. In Oregon, these voles consume largely fungi and lichens, with some conifer seeds and insect larvae. They may play a role in disseminating fungal spores and bacteria that are important to the ecology of the forest.
Also known as:
California Red-backed Vole
Sexual Dimorphism:
None
Length:
Range:
121-165 mm
Weight:
Range:
15-40 g
References:
Merriam, C.H., 1890. Descriptions of twenty-six new species of North American mammals, p. 26. North American Fauna, 4:1-60.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World (opens in a new window).
Mammalian Species, American Society of Mammalogists' species account (opens in a new window).
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