Mouse vole description for children. vole mouse
The vole mouse or field mouse is a rodent. Distributed throughout almost the entire continent of Eurasia, with the exception of the southern regions. It lives in meadows and bushes, where the mouse can dig its own or use ready-made shelters.
There are several types of these rodents - ordinary, red, forest and underground. They inhabit various parts of the planet. The common vole is a field mouse familiar to many Russian villages. The red-backed vole lives in Asian countries, as well as in the USA and Canada. Forest voles live in the steppe zones of Eurasia, as well as in North America. The habitat of the underground vole is Europe.
Common vole
Red-backed vole
Wood vole
Subterranean vole
The color and small details of the appearance of the field mouse differ depending on the species, but all species have common features. The animal has a tail, a long muzzle and black eyes. The front legs of the animal are mobile and dexterous. The round body is covered with thick hair, and the color varies from light brown to black. Many species of voles have a stripe of dark fur running along their backs.
The rodent feeds on plant foods - herbs, berries, nuts, grains. In winter, when food production is difficult, mice live in cellars and food warehouses, thereby harming agriculture and industrial production.
Voles destroy people's supplies and spread various infections, so they are trying to get rid of them. People use mousetraps and ultrasonic repellers, and place poison in warehouses and premises. Ash is also scattered in warehouses - mice avoid it. Many people buy cats to fight rodents. A more humane way: spread garlic indoors - mice cannot stand its smell and leave the room.
Video: Vole mouse drags baby mice
Description of the field mouse:
- Body length no more than 12 cm, excluding tail. The thin tail makes up 70% of the body length.
- The body is oblong. The hind feet are elongated and protrude forward when running.
- Long muzzle, small round ears, oblong nose.
The fur is hard, rough, short. The colors can be different - gray, brown, ocher or beige. A straight line of black or brown shade runs along the spine. The color of the abdomen is snow-white. At the base the hairline has a dark tint. Small spots may be present on the chest.
The vole mouse has unique teeth, a pair of long incisors on the lower jaw grow throughout her life. To prevent their excessive growth, and they grow at a rate of 1-2 mm per day, the mouse is forced to continuously grind them off against hard objects.
As for weight, the average animal does not weigh more than 20 grams.
Photo
Distribution of animals
This representative of the fauna is widespread in Europe. Animals can also be found in China, Mongolia, Denmark, Finland, Korea, and Taiwan. In the Russian Federation, the rodent is distributed in Primorye, Siberia, and the Urals. Often settles on hills, climbs low into the mountains.
Found near the Black and Azov Seas. Does not like deserted forest-steppes and continuous forests. Settles well in moist interfluves.
It prefers overgrown meadows with small depressions, collective farm fields, sunny edges of deciduous forests and, of course, vegetable gardens. It can be found in greenhouses, greenhouses, cellars, barns, abandoned utility sheds and even in residential premises.
IMPORTANT! With the onset of autumn, rodents move into stacks, haystacks, and stacks of straw.
Reproduction
The breeding season for the vole mouse is from early spring to mid-autumn. In one season, the animal is capable of producing 3-4 offspring. In rare cases, up to 5-6. Gestation of the cubs lasts 21-23 days. One litter usually produces 5-7 babies.
Babies are born helpless and blind, but they develop very quickly.:
- 12-14 days after birth they begin to see clearly.
- 30 days after birth they become independent.
- Young individuals are capable of giving birth to cubs within 90-105 days after birth.
How long does a field mouse live? The lifespan of a field mouse can reach 7 years, but in the wild the animals usually live for a year or two.
Now imagine how quickly rodents can multiply in just one summer season, provided there is an abundance of food and sun.
Lifestyle
In summer and spring, field mice are active in the evening and at night. In autumn and winter they can be active during the day. They do not hibernate.
How mice and voles overwinter:
- Natural shelters or earthen passages can be used as burrows.
- Their burrows reach 3-4 m in length and have 2-4 exits, one of which leads to a watering hole.
- Dwellings must have a nesting chamber and 2-3 pantries in which winter supplies are stored.
- The storerooms are located at a depth of 0.5-1 m.
IMPORTANT! Rodents that live in swampy areas do not dig burrows. They build nests. The main material is grass. Such dwellings are usually located on tall bushes.
Distinctive features
Vole mice have their own characteristics that are distinctive from other rodents.:
- Depending on their habitat (eastern and western), individuals have different colors and sizes.
- It differs from other rodents by the presence of a smooth stripe along the spine.
- Unlike mice, it has a larger body size.
- It differs from the Dahurian hamster in its longer tail.
- Unlike pieds, it has a longer period of puberty - about 100 days.
- Compared to other subspecies of rodents, the field mouse has an underdeveloped ear.
- Field mice have coarser fur. And adult individuals often develop soft spines, like hedgehogs.
