The Taiga Vole, Microtus xanthognathus, is a large vole

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...

 found in northwestern North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, including Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

 and northwestern Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is also sometimes called the Yellow-cheeked Vole or Chestnut-cheeked Vole.

This animal is similar in appearance to the smaller Rock Vole

Rock Vole

The Rock Vole is a medium-sized vole found in eastern North America. It is also called the Yellow-nosed Vole....

. They have short ears and a long tail. Their fur is brown with grey underparts and a rusty yellow patch on the nose. They are 18 cm long with a 5 cm tail and weigh about 120 g.

These animals are found in northern forests near water or bog

Bog

A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....

s. They make runways through the surface growth and underground burrows. They are usually found in colonies. They feed on grasses, lichen

Lichen

Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...

s, horsetail

Horsetail

Equisetum is the only living genus in the Equisetaceae, a family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds.Equisetum is a "living fossil", as it is the only living genus of the entire class Equisetopsida, which for over one hundred million years was much more diverse and...

s and berries. They store food underground in their burrows for the winter. Like the Singing Vole

Singing Vole

The singing vole, Microtus miurus, is a medium-sized vole found in northwestern North America, including Alaska and northwestern Canada.-Physical characteristics:...

, this animal may give a warning call to alert other members of the colony of danger.

The female vole has litters of 7 to 10 young. The vole population in a given area can vary greatly from year to year.

They are active year-round, usually during dark periods.

Although not commonly encountered, they can be locally abundant.