It is hard to guess what a Field vole weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Field vole (Microtus agrestis) on average weights 35 grams (0.08 lbs).
The Field vole is from the family Muridae (genus: Microtus). It is usually born with about 2 grams (0 lbs). They can live for up to 3.25 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 7.6 cm (0′ 3″). On average, Field voles can have babies 3 times per year with a litter size of 4.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The field vole or short-tailed vole (Microtus agrestis) is a grey-brown vole, around four inches (ten centimetres) in length, with a short tail. It is one of the most common mammals in Europe, with a range extending from the Atlantic coast to Lake Baikal. These voles are found in moist grassy habitats, such as woodland, marsh or on river banks. Although they make shallow burrows, they usually build nests above ground. They are an important food source for owls and some other predators and their population size tends to peak and trough cyclically. Field voles breed prolifically, mainly in summer, but often all year round, even under snow. Females produce up to seven litters a year, each averaging from four to six young which are weaned after about fourteen days. The field vole is both widespread and common and is listed as being of “Least Concern” by the IUCN.
Animals of the same family as a Field vole
We found other animals of the Muridae family:
- Gregarious short-tailed rat with a weight of 92 grams
- Pale field rat with a weight of 169 grams
- Large pencil-tailed tree mouse with a weight of 28 grams
- Nayarit mouse with a weight of 40 grams
- Koford’s grass mouse with a weight of 29 grams
- New Guinea waterside rat with a weight of 526 grams
- Island mouse with a weight of 164 grams
- Glacier rat with a weight of 66 grams
- Ash-grey mouse with a weight of 30 grams
- Aegialomys xanthaeolus with a weight of 79 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Field vole
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Microtus agrestis:
- Pale spear-nosed bat bringing 36 grams to the scale
- Soft grass mouse bringing 30 grams to the scale
- African giant shrew bringing 33 grams to the scale
- Brazilian gracile opossum bringing 29 grams to the scale
- Grey dwarf hamster bringing 30 grams to the scale
- White-winged vampire bat bringing 36 grams to the scale
- White-footed climbing mouse bringing 40 grams to the scale
- Northern hopping mouse bringing 38 grams to the scale
- Plateau mouse bringing 40 grams to the scale
- Bushy-tailed hairy-footed gerbil bringing 35 grams to the scale
Animals with the same litter size as a Field vole
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (4) as a Field vole:
- Small five-toed jerboa
- Mexican prairie dog
- Beaded wood mouse
- Lesser short-tailed gerbil
- Atherton antechinus
- Merriam’s pocket mouse
- African grass rat
- Ethiopian white-footed mouse
- European mink
- Malayan weasel
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Field vole
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Field vole:
- Northern pygmy mouse with an average maximal age of 3.25 years
- Northern pocket gopher with an average maximal age of 3.75 years
- Bicolored shrew with an average maximal age of 3 years
- Japanese shrew mole with an average maximal age of 3.5 years
- Eastern woodrat with an average maximal age of 3 years
- Pen-tailed treeshrew with an average maximal age of 2.67 years
- Coast mole with an average maximal age of 3 years
- Ooldea dunnart with an average maximal age of 3 years
- Bower’s white-toothed rat with an average maximal age of 2.83 years
- Kultarr with an average maximal age of 3.25 years