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Animal Age

How old does a Tundra vole get? (age expectancy)

What is the maximal age a Tundra vole reaches?

An adult Tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus) usually gets as old as 1.75 years.

Tundra voles are around 21 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 Tundra vole caries out around 5 little ones per pregnancy, which happens around 3 times a year. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 11.6 cm (0′ 5″).

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.

A Tundra vole gets as old as 1.75 years

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.

Animals of the same family as a Tundra vole

Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Muridae):

Animals that reach the same age as Tundra vole

With an average age of 1.75 years, Tundra vole are in good companionship of the following animals:

Animals with the same number of babies Tundra vole

The same number of babies at once (5) are born by:

Weighting as much as Tundra vole

A fully grown Tundra vole reaches around 33 grams (0.07 lbs). So do these animals:

Animals as big as a Tundra vole

Those animals grow as big as a Tundra vole: