Dream Interpretation Udilova 

Forest beauties dangerous to humans - red and red voles. Bank vole (Myodes glareolus) Bank vole (eng.) The main enemies of the animal

A small animal from the genus of forest voles - body length 8–12 cm, tail 4–7 cm, body weight 15–40 g. It can be seen at dusk, and sometimes during the day.

Usually this reddish, not very short-tailed animal snoops under the canopy of forest vegetation in fallen leaves and forest rags. And at the beginning of winter, as soon as the snow falls, numerous trails of bank voles will trace the virgin whiteness of fresh powder.

At the top left - the lower surface of the front and hind legs, respectively, of the bank vole, below - the litter of the animal; on the right - traces of a vole moving in the snow by jumping

Bank voles are lighter and more agile than slow voles. Perhaps their typical gait is light jumps 10–15 cm long.

The prints of all 4 paws are arranged in the form of trapeziums, like in mice and, while a short tail strip is often imprinted on the snow. These marks are easily recognizable. They differ from traces in shorter jumps and a short tail print, and from traces of gray voles in that the latter usually do not jump with such jumps.

But it happens that the bank voles also move with a quick mincing step, exactly the same as other voles run and in which the prints are located alternately on one or the other side of the track - a snake.

The length of the steps is 6–8 cm. Such traces can be very difficult to determine. You have to look for additional signs that could suggest the correct answer, such as litter. In the bank vole, each of its grains is strongly pointed on one side, in addition, they are very small - 5 × 2 mm. The size of the front foot of this animal is 1.1 x 1, the back foot is 1.7 x 1.5 cm.

In winter, bank voles often fill entire trails from one mink to another, running back and forth many times. They usually run for short distances, and jump when they need to cover a long distance. These mobile animals can move away from the hole for several hundred meters.

Voles feed on leaves, buds and tree bark, as well as berries and mushrooms. Berries are used in different ways. Often on stumps and forest logs in autumn you can find a whole bunch of rowan fruits, from which only seeds are selected, and all the pulp is left as unnecessary.

But in rose hips, they often ate the pulp, and pulled out and gnawed the seeds. I remember how, having waited for the mushroom season, I went to the familiar spruce forest, where in previous years I collected young strong porcini mushrooms. But this time he returned home with an empty basket. All the boletus boletus that appeared on the surface were ground down by the sharp teeth of bank voles.

The fact that this was their work was clearly indicated by the droppings left near the whitening stumps. Apparently, the year for the animals was not very successful, if they attacked the mushrooms so much. These voles gnaw on many types of mushrooms, including very bitter bile mushrooms.

In winter, voles pick up fallen or dropped by crossbills spruce cones and. cutting the scales to about half with sharp teeth, they choose tasty seeds.

The bank vole (Latin name - Myodes glareolus) is a mouse-like rodent belonging to the Khomyakov family. The animal has other names: European bank vole, forest vole.

The animal is characterized by small size. In length, it grows up to 8-12 centimeters, of which 3-6 centimeters falls on the tail. Weighs 14-45 grams.

About 35 subspecies of the bank vole are known, of which only 5-6 are found in Russia. The most common subspecies are bank, red and red-gray voles.

Habitat

The forest vole lives on the plains, in the mountains and foothills. You can see it in most of Europe, in the northern part of Asia and in the Siberian taiga. In mountainous regions (in Altai, in the Alps, the Ural and Carpathian mountains) it rises to the upper limits of forest plantations. Sometimes found at an altitude of 2400 meters above sea level. m.

Appearance

The dense oval body of the animal is covered with short fur. On the back, it is painted in a rusty brown color, which gave the name to the species. White and silvery hairs are mixed on the abdomen. Ears are smoky. The tail is dark above and whitish below. For the winter, the vole “changes its coat” to a lighter one with a more pronounced red color.

The size and coloration depend on the habitat. Voles living in the southern parts of the range are more yellow, and the inhabitants of the eastern parts and mountainous regions are more red. The largest individuals are found in the northeast, but in the mountains their size decreases.

There is no external difference between males and females.

Habitat

The bank vole lives in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests. He loves linden and oak plantations very much. In the taiga, it prefers spruce forests, in which berry bushes grow. The rodent avoids dense thickets, choosing light forests and well-lit forest edges.

