# Common vole (*Microtus arvalis*)

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

The common vole (Microtus arvalis), also called the Altai vole or Orkney vole, is a rodent in the family Cricetidae and subfamily Arvicolinae. It is a small, terrestrial herbivore with an adult body mass of 28 g, living in forest and shrubland habitats and showing a cathemeral activity pattern. Gestation lasts 21 days, litters average 5.1 young, there are 5.5 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 47 days. Its lifespan is 3 years, with values up to 4.8 years, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 25.4 g – 28 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 3 years – 4.8 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest, shrubland |
| Gestation | 21 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 5.1 |
| Age at maturity | 38 days – 56 days |
| Litters or clutches a year | 5.5 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Rodentia
- family: Cricetidae
- genus: Microtus
- species: *Microtus arvalis* (Pallas, 1779)

Synonyms: *Arvicola arvalis assimilis*, *Arvicola arvalis ater*, *Arvicola arvalis contigua*, *Arvicola arvalis depressa*, *Arvicola arvalis duplicatus*, *Arvicola arvalis flava*, *Arvicola arvalis fulva*, *Arvicola arvalis galliardi*, *Arvicola arvalis principalis*, *Arvicola arvalis simplex*, *Arvicola arvalis variabilis*, *Arvicola arvensis*, *Arvicola campestris*, *Arvicola cunicularius*, *Arvicola incertus*, *Arvicola mystacinus*, *Arvicola vulgaris*, *Hypudaeus obscurus*, *Lemmus fulvus*, *Microtus angularis*, *Microtus arvalis calypsus*, *Microtus arvalis cimbricus*, *Microtus arvalis gudauricus*, *Microtus arvalis hawelkae*, *Microtus arvalis incertus*, *Microtus arvalis incognitus*, *Microtus arvalis iphigeniae*, *Microtus arvalis khorkoutensis*, *Microtus arvalis macrocranius*, *Microtus arvalis meldensis*, *Microtus arvalis meridianus*, *Microtus arvalis orcadensis*, *Microtus arvalis oyaensis*, *Microtus arvalis transcaucasicus*, *Microtus arvalis transuralensis*, *Microtus asturianus*, *Microtus brevirostris*, *Microtus hyrcania*, *Microtus incertus*, *Microtus mystacinus*, *Microtus obscurus*, *Microtus orcadensis*, *Microtus orcadensis ronaldshaiensis*, *Microtus orcadensis rousiensis*, *Microtus orcadensis sandayensis*, *Microtus sandayensis westrae*, *Microtus sarnius*, *Microtus terrestris*, *Mus arvalis*, *Mus arvalis albus*, *Pitymys incertus*

## Common questions

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

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

### How heavy is the common vole?

The common vole has an adult body mass of 28 g, placing it in the small size class.

### What does the common vole eat?

The common vole is a herbivore.

### What habitats does the common vole live in?

The common vole lives in forest and shrubland, and it is terrestrial.

### How long does the common vole live?

The common vole has a lifespan of 3 years, with values up to 4.8 years reported.

### How many young does the common vole have?

The common vole has 5.1 young per litter and 5.5 litters per year, after a gestation of 21 days.

### Is the common vole endangered?

No. The common vole is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### Who named the common vole?

The common vole, Microtus arvalis, was named by (Pallas, 1779).

## 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).

Cite as: Common vole (Microtus arvalis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-vole