Arvicola
Encyclopedia
The water voles are large vole
s in the genus Arvicola. They are found in both aquatic and dry habitat through Europe
and much of northern Asia
. A water vole
found in Western North America
was historically considered a member of this genus, but has been shown to be more closely related to members of the genus Microtus
(Conroy and Cook, 2000; Musser and Carleton, 2005).
Head and body length are 12–22 cm, tail length is 6.5–12.5 cm, and the weight is 70–250 g. The animals may exhibit indeterminate growth
. They are thick-furred and have hairy fringe on feet that improves their swimming ability.
Vole
A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars . There are approximately 155 species of voles. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America...
s in the genus Arvicola. They are found in both aquatic and dry habitat through Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and much of northern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. A water vole
Water Vole (North America)
The Water Vole, Microtus richardsoni, is the largest North American vole. It is found in the northwestern United States and southern parts of western Canada...
found in Western North America
Geography of North America
North America is the third largest continent, or a portion of the second largest if North and South America are combined into the Americas and Africa, Europe and Asia are considered to be part of one supercontinent called Afro-Eurasia...
was historically considered a member of this genus, but has been shown to be more closely related to members of the genus Microtus
Microtus
The genus Microtus is a group of voles found in North America, Europe and northern Asia. The genus name refers to the small ears of these animals. There are 62 species in the genus....
(Conroy and Cook, 2000; Musser and Carleton, 2005).
Head and body length are 12–22 cm, tail length is 6.5–12.5 cm, and the weight is 70–250 g. The animals may exhibit indeterminate growth
Indeterminate growth
In biology and especially botany, indeterminate growth refers to growth that is not terminated in contrast to determinate growth that stops once a genetically pre-determined structure has completely formed. Thus, a plant that grows and produces flowers and fruit until killed by frost or some other...
. They are thick-furred and have hairy fringe on feet that improves their swimming ability.
Species
- European (or Northern) Water Vole (Arvicola amphibius or Arvicola terrestris)
- Southwestern (or Southern) Water Vole (Arvicola sapidus)
- Montane Water VoleMontane Water VoleThe Montane Water Vole or Arvicola scherman is a species of vole found throughout Europe, from the mountains of northern Spain through central Europe and eastwards through to central Romania. Initially regarded as a species, it was reassigned as a subspecies of terrestris before being again...
(Arvicola scherman)