Microtus pinetorum
ID
- Small eyes and small ears, which are often hidden by fur
- Soft, short, dense fur
- Bright brown or chestnut upperpart with lighter sides and a belly of dusky to silvery gray
- Five tubercles on the soles of the hind feet (Whitaker)
Distribution
Reproduction
- Breeding season lasts from early March well into November
- Gestation lasts for 20 – 24 days producing litters of 1 to 5 young
- Females can produce one to four litters per year (Whitaker)
Behavior
- Active day or night, but spends the majority of its time in burrows, only really coming out into open air to move from one burrow to another
- Usually at least stay beneath leaf litter when moving around (Whitaker)
Food Habits
- Roots and stems of grasses, fruits, seeds, mast, bark (Whitaker)
Size/Life Cycle
- Average measurements: 121 mm (total length), 14-37 g (total weight) (Smithsonian)
Predators
- Most anything, given the rare opportunity (Whitaker)
Habitat
- Highly variable
- Deciduous forest in moist, friable soils in which they can burrow easily (Whitaker)