Southern red-backed voles can be found in most of Canada. In the United States, they occur in the Rocky Mountains, into Arizona and New Mexico. In the midwest, they are found in the following states: North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the northern portion of Michigan. In the east they are found from the northern limits of New England along the Appalachians to Maryland and North Carolina. In Europe, they are found in Spain in the Pyrenes and Cantabrian Mountains, and in Italy in the Greek Pindus and on the Balkan Peninsula.

Body coloration changes slightly from one population to another, however, the reddish dorsal midstripe is a key factor to identification. The sides are brown with a touch of gray and the fur on the ventral side is black at the roots and yellowish white at the tip. The tail is bicolored. It is 31-50 mm long which is shorter than its relative the mouse. Th red-backed vole's front feet have four toes whereas the hind feet have five toes. The hind foot length is 17-21 mm. The eyes are black and slightly bulging and the ears are rather small and hidden. The ear height is 12-16 mm. The red-backed vole weighs 15-35 g and its total length is 120-160 mm.

The southern red-backed vole's feeding habits are opportunistic. These voles eat whatever is available during each season. They don't cache food for the winter because they continue to forage for food even under snow. In the spring, red-backed voles eat grasses, leaves, stems, and bulbs of herbaceous plants. During the summer, berries such as blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries are added to the menu. In the fall, the diet switches to seeds and nuts such as the hazelnut and the beechnut. In the winter, underground fungus called Endogone is the main food. Sometimes the red-backed vole will eat insects such as butterflies, moths, and beetles. Voles have also been documented as eating spiders and sometimes even snails. During harsh winters, these voles will even eat tree bark.

Breeding can begin as early in the year as January before the snow melts and then continues until November. Females generally have 2-3 litters annually. Litter size ranges from 2-8 young. Average litters have 4 or 5 young. The gestation period is a very short 17-19 days. At this point, the young are born with no fur, closed eyes, and a weight of 1.9 g. By the eigth day, the young are covered by dark gray fur. By fifteen days, the eyes will open and by the seventeenth day they are weaned. Sexual maturity is reached between 2 and 4 months. The young will reproduce at this time. Most individuals live for only 10-12 months. Occasionally, one will live to be 20 months.

Southern red-backed voles are active at all time during the year and can be seen at all times during the day. These voles are very territorial. Home range is less than 0.5 ha. Other voles and other species are greeted with an aggressive front when too near. When disturbed, red-backed voles make a shrill chattering sound. Foraging involves both hopping and running. It is not uncommon to see one of these voles up in a tree.

Southern red-backed voles make many different habitats their home. Moist and cool forests are preferred, however, these voles have been found living in the treeless summit of Mount Washington, the spruce-covered summit of the Smokey Mountains, aspen meadows, and even cold, damp sphagnum bogs. Red-backed voles make their nests underground. They are usually at a depth of 45 cm. These nests are circular and made of crushed wood, leaves, moss, twigs, and grass. Occasionally, a nest will be made in a tree or a rotting stump. Red-backed voles also travel in underground networks of tunnels.

Red-backed voles can prove to be a menace. They can cause problems both in natural environments and cultivated environments. They destroy large numbers of trees by girdling them. Young trees and old trees are affected. Also nesting and tunneling in farm areas can damage crops. Southern red-backed voles could also be a small part of pest control. Even though insects are a small part of a vole's diet, they can be credited with making small dents in pest populations.

Did you know that even though the southern red-backed vole is present in large numbers that it still has a very high mortality rate? Cold spells in autumn and spring meltdowns cause an increase in mortality. The voles also have many predators which include hawks, owls, weasels, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, bears, and other flesh eaters. This high mortality rate is countered with the specie's high reproduction rate. Did you know that pelage color varies with season? In fact, the reddish dorsal midstripe is brighter in the winter and coloration becomes more bland in the summer. Did you know that southern red-backed voles suffer from a condition called waltzing? When disturbed or handled, this animal will make fast circling movements to the right and left. Also, it will jerk its head.

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Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Mc-Graw Hill, Inc. ISBN: 0-07-909508-9.

Hamilton, William J. Jr. and John O. Whittaker, Jr. 1979.

Mammals of the Eastern United States. Cornell University Press. ISBN: 0-8014-1254-4.

Kurta, Allen. 1995.

Mammals of the Great Lakes Region. The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-094971.

National Audubon Society. 1996.

Field Guide to North American Mammals. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN: 0-679-44631-1.

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Palmer's Fieldbook of Mammals. E. P. Dutton & Company, Inc. ISBN: 57-8974.

Any comments or suggestions? If so, please send them to Buzz Hoagland (bhoagland@wsc.mass.edu)

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