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Litter Size

How many babies does a Tundra vole have at once? (litter size)

How many baby Tundra voles are in a litter?

A Tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus) usually gives birth to around 5 babies.With 3 litters per year, that sums up to a yearly offspring of 15 babies.

Each of those little ones spend around 21 days as a fetus before they are released into the wild. Upon birth, they weight 2 grams (0 lbs) and measure 3.2 cm (0′ 2″). They are a member of the Muridae family (genus: Microtus). An adult Tundra vole grows up to a size of 11.6 cm (0′ 5″).

To have a reference: Humans obviously usually have a litter size of one ;). Their babies are in the womb of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks) and reach an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). They weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual, and reach an average age of 75 years.

The average litter size of a Tundra vole is 5

The tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus) or root vole is a medium-sized vole found in Northern and Central Europe, Asia, and northwestern North America, including Alaska and northwestern Canada. In the western part of the Netherlands, the tundra vole is a relict from the ice age and has developed to the subspecies Microtus oeconomus arenicola.It has short ears and a short tail. Its fur is yellowish brown with paler sides and white underparts. They are about 18 cm (7.1 in) long with a 4 cm (1.6 in) tail and weigh about 50 grams (1.8 oz).This species is found in damp tundra or moist meadows, usually near water. It makes runways through the surface growth in warm weather and tunnels through the snow in winter. It feeds on grasses, sedges and seeds.Female voles have three to six litters of three to 9 young in a shallow burrow. The vole population in a given area can vary greatly from year to year.It is active year-round. It also digs burrows where it stores seeds and roots, especially licorice root, for the winter. The species epithet oeconomus refers to this “economical” behaviour.

Other animals of the family Muridae

Tundra vole is a member of the Muridae, as are these animals:

Animals that share a litter size with Tundra vole

Those animals also give birth to 5 babies at once:

Animals that get as old as a Tundra vole

Other animals that usually reach the age of 1.75 years:

Animals with the same weight as a Tundra vole

What other animals weight around 33 grams (0.07 lbs)?

Animals with the same size as a Tundra vole

Also reaching around 11.6 cm (0′ 5″) in size do these animals: