How big does a Tundra vole get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown Tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus) reaches an average size of 11.6 cm (0′ 5″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 1.75 years, they grow from 2 grams (0 lbs) to 33 grams (0.07 lbs). Talking about reproduction, Tundra voles have 5 babies about 3 times per year. The Tundra vole (genus: Microtus) is a member of the family Muridae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
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
We found other animals of the Muridae family:
- Long-tailed giant rat with a size of 22.8 cm (0′ 9″)
- Abrothrix sanborni with a weight of 24 grams
- Pygmy gerbil with 4 babies per litter
- Arnhem Land rock rat with a weight of 94 grams
- Lusitanian pine vole with 2 babies per litter
- Eastern small-toothed rat with a size of 24.2 cm (0′ 10″)
- Chestnut climbing mouse with 3 babies per litter
- Alpine woolly rat with a size of 44.2 cm (1′ 6″)
- El Carrizo deer mouse with 4 babies per litter
- Yellow-bellied climbing mouse with a weight of 59 grams
Animals with the same size as a Tundra vole
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Tundra vole:
- Hainan gymnure with a size of 13.4 cm (0′ 6″)
- Pink fairy armadillo with a size of 13.5 cm (0′ 6″)
- Spectral tarsier with a size of 12 cm (0′ 5″)
- Plains rat with a size of 12.1 cm (0′ 5″)
- Sandhill dunnart with a size of 10.5 cm (0′ 5″)
- Parantechinus bilarni with a size of 9.6 cm (0′ 4″)
- Gunning’s golden mole with a size of 12.3 cm (0′ 5″)
- Mexican mouse opossum with a size of 13.4 cm (0′ 6″)
- Margarita Island kangaroo rat with a size of 9.4 cm (0′ 4″)
- Northern water rat with a size of 12.6 cm (0′ 5″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Tundra vole
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (5) as a Tundra vole:
- Euphrates jerboa
- Townsend’s vole
- Southern red-backed vole
- Olive grass mouse
- Narrow-nosed planigale
- Eastern quoll
- Norway lemming
- Lesser hedgehog tenrec
- Tate’s woolly mouse opossum
- Eurasian harvest mouse
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Tundra vole
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Tundra vole:
- Atlantic bamboo rat with an average maximal age of 1.58 years
- Panamanian spiny pocket mouse with an average maximal age of 1.75 years
- Aegialomys galapagoensis with an average maximal age of 1.67 years
- Vagrant shrew with an average maximal age of 2.08 years
- Long-tailed giant rat with an average maximal age of 2 years
- Brush mouse with an average maximal age of 1.5 years
- Norway lemming with an average maximal age of 2 years
- Himalayan mole with an average maximal age of 1.5 years
- Grant’s golden mole with an average maximal age of 2 years
- Red-cheeked dunnart with an average maximal age of 2 years
Animals with the same weight as a Tundra vole
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Microtus oeconomus:
- Wagner’s gerbil bringing 27 grams to the scale
- Blackish deer mouse bringing 32 grams to the scale
- Graphiurus hueti bringing 30 grams to the scale
- Gray-bellied pencil-tailed tree mouse bringing 28 grams to the scale
- Mount Apo forest mouse bringing 34 grams to the scale
- Mexican vole bringing 34 grams to the scale
- Brazilian gracile opossum bringing 29 grams to the scale
- Bibimys torresi bringing 28 grams to the scale
- Mount Isarog shrew-mouse bringing 35 grams to the scale
- Lesser great leaf-nosed bat bringing 33 grams to the scale