What is the maximal age a Field vole reaches?
An adult Field vole (Microtus agrestis) usually gets as old as 3.25 years.
Field voles are around 20 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 2 grams (0 lbs) and measure 4.3 cm (0′ 2″). As a member of the Muridae family (genus: Microtus), a Field vole caries out around 4 little ones per pregnancy, which happens around 3 times a year. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 5.9 cm (0′ 3″).
As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.
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
Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Muridae):
- White-footed rabbit-rat bringing the scale to 200 grams
- Patagonian chinchilla mouse bringing the scale to 75 grams
- Oecomys roberti bringing the scale to 73 grams
- New Holland mouse with 4 babies per pregnancy
- Bolam’s mouse bringing the scale to 15 grams
- South African pouched mouse becoming 2.75 years old
- Cape spiny mouse bringing the scale to 21 grams
- Cloud forest grass mouse bringing the scale to 39 grams
- Daphne’s Oldfield mouse bringing the scale to 77 grams
- Cheesman’s gerbil with 8 babies per pregnancy
Animals that reach the same age as Field vole
With an average age of 3.25 years, Field vole are in good companionship of the following animals:
- Molina’s hog-nosed skunk usually reaching 3.33 years
- Arctic lemming usually reaching 3.75 years
- Four-striped grass mouse usually reaching 2.83 years
- Red-tailed phascogale usually reaching 3 years
- Southern brown bandicoot usually reaching 3.75 years
- Woodland vole usually reaching 2.75 years
- Fat-tailed false antechinus usually reaching 3 years
- Ooldea dunnart usually reaching 3 years
- Allen’s big-eared bat usually reaching 3.17 years
- African wading rat usually reaching 3 years
Animals with the same number of babies Field vole
The same number of babies at once (4) are born by:
- Utah prairie dog
- Alpine marmot
- Krebs’s fat mouse
- Lodgepole chipmunk
- Least chipmunk
- Zagros Mountains mouse-like hamster
- Hairy-tailed mole
- Oligoryzomys longicaudatus
- Tien Shan red-backed vole
- Kit fox
Weighting as much as Field vole
A fully grown Field vole reaches around 35 grams (0.08 lbs). So do these animals:
- Smith’s vole with 35 grams
- Elegant water shrew with 38 grams
- Luzon montane forest mouse with 34 grams
- Phillips’s kangaroo rat with 41 grams
- Cloud forest grass mouse with 39 grams
- Intelligent grass mouse with 28 grams
- Spotted bolo mouse with 37 grams
- Mesquite mouse with 40 grams
- Mexican water mouse with 40 grams
- Abrothrix longipilis with 38 grams