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vole

 
(vōl) pronunciation
n.
Any of various rodents of the genus Microtus and related genera, resembling rats or mice but having a shorter tail and limbs and a heavier body.

[Short for obsolete volemouse, perhaps from Norwegian *vollmus : Old Norse völlr, field + Old Norse mūs, mouse.]


vole2 (vōl) pronunciation
n. Games
The winning of all the tricks during the play of one hand, as of bridge; a grand slam.

[French, probably from voler, to fly, from Old French, from Latin volāre, to fly.]


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Meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus).
(click to enlarge)
Meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). (credit: Judith Myers)
Any burrowing rodent (family Cricetidae) with a blunt snout, small ears, and short limbs. Most species are herbivorous and are found throughout North America and Eurasia. The approximately 45 species of the genus Microtus, also called meadow mice, are 4 – 10 in. (10 – 26 cm) long, including the tail. Their long, shaggy fur is grayish brown. About 10 species of pine voles inhabit swamps, fields, and hardwood forests. Red-backed voles inhabit forests in cold regions. Water voles are found only in Eurasia and usually live near a stream, ditch, or lake.

For more information on vole, visit Britannica.com.

vole, name for a large number of mouselike rodents, related to the lemmings. Most range in length from 31/2 to 7 in. (9-18 cm) and have rounded bodies with gray or brown coats, blunt muzzles, small ears concealed in the long fur, and short tails. They are found in a wide variety of habitats. Of the approximately 70 vole species, over 40, distributed throughout North America, Eurasia, and North Africa, are classified in the genus Microtus. These voles typically make runways under dense vegetation or shallow burrows in the ground. They feed chiefly on grasses but also eat bark, leaves, seeds, and insects. They are known in North America as field mice or meadow mice (the Old World field mice are not voles). Like lemmings and various other small rodents, these voles periodically undergo population explosions which cause them to swarm over the countryside. Of similar distribution are the five species of red-backed voles, genus Clethrionomys, which spend much of their time in shrubs and bushes. Species of the North American genus Phenacomys nest in trees and are known as tree mice or lemming mice. The sagebrush vole, Lagarus curtatus, is found in the W United States. Other Lagarus species, found in S Russia and Mongolia, are misleadingly called steppe lemmings. The water vole, Arvicola, of Europe and W Asia, is a large, semiaquatic vole, somewhat resembling the closely related muskrat. Voles are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia, family Crecetidae. See also mouse.


Free-living, small rodent often described as a country rat because of its resemblance to a rat and its disinclination to associate with humans. They are hoarders, live in burrows and eat plant material. Like lemmings, also members of the subfamily Microtinae, they experience massive surges in population, followed by mass migrations and very heavy mortalities. There are several genera including Arvicola, Clethrionomys and Microtus.

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Vole
The bank vole (Myodes glareolus) lives in woodland areas in Europe and Asia.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Arvicolinae
in part
Genera

See text.

A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars (high-crowned and with angular cusps instead of low-crowned and with rounded cusps). There are approximately 155 species of voles. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America. Vole species form the subfamily Arvicolinae with the lemmings and the muskrats.

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Description

Voles are small rodents that grow to 3-9 inches, depending on the species. They can have 5–10 litters per year. Gestation lasts for 3 weeks and the young voles reach sexual maturity in a month. As a result of this exponential growth, vole populations can grow very large within a very short period of time. Since litters average 5–10 young, a single pregnant vole in a yard can result in a hundred or more active voles in less than a year.

Voles are commonly mistaken for other small animals. Moles, gophers, mice, rats and even shrews have similar characteristics and behavioral tendencies. Since voles will commonly use burrows with many exit holes, they can be mistaken for gophers or some kind of ground squirrel.

They will readily thrive on small plants. Like shrews they will eat dead animals and like mice or rats, they can live on most any nut or fruit. Additionally, voles will target plants more than most other small animals. It is here where their presence is mostly evident. Voles will readily girdle small trees and ground cover much like a porcupine. This girdling can easily kill young plants and is not healthy for trees or other shrubs.