- Field mice belong to the mobile subspecies. They are characterized by seasonal feeding movements.
- May be common in swampy areas. At the same time, they use grass nests as burrows.
Very often, other species of mammals that look similar to voles are mistaken for mice. The most common types of rodents that resemble mice in appearance:
- . Despite this name, this animal actually belongs to the mouse family, but differs from voles in its larger size.
- . Lives underground and belongs to the hamster family.
And also rodents from the vole family:
- And . They are similar in appearance to mice, but have a number of distinctive features. Read more about pestles.
- . Forest dwellers, differing from the field ones in the color of their fur coat.
- . This species lives in colonies and is capable of making significant, up to 15 kg, reserves for the winter.
Read about the different types of voles.
What harm is done to a person?
Voles can cause significant damage to both crop storage areas and plants in the fields. They can damage vegetables planted in the garden and spoil winter preparations in the cellar.
Moreover, these Rodents are carriers of infections that are fatal to humans., such as leptospirosis, tularemia, tick-borne typhus fever.
Ways to fight and protect
The main difficulty in the fight against field mice is that they live in places hidden from human eyes. This means that catching or poisoning them is quite problematic. That's why The primary task in the fight against voles is the need to find and destroy their homes. You can do this in the following ways.
We drive mice away from the territory
First of all, you need to try to drive rodents out of the area:
- Mow tall grass, remove dry leaves and weeds. You also need to get rid of branches and piles of plant debris. All of these are great places to build burrows.
- Fruits that have fallen from the tree should not remain on the site, as they are an easily accessible source.
- Digging up the area can help get rid of holes and underground passages.
- To prevent rodents from damaging fruit trees, a fine mesh net is dug into the ground around the trunks. The same can be done around the perimeter of the entire site.
We use repellers
The use of special repellent devices can speed up the process of expelling voles from your territory. They are installed around the perimeter of the site and provide protection from moisture.
We use mousetraps
Ordinary mousetraps can also help in the fight against mice. Experienced gardeners recommend installing these devices on the site in early spring and late autumn, since it is at this time that mice reproduce most actively. To prevent harm to pets, mouse traps can be covered with a box; this will not stop mice in pursuit of the bait.
We use poisons
At the end of winter and beginning of spring, the use of poisons is very effective. At this time, mice are hungry and not very picky about food. Poisons are placed directly in burrows.
How to get rid of field mice in the house?
If you have mice in your home, use time-tested, traditional methods.:
- Mousetraps. At the same time, do not forget about safety measures so that people and pets do not get hurt.
- Repellers. Special devices are safe for people and pets, but have a negative effect on mice.
- Poisons can be used if all precautions are taken.
- Cat. The most effective, proven and safe “remedy” for mice. If you don't have a cat at home, borrow one from friends for a while.
Thus, it is quite possible to get rid of mice on your property or in your house. It is enough to create unbearable living conditions for them. And to prevent voles from appearing again, prevention is needed - maintaining cleanliness in the area, timely removal of plant debris and food waste.
Video
In the video you can see what field mice look like:
The sizes and habits of small rodents belonging to different species of two genera of the mouse family are similar.
To understand and be able to distinguish a vole from a house mouse, let’s compare the appearance and lifestyle of rodents. The differences are more noticeable in the color of the back and the shape of the muzzle.
Common features of these species are a predominantly gray back and belly, colored light gray.
Field and house mice are found in nature, near homes, living in stacks, attics and warehouses. Both species are human.
External differences of the field mouse:
- Dark stripe on the back and yellowish-brown hairs against a background of dark fur.
- The average body size is 10 cm, tail length is approximately 7 cm.
- The ears are small, pointed, the whole muzzle looks like a triangle.
- The color of the back of the animal from a distance appears golden brown.
The average size of a house mouse is less than 10 cm, with the tail accounting for 60% of the body length. The muzzle is shortened, relatively large ears are round in shape. Males do not differ in size and color from females.
The skin of some subspecies of the house mouse is gray-black with a brownish tint, and the abdomen is almost white. Among laboratory animals and pets there are white, yellow, black, bluish-gray individuals.
Mouse paradoxes: field mice in the garden and brownies in the field
Field mice often live in gardens and orchards, near humans, while brownies live in the wild. If the territory is periodically flooded with water, then they build not burrows, but nests on bushes or in the grass. Rodents in the house adapt to the lifestyle of people, so they actively feed day and night.
Features of the behavior and lifestyle of the field mouse:
- peak activity occurs at dusk and dark;
- feeding on plants, insects;
- reproduction 5 times a year;
- reduction of offspring during grain harvest failure.
Small rodents damage crops, food and feed supplies, and destroy part of the harvest in gardens and vegetable gardens. With a sufficient amount of grain, increased reproduction of field mice occurs. They “occupy” fields and make abundant supplies in their burrows.