CreatureData

California vole

Microtus californicus (Peale, 1848)

LCLeast Concernrodents

The california vole (Microtus californicus) is a species in the family Cricetidae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 43.4 g to 57.4 g and live up to 2.08 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

California vole (Microtus californicus)
Photo: Jerry Kirkhart · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the california vole

Weight
43.4 g – 57.4 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
2.08 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
21.2 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
4.62src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
23.8 days – 42 dayssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
4.92src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the california vole live?

Not recorded

What is the california vole?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The California vole (Microtus californicus) is a type of vole which lives throughout much of California and part of southwestern Oregon. It is also known as the "California meadow mouse", a misnomer as this species is a vole, not a mouse. It averages 172 mm (6.8 in) in length although this length varies greatly between subspecies.

From the Wikipedia article “California vole” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=California_vole&oldid=1370750984), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the california vole endangered?

The california vole is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the california vole classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderRodentia
  5. familyCricetidae
  6. genusMicrotus
  7. SpeciesMicrotus californicus (Peale, 1848)

Synonyms Arvicola californica, Arvicola edax, Arvicola trowbridgii, Microtus californicus aequivocatus, Microtus californicus aestuarinus, Microtus californicus californicus, Microtus californicus constrictus, Microtus californicus eximius, Microtus californicus grinnelli, Microtus californicus halophilus, Microtus californicus huperuthrus, Microtus californicus hyperuthrus, Microtus californicus kernensis, Microtus californicus mariposae, Microtus californicus mohavensis, Microtus californicus neglectus, Microtus californicus paludicola, Microtus californicus perplexabilis, Microtus californicus sanctidiegi, Microtus californicus sanpabloensis, Microtus californicus scirpensis, Microtus californicus stephensi, Microtus californicus vallicola, Microtus scirpensis

Other names and names in other languages (14)
  • Amargosa voleEnglish
  • Amargosa voleEnglish
  • hraboš kalifornskýCzech
  • Kalifornische WühlmausGerman
  • Σκαπτοποντικός της ΚαλιφόρνιαςGreek
  • Meteoro de CaliforniaSpanish
  • Ratón Meteoro de CaliforniaSpanish
  • kalifornianruohomyyräFinnish
  • Campagnol de CalifornieFrench
  • カリフォルニアハタネズミJapanese
  • Californische WoelmuisDutch
  • nornik kalifornijskiPolish
  • Campanhol-da-CalifórniaPortuguese
  • Калифорнийская полёвкаRussian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the california vole

Other species in the same genus Microtus.

LC, Least Concern
Tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus)

Tundra vole

Microtus oeconomus

Cricetidae

LC, Least Concern
Social vole (Microtus socialis)

Social vole

Microtus socialis

Cricetidae

CompareCalifornia vole vs Common voleCalifornia vole vs Short-tailed field voleCalifornia vole vs Tundra voleCalifornia vole vs European pine vole

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the california vole?

An adult california vole weighs 43.4 g – 57.4 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the california vole endangered?

The california vole is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the california vole live?

The california vole has a recorded lifespan of 2.08 years.

How long is the california vole pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 21.2 days.

What kind of animal is the california vole?

The california vole (Microtus californicus) belongs to the family Cricetidae in the order Rodentia.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). California vole (Microtus californicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/california-vole

MLA

“California vole (Microtus californicus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/california-vole.

BibTeX
@misc{california_vole_2026,
  title = {California vole (Microtus californicus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/california-vole},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}