Voles will often eat succulent root systems and will burrow under plants or ground cover they are particularly fond of and eat away until the plant is dead. Bulbs in the ground are another favorite target for voles; their excellent burrowing and tunnelling gives them access to sensitive areas without clear or early warning. A vole infestation is often only identifiable after they have destroyed a number of plants.[1]

Predators

Many predators such as martens, raccoons, owls, hawks, falcons, coyotes, foxes, snakes, the red tailed hawk, weasels, cats and dogs eat voles. Vole bones are often found in the pellets of the short-eared owl as well as the northern spotted owl, the Saw-whet Owl, the barn Owl, the Great Gray Owl and the Northern Pygmy Owl.[citation needed]

Lifespan

The average life of the smaller vole species is 3–6 months. These voles rarely live longer than 12 months. Larger species, such as the european water vole, live longer and usually die during their second, or rarely their third, winter. It is estimated that as many as 88% of voles die within the first month of life.[2]


Genetics and sexual behavior

The prairie vole is a notable animal model for its monogamous sexual fidelity, since the male is usually faithful to the female, and shares in the raising of pups. (The woodland vole is also usually monogamous.) Another species from the same genus, the meadow vole, has promiscuously mating males, and scientists have changed adult male meadow voles' behavior to resemble that of prairie voles in experiments in which a single gene was introduced into the brain via a virus.[3]

The behavior is influenced by the number of repetitions of a particular string of microsatellite DNA, and the same DNA sequence is found in humans. Male prairie voles with the longest DNA strings spend more time with their mates and pups than male prairie voles with shorter strings.[4] However, other scientists have disputed the gene's relationship to monogamy, and cast doubt on whether the human version plays an analogous role.[5] Physiologically, pair-bonding behavior has been shown to be tied up with vasopressin, dopamine, and oxytocin, with the genetic influence apparently arising via the number receptors for these substances in the brain; the pair-bonding behavior has also been shown in experiments to be strongly modifiable by administering some of these substances directly.

Voles exhibit complex genetic structures with much variation, and appear to be evolving rapidly when compared with other vertebrates[citation needed]. For this reason, they can be useful to archaeologists for dating strata, in a method referred to as the "vole clock".[citation needed]

Voles have a number of unusual chromosomal traits. Species have been found with anywhere from 17–64 chromosomes, and in some species males and females have different chromosome numbers. Female voles have been found with chromosomes from both sexes, and in one species the sex chromosomes contain 20% of the genome. All of these variations result in very little physical aberration: most vole species are virtually indistinguishable.[6]

Classification

References

  1. ^ "Rodent and Pest Control Products and Solutions". RodentControl.com. http://www.rodentcontrol.com. Retrieved 2010-03-19. 
  2. ^ Daar, Sheila (December 1997). "How to Control Voles in Your Garden" (html). VegetableGardener.com. Taunton Press. http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/2430/how-to-control-voles-in-your-garden/. Retrieved 14 October 2011. 
  3. ^ Lim et al., Nature 429, 754–757 (17 June 2004), referenced at http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=gene-linked-to-lasting-lo as "Gene Linked to Lasting Love in Voles"
  4. ^ Hammock and Young, Science. 2005 Jun 10;308(5728):1630–4, summarized at New York Times, June 10, 2005, "DNA of Voles May Hint at Why Some Fathers Shirk Duties".
  5. ^ S. Fink et al., PNAS, July 18, 2006, vol. 103, no. 29, 10956–10960
  6. ^ DeWoody, J. Andrew; Triant, Deb; Main, Douglas M. (2006-09-14) Rodent's bizarre traits deepen mystery of genetics, evolution. Purdue University. Retrieved February 25, 2007.

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Translations:

Vole

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Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - markmus, studsmus

2.
n. - alle stik; i kortspil

Nederlands (Dutch)
veldmuis, woelmuis, het winnen van alle slagen in een kaartspel

Français (French)
1.
n. - (Zool) campagnol

2.
n. - vole (aux cartes), chelem (au bridge)

idioms:

  • go the vole    faire la vole (aux cartes)

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Wühlmaus

2.
n. - Vola, Vole

idioms:

  • go the vole    auf die Volle spielen, auf den Tout gehen, alles riskieren od. aufs Spiel setzen, alles auf eine Karte setzen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ζωολ.) μίκρωτος

Italiano (Italian)
topo campagnolo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - rato (m) silvestre

Русский (Russian)
брать взятки в картах, выигрыш всех взяток, полевка

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - ratón de campo, campañol

2.
n. - bola (en el juego de naipes)

idioms:

  • go the vole    jugarse entero, arriesgar al máximo, probar algo en forma sucesiva

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - sork

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 野鼠类

2. 大满贯, 全胜

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 大滿貫, 全勝

2.
n. - 野鼠類

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 들쥐

2.
n. - (카드) 전승

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ハタネズミ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) فار الحقل, جرذ‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מין עכבר, חולדה‬
n. - ‮זכייה בכל התכסיסים במשחק קלפים, זכייה כללית במשחק קלפים‬


 
 
Related topics:
water vole
water rat
pine mouse

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