Townsend's Vole (Microtus townsendii) lives in wet coastal meadows across Pacific Northwest North America. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Townsend's Vole
- It ranks among the biggest North American voles, measuring 169-225 mm from nose to tail tip and weighing 48-73 g. The species reaches a total length of up to 225 mm, of which the tail contributes 48-70 mm, giving it a notably long silhouette for a rodent. Its ears are wide and prominent, clearly visible above the thin, coarse fur, a trait noted in descriptions of the animal.
- Voles build communal waste piles that can grow to a slab 18 cm long, 8 cm wide and up to 13 cm high, often located at the intersections of their underground runways. Their runways are maintained year-round and may be 2.5-5 cm deep, providing a stable network for successive generations. Feces are deposited along these paths, forming the large latrines that mark the crossing points of the tunnel system.
- In some locales the species swarms, reaching up to 800 individuals per hectare, a density that can impact or exclude other species sharing the habitat. Such extreme density is linked to the vole's rapid proliferation, which also makes it a valuable food source for many predators. The population therefore fluctuates widely but remains overall stable across its range.
- Townsend's vole occupies a broad elevational band, living from sea level up to 1,830 m in the Olympic Mountains and to 915 m in the Cascade Range. Within this vertical span it seeks out habitats that stay moist, such as wet meadows, marshes and flood-plains. It also favours areas with dense, rank vegetation and even salt-marsh environments where waterlogged conditions prevail.
- In 1835 the American naturalist John Kirk Townsend collected the first known specimen of this vole, providing the basis for its scientific name. The species' epithet honours Townsend's contribution, linking the animal directly to the 19th-century explorer. This historical collection not only gave the vole its eponym but also anchored its formal description in the scientific record.
Sources
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At a glance
RangePacific Northwest North America
HabitatWet coastal meadows
DietGrass and roots
About the Townsend's Vole
In the lush, emerald meadows of the Pacific Northwest, the Townsend's Vole weaves a secret life, its slender form darting with furtive purpose through the dense undergrowth. As it moves, the vole's large, round eyes drink in the surroundings, ever vigilant for the hawks and owls that patrol the skies above, its tiny paws barely disturbing the soft earth as it burrows and forages with quiet industry. With its remarkable ability to thrive in a wide range of habitats, from wetlands to dry grasslands, the Townsend's Vole has earned its place as a resilient and adaptable denizen of this verdant world.
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