# Bank vole (*Myodes glareolus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/bank-vole  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The bank vole (Myodes glareolus), also called the common redbacked vole, is a rodent in the family Cricetidae and subfamily Arvicolinae. It is a small mammal with an adult body mass of 20.73 g, and the highest value reported by our sources is 21.8 g. The bank vole is a terrestrial, cathemeral herbivore. Gestation lasts 20 days, litters average 4.3 young with 3.2 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 59.5 days.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 20.7 g – 21.8 g |
| Length | 10 cm |
| Lifespan | 4.9 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 4.92 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | woodland |
| Gestation | 20 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.3 |
| Age at maturity | 47 days – 72 days |
| Litters or clutches a year | 3.2 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Rodentia
- family: Cricetidae
- genus: Myodes
- species: *Myodes glareolus* (Schreber, 1780)

Synonyms: *Arvicola fulvus*, *Arvicola pratensis*, *Arvicola riparia*, *Clethrionomys alstoni*, *Clethrionomys britannicus*, *Clethrionomys fulvus*, *Clethrionomys glareolus*, *Clethrionomys glareolus bernisi*, *Clethrionomys glareolus cantueli*, *Clethrionomys glareolus curcio*, *Clethrionomys glareolus garganicus*, *Clethrionomys glareolus insulaebellae*, *Clethrionomys glareolus makedonicus*, *Clethrionomys glareolus prinius*, *Clethrionomys glareolus variscius*, *Clethrionomys gorka*, *Clethrionomys hallucalis*, *Clethrionomys helveticus*, *Clethrionomys hercynius*, *Clethrionomys insulaebellae*, *Clethrionomys intermedius*, *Clethrionomys istericus*, *Clethrionomys italicus*, *Clethrionomys jurassicus*, *Clethrionomys nageri*, *Clethrionomys norvegicus*, *Clethrionomys pratensis*, *Clethrionomys reinwaldti*, *Clethrionomys riparia*, *Clethrionomys rubidus*, *Clethrionomys rufescens*, *Clethrionomys ruttneri*, *Clethrionomys sobrus*, *Clethrionomys suecicus*, *Clethrionomys tomensis*, *Clethrionomys vasconiae*, *Clethrionomys vesanus*, *Evotomys alstoni*, *Evotomys caesarius*, *Evotomys erica*, *Evotomys glareolus*, *Evotomys glareolus intermedius*, *Evotomys glareolus istericus*, *Evotomys glareolus italicus*, *Evotomys glareolus jurassicus*, *Evotomys glareolus ognevi*, *Evotomys glareolus reinwaldti*, *Evotomys glareolus ruttneri*, *Evotomys glareolus saianicus*, *Evotomys glareolus sobrus*, *Evotomys glareolus wasjuganensis*, *Evotomys gorka*, *Evotomys hercynicus britannicus*, *Evotomys hercynicus helveticus*, *Evotomys hercynicus suecicus*, *Evotomys nageri hallucalis*, *Evotomys nageri vesanus*, *Evotomys norvegicus*, *Evotomys ponticus*, *Evotomys skomerensis*, *Evotomys vasconiae*, *Hypudacus hercynicus*, *Hypudaeus nageri*, *Lemmus arvalis*, *Lemmus pratensis*, *Lemmus rubidus*, *Mus glareolus*, *Mus rutilus minor*, *Myodes bicolor*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the bank vole?

The bank vole is a rodent, a mammal in the family Cricetidae and the order Rodentia.

### How much does a bank vole weigh?

An adult bank vole has a body mass of 20.73 g, with a highest reported value of 21.8 g.

### What does the bank vole eat?

The bank vole is a herbivore.

### How long does a bank vole live?

The bank vole has a lifespan of 4.9 years.

### How many young does a bank vole have?

A bank vole has 4.3 young per litter and 3.2 litters per year, after a gestation period of 20 days.

### When does a bank vole reach sexual maturity?

A bank vole reaches sexual maturity at 59.5 days, with reported values from 47 to 72 days.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Bank vole (Myodes glareolus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/bank-vole