In the southern regions of its range, it lives in insular forests, forest-steppe and shelterbelts, and floodplains. It can go out to the fields in search of food, but does not go further than 100-150 meters. In the Urals, it settles among the placers of stones.

In the northern regions of Europe, for the winter, it moves to houses, cellars, barns, granaries, stacks of straw and haystacks. Easily adapts to anthropogenic changes.

Lifestyle

Rodents lead a solitary lifestyle, but usually gather in groups for the winter. Females occupy areas of 500-1000 square meters, which are not allowed during the breeding season. The plots of males range from a thousand to 8 thousand square meters and include the plots of females.

Although voles belong to sedentary animals, in the absence of food they can migrate, but no further than 50-100 meters.

Wood vole does not hibernate. It is active all year round and at any time of the day. It is characterized by alternating periods of activity and rest. Usually the animal is in an active state for about an hour, devoting most of the time to searching for food, after which it rests for an hour and a half. But still the most active rodent in the morning and evening.

The bank vole usually lives in natural voids formed under stones or tree roots, under heaps of dry branches, in fallen trunks and rotten stumps, in burrows dug by other animals. It digs holes on its own in extremely rare cases. Voles are excellent tree climbers and climb up to twelve meters without any problems. Therefore, they often equip nests in hollows or birdhouses.

In the dwelling, the animal from dried leaves and grass (sometimes it can add feathers and wool to them) builds a spherical nest with a diameter of 10-15 centimeters. The leaves are also used as “doors”, closing the entrance with them. Several paths depart from the nest (usually 3-5), leading to feeding areas. In winter, snow tunnels are laid on the site of the trails.

Nutrition

Voles mainly eat:

  • green fodder (they make up 75-95% of the diet);
  • seeds of herbs, shrubs and trees;
  • forest berries (blueberries, lingonberries).

Especially love acorns and linden seeds. In the eastern regions of the range, seeds of cedar pines are preferred.

In summer, they can eat stems and leaves of various plants (over a hundred), spruce cones, insects and their larvae, worms, and in winter - buds, bark and shoots of shrubs (they love aspen bark the most).

Usually alternate feeds, providing a variety of diets. If the main food is missing due to crop failure, then they easily pass to the roots of plants, lichens, mosses and fungi. They can eat carrion. For a day, one individual eats 5-7 grams of feed.

Rodents make small food reserves (no more than 100 grams), which often remain unused and contribute to the formation of new plantations.

To provide the body with moisture, they drink rainwater and dew, eat snow.

reproduction

The bank vole starts breeding in early spring, before the snow melts. The breeding season ends in early autumn. Sometimes they can breed even in snowy winters, if there are no sharp temperature changes.

During the season, females bring 3-4 (and sometimes 5) broods. There can be from 3 to 13 babies in a litter, but most often - 5-6.

The duration of pregnancy is 17-24 days. Cubs are born naked and blind. They weigh from 1 to 10 grams. They are covered with wool on the ninth or tenth day, the eyes open on the tenth or twelfth (at the same time they begin to eat green food on their own), and on the fourteenth or fifteenth day they already leave the dwelling.

Usually the female becomes pregnant during lactation. Before the onset of childbirth, she abandons the previous brood and moves to another hole. Abandoned cubs are divided into groups, and by the age of one month they become independent. Already in a month and a half females are capable of reproduction. Males become sexually mature at one and a half to two months.

Enemies

Voles have many enemies. These rodents serve as food for stoats, minks, weasels,.

Lifespan

In the wild, the bank vole lives from half a year to one and a half years. The maximum lifespan was recorded in the laboratory (3 years 1 month), a little less in the reserve (2 years 1 month).

conservation status

This species is quite numerous. In Europe, it is the leader among all rodents inhabiting forests. In the most favorable years, the density of settlements is 200 individuals per hectare.

Ixodid ticks often settle on the animal.

It is a carrier of more than ten diseases, which include:

  1. tick-borne encephalitis;
  2. tularemia;
  3. hemorrhagic fever;
  4. salmonellosis;
  5. toxoplasmosis;
  6. lymphocytic choriomeningitis;
  7. leptospirosis;
  8. pseudotuberculosis;
  9. pig face.

With excessive reproduction, the vole damages gardens and forest nurseries, damages food stocks.

They can surprise not only novice tourists, but also those who have seen quite a few of the most diverse and interesting places on the Planet.

