Microtus xanthognathus
taiga vole

Taiga voles, Microtus xanthognathus, are found in scattered locations throughout the boreal taiga zone. Populations are found from the west coast of Hudson Bay to the interior of Alaska. There are records of taiga voles in Manitoba, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon Territory, and Alaska. (Conroy and Cook, 1999)

Taiga voles inhabit quite a wide range of microhabitats within the taiga community. These include mixed woods bordering a marsh, the banks of rivers, wet grassy swamps, and open black spruce forests with sphagnum moss for ground cover. It seems that the ideal habitat for these voles is moist, highly productive forest in the early successional stages. They also seem to prefer recently burned areas and black spruce forests. (Conroy and Cook, 1999; Wolff and Lidicker, 1980)

There seem to be two habitat conditions that taiga voles look for when establishing residency in an area. One is rhizomes, which provide winter food. These require moist conditions for Equisetum or Epilobium growth. The other factor important to these voles in habitat selection is good burrowing conditions. These can be found in areas with moss for ground cover. Both of these conditions seem to point to a habitat similar to the ideal habitat mentioned earlier. (Conroy and Cook, 1999; Wolff and Lidicker, 1980)

Microtus xanthognathus is one of the largest voles in the genus. These animals weigh between 140 and 160 grams, and have an overall length of 186 to 226 mm. The tail is bicolored, with a blackish top and a dusky gray underside, and is 45 to 53 mm in length. The pelage is sepia to bister in color on the upper parts, with coarse black hairs on the back. On the sides of the nose, by the whiskers, and in the ear patches, M. xanthognathus has a rusty-yellowish coloration. The underside is dusky gray. These voles have 16 teeth, four of which are incisors and 12 are molars. They lacks canines and premolars. (Conroy and Cook, 1999)

Taiga voles usually live 16 to 18 months if they survive and enter their first winter. (Wolff and Lidicker, 1980)

Taiga voles nest in groups of five to ten in the winter, which seems to be an adaptation for behavioral thermoregulation. These groups don't seem to be comprized of family members, and are made up of different sexes and ages. (Conroy and Cook, 1999; Wolff and Lidicker, 1980; Wolff and Lidicker, 1981)

Nests have multiple entrances and burrow systems that are branched making them complex. Burrows, nests, and caches are usually found where a layer of litter and moss meets the soil, and a gap can easily be made. The nests of taiga voles are about 30 centimeters under ground, and made of dry grass. In the winter the nests are about 25 to 30 centimeters in diameter, whereas the summer nests are only 15 centimeters in diameter. These temperature inside these nests in the winter stay between 4° and 7° Celsius, even though the air temperatures range between -5° and -23° Celsius and ground temperatures are between -3° and -5° Celsius. This suggests that the nest is never completely empty during the winter. (Conroy and Cook, 1999; Wolff and Lidicker, 1980; Wolff and Lidicker, 1981)

Microtus xanthognathus builds and maintains complex runways that may be partially under ground and are often near water. The voles are not afraid to cross water. (Conroy and Cook, 1999; Wolff and Lidicker, 1980; Wolff and Lidicker, 1981)

Females are territorial around the nest during the mating season. Males also are aggressive and territorial during the mating season. (Conroy and Cook, 1999; Wolff and Lidicker, 1980; Wolff and Lidicker, 1981)

Dispersal occurs periodically during the year, and allows mixing of the population. Late in the summer after breeding is one time when M. xanthognathus disperse. In this round of dispersal, most emigrants are juvenile males. The other time of dispersal is just prior to snowmelt. (Conroy and Cook, 1999; Wolff and Lidicker, 1980; Wolff and Lidicker, 1981)

Home Range

The home range size has not been reported for this species.

Taiga voles communicate through scent markings and calls. The scent glands are found in adult males and females and vary in size according to body size. These scent glands increase in size in the early spring and stay enlarged until fall, when they regress in size. (Conroy and Cook, 1999; Wolff and Johnson, 1979; Wolff, 1980)

The scent glands located on the flank may be used in scent marking for individual recognition especially in the context of marking territory. During courtship, males and females sniff each other's flank and anal glands to determine reproductive condition. M. xanthognathus may help to stimulate scent excretion by scratching the flank gland. The oily secretion is known to mat down the hair. (Conroy and Cook, 1999; Wolff and Johnson, 1979; Wolff, 1980)

Besides scent marking, taiga voles also communicate with alarm calls. They give out these alarm calls as a predator enters within an individual's home range, and will continue the call until the predator is within 5 to 8 meters of the individual. These alarm calls are usually not given unless an individual is in safe territory. It is not known if the voles are assisting kin when making these alarm calls, warning the predators off, or are involved in some sort of reciprocal altruism with neighboring voles. (Conroy and Cook, 1999)

Although not specifically reported, it is likely that these voles use tactile and visual signals in their communications, also. Tactile communication is important in fighting, mating, and nurturing the young in just about all mammals.

Taiga voles eat a variety of different plants. They prefer to eat grasses, like Calamagrostis, rhizomes, and berries in the summer. Then as these summer foods start to die off, they switch over to stored rhizomes, particularly the ones from Equisetum, which make up the majority of their winter diet. Ninety percent of their winter food is from these rhizomes and the other ten percent is from eating food away from the nest. The voles gather rhizomes and store them from mid-August to mid-September. (Wolff and Lidicker, 1980; Wolff and Lidicker, 1981)

Taiga voles are prey for a number of raptors and carnivores. To avoid predators they give out alarm calls and will continue this call until the predator is within 5 to 8 meters of the individual. (Conroy and Cook, 1999)

These voles serve as a food source for many animals. Microtus pennsylvanicus also has been reported to use the same runways as taiga voles. Because of their food caching behavior, these voles may play some role in seed dispersal. (Conroy and Cook, 1999; Wolff and Lidicker, 1980)

There is no reported negative effect of these voles on humans.

These is no apparent direct benefit of this species to humans.

The taiga vole is not listed by CITES or IUCN. (Conroy and Cook, 1999)

Other common name by which this species is known include yellow-cheeked vole, yellow-nosed vole, yellow-snouted vole, chestnut-cheeked vole, and fulvous-cheeked vole. (Conroy and Cook, 1999)