The coloration of the top of the bank vole is rusty-brownish, of various shades. The tail is relatively long (40-60 mm), sharply bicolored, dark above and whitish below, covered with short hairs, between which a scaly surface of the skin can be seen. Skull length 21.7-26.0 mm. The length of the upper molars is usually less than 6 mm. The base of the alveolus of the upper incisor (visible when opening the bone) is at least half the length of the crown of this tooth from the anterior edge of the 1st molar. 3rd upper molar on the inside with 2, or more often, 3 reentrant angles.

Forest regions of the European part of the USSR and some regions of Western Siberia; to the north to the middle part of the Kola Peninsula, the Solovetsky Islands, Arkhangelsk and the lower reaches of the Pechora, to the south to the insular forests of Ukraine, the Voronezh, Saratov, Kuibyshev regions, the environs of Uralsk; isolated locality is in the southwestern Transcaucasia. The eastern boundary of distribution is not sufficiently clarified: individual occurrences are known near Tyumen, in the vicinity of Tobolsk, in the Vasyugan region of the Tomsk region, in the Legostaevsky region of the Novosibirsk region; on the Salair Ridge, Altai and Sayans. Outside the USSR, it is distributed north to Scotland and Scandinavia, south to the Pyrenees, southern Italy, Yugoslavia and Turkey.

In the Pleistocene on the territory of the USSR, bank voles penetrated far to the south into the open landscape, apparently adhering to forested river valleys, and their remains, usually attributed to C. glareolus, together with the remains of the steppe fauna, were found outside their modern range on the lower Don and in the Crimea; in addition, they are known from the Kanev region on the Dnieper. The earliest finds are known from England in the Upper Pliocene; in the early Quaternary time, forms close to C. glareolus.

The bank vole lives in various types of forests, from coniferous in the north to broadleaf in the south; through forest islands it penetrates far into the steppe zone. In autumn and winter, it often settles in haystacks, omets and buildings. Burrows with several exits and 1-2 chambers; sometimes makes a nest on the surface of the soil. Climbs bushes and trees. It feeds on tree seeds, herbaceous plants, bark, buds, lichens and, in part, also animal food (insects, worms). Reproduction 3-4 times a year, in each litter 2-8 cubs. Harmful in forests, nurseries, gardens and field-protective afforestations. In some places it causes some damage in winter in barns, vegetable warehouses and in residential buildings.

Vole subspecies: 1) Clethrionomys glareolus glareolus Schreber (1780) - the coloration is relatively bright with a significant admixture of reddish-rufous tones on the back; from Belarus and the Smolensk region to the Tatar ASSR.

2) C. g. suecicus Miller (1909) - the coloration is darker than that of the previous form, the dimensions are somewhat larger than those of other subspecies; from the Baltic along the northern regions of the USSR (Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Leningrad, Vologda) to the Ural Range and the flat part of Western Siberia, inclusive.

3) C. g. islericus Miller (1909) - rusty-yellow upperparts, lighter than previous forms; Moldova, Ukraine, Kursk, Voronezh, Saratov, Kuibyshev regions, the Southern Urals, etc.

4) C. g. devius Stroganov (1948) - the color of the summer fur on the back is smoky gray with a fawn-rusty tint; found in the lower reaches of the river. Pechory.

5) C. g. saianicus Thomas (1911) - upperparts are relatively dark, similar to C. g. suecicus Mill.; slightly smaller than the last subspecies; Sayans, Altai, Salair Ridge.

6) C. g. ponticus Thomas (1906) - the color of the bank vole is intense, gray-brown, with a brownish-rusty tinge; found in the Guria-Adzhar Range south of the city of Kutaisi of the Georgian SSR; was previously known from several points in Turkey (Trapezund, etc.).

Mice are rarely talked about in a respectful tone. Usually they are described as poor, shy, but very harmful rodents. mouse vole- that is no exception.

This small animal can significantly spoil the crop in the garden, and gnaw a hole in the floor at home. Judging by photo, voles outwardly resembles ordinary mice and. At the same time, the muzzle of the inhabitants of the fields is smaller, and the ears and tail are shorter.

Features and habitat of the vole

The animals themselves belong to a large family of rodents and a subfamily. There are more than 140 field species. Almost all have their own differences, but there are common features:

  • small size (body length from 7 centimeters);
  • short tail (from 2 centimeters);
  • small weight (from 15 g);
  • 16 teeth without roots (a new one will grow in place of the fallen tooth).

At the same time, roots were found in fossil rodents, but in the process of evolution, field animals lost them. A typical representative is common vole. This is a small rodent (up to 14 centimeters) with a brownish back and a gray belly. Lives near marshes, near rivers and in meadows. In winter, it prefers to move into people's houses.

Some species of field mice live underground (for example, mole voles). On the contrary, they lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle. In this case, terrestrial representatives are most often found. For example, among forest rodents, the most popular are:

  • red-backed vole;
  • red-gray field mouse;
  • bank vole.

All three species are distinguished by mobility, they are able to climb bushes and small trees. In the tundra, you can “get acquainted” with pied and, which also belong to this subfamily.

About 20 species of field rodents live in Russia. All of them are small. Residents of Mongolia, East China, Korea and the Far East were less fortunate. Their economy is harmed big vole.

Pictured is a large vole

Pictured is a red vole mouse

Rodents prepare in advance for the cold. Field mice do not hibernate and are active all year round. voles in winter feed on supplies from their pantries. It can be seeds, grains, nuts. Most often, the animals do not have enough of their own blanks, which is why they run to people's houses.

However, they do not always enter the house by accident. Sometimes rodents are kept as decorative pets. animal vole can live in a small cage with a metal grate filled with sawdust.

There are usually 2-3 females per male. In winter, it is recommended to transfer to larger cages and leave them in unheated rooms.

Pictured is a red-backed vole

Also, these rodents are used for scientific purposes. Biological and medical experiments are most often carried out on red and steppe vole. If mice are wound up in the apartment “illegally”, you should contact the sanitary and epidemiological station. Voles breed very actively and can significantly damage property.

Nutrition

The owners of such an unusual pet as vole mouse you should know that your pet needs a balanced diet. The daily diet should include:

  • vegetables;
  • corn;
  • cottage cheese;
  • meat;
  • eggs;
  • fresh raw water.

For those who only dream buy vole, it should be understood that these are very voracious rodents, they are able to eat food more than their weight per day.

Many people believe that field mice are omnivores in nature. However, this is not quite true. "Menu" directly depends on the habitat. For example, steppe animals feed on grasses and plant roots. In the meadow, rodents choose juicy stems and all kinds of berries. forest voles feast on young shoots and buds, mushrooms, berries and nuts.

Almost all types of mice will not refuse small insects and larvae. water vole, for unknown reasons, likes potatoes and root vegetables. In general, vegetables and fruits from gardens are the favorite food of almost all field mice.

Rodents in large numbers can cause irreparable damage to the economy. In apartments and houses, mice eat everything they can steal: bread, straw, cheese, sausage, vegetables.

Pictured is a water vole

Reproduction and lifespan

It cannot be said that these are exclusively harmful creatures. In nature, they are an important link in the food chain. Without mice, many predators would starve, including martens and.

However, it is better not to let wild voles near the houses. These are very prolific rodents. In the natural environment, a female can bring from 1 to 7 litters in one year. And each will have 4-6 little mice. In greenhouse conditions, the animals breed even more actively.

The pregnancy itself lasts no more than a month. Mice become independent after 1-3 weeks. Captive gray voles become sexually mature at the age of 2-3 months. Pets - a little earlier.

Pictured is a gray vole

The age of these rodents is short, and rarely the mouse survives to the age of two. However, during this short period, vole can give birth to about 100 cubs. That is, a flock of one mouse can completely destroy stocks of root crops for the winter and other products.

Despite the fact that field mice are so prolific, some species are listed in the "Red". Vinogradov's Lemmings are in critical condition, and the Alai Slepushonka is endangered. There are also vulnerable species and voles that are in a state close to threatened.

The field mouse is a small animal with a brown or gray back and a light gray abdomen. The red-backed vole has rather large ears, and a dark stripe is located along its back. The family of voles is characterized by a small body size (up to 15 centimeters), and the tail can be longer than the body. Field mice live in large families containing up to 10 nests each. For a month, the pest processes and throws up to 60 kilograms of soil to the surface.

Despite their miniature size, forest voles, like rats, cause a lot of trouble to their owners. The common vole is the enemy of bumblebees. She destroys their dwellings, eats insect larvae and honey made by him. This brings significant losses to beekeepers and can completely drive insects away from the site.

Almost all year round, the main food of animals is leaves, stems and seeds of wild herbaceous plants. The bank vole also feeds on berries and grain during its growth period. Gray voles also eat insects, their larvae and some invertebrates.

Lifestyle

The way of life of rodents is subject to the principle of seasonality. Also, the biorhythms of animals are dependent on the length of daylight hours. The air temperature and, accordingly, the time of year also have a significant impact on the way of life.

In summer and spring, forest voles are active in the afternoon: at night. How do they live in winter? In winter and autumn, gray voles and rats are active in the middle of the day. The animal does not hibernate in winter. E minks during this period are natural shelters or passages underground.

Mink gray voles, like rats, "line up" up to 4 meters high. They are usually equipped with several exits, one of which leads to water. The mouse lives in a house with a specially equipped chamber. In winter, food stocks are stored in it.

It is worth noting that the water vole, which lives near swamps, does not dig holes. She lives in a spherical house made mostly of grass. The dwelling is located at a height, on a bush.

Video "Vole in nature"

The “protagonist” of the video is a field mouse, which gradually eats a piece of bread.

Distribution and reproduction

Rats and forest voles live on the territory of the former Soviet Union, in Siberia, Kazakhstan, and the Far East. In Ukraine, rodents live on the territory of the Carpathians, the region of the Azov and Black Seas, where the water vole is found. The bank vole feels uncomfortable in the dry steppes near Sivash, so it does not live there.

Forest voles prefer to live in the forests of the forest-steppe. Rodents are most often found on cultivated fields or hills, rising above sea level by almost one and a half kilometers.

The bank vole is very fond of wet areas, so you can meet it in grassy meadows and fields. With great desire, the red-gray vole also settles in vineyards, orchards, in valleys, which is very harmful to gardeners.

The underground vole places its dwellings among the roots of plants. When the cold comes, pests easily hide in stacks of straw and piles of fallen leaves. Sometimes the field mouse makes its way into human dwellings or grain stores, which does not please the farmers.

The bank vole breeds actively in spring. Rodent cubs appear in specially equipped chambers, the bottom of which is covered with dry grass. From this part of the dwelling there are several paths that go to the surface. For a year, the female, on average, gives 4 offspring of 5-8 cubs. Pregnancy lasts 22 days.

The interval between offspring is about two months. The mouse is born naked and blind. He is absolutely helpless. Further, the mouse is covered with fluff, grows and develops. After 10 days, he is no different from an adult. Three-week-old babies are looking for food on an equal footing with other mice. And after a couple of months, the field mouse is already able to breed.

Harm

Despite their miniature size and cute appearance, mammals are of little use on the farm. They exist, by and large, due to the fact that they have time to steal from gardeners, farmers or gardeners.

Mice and rats, settling in apartments, warehouses or in the country, bring irreparable harm. They eat tree bark, green parts of plants, and gardeners' supplies, including grain. The red-backed vole causes significant losses, and when the rodent population becomes huge, it is impossible to estimate the losses from spoiled crops at all. Therefore, it is in the interests of the gardeners themselves not to allow an increase in the mouse family.

To choose the right tool, you should decide what results you are trying to achieve. And also by what method: humane or more radical. It is also necessary to take into account the environment in which disinfection activities are planned. After all, when getting rid of rodents, domestic animals or livestock should not suffer.

The underground vole is afraid of "Storm" wax tablets. This preparation can reliably protect the crop that the pest feeds on. The substance is scattered in burrows, as well as other places where the bank vole loves or can be. The main thing is not to take the drug with your hands. After all, rats can smell a person and will not eat poison. After consuming the poison, the life of the animal stops after 10-14 days.

The fight against mice is also carried out with Muskidan glue. It is applied to a plywood or cardboard base, in the middle of which the bait is placed. Getting on a sticky surface, the field mouse is firmly glued to it.

The water vole is also afraid of natural enemies, which can drastically reduce the population. For example, an owl takes the life of 1000 or more rodents per year. And for the fox and the marten, the red-backed vole is the only food. Therefore, they actively hunt for it. A ferret, hunting for mice, is capable of destroying up to 12 representatives of the water vole species per night. And the weasel, with its long and narrow body, easily penetrates the dwellings that the red-gray vole has equipped, and takes the life from its cubs.