Prairie vole
Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842)
The prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) is a species in the family Cricetidae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 38 g to 46.7 g and live up to 5.3 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the prairie vole
- Weight
- 38 g – 46.7 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 5.3 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 5.33 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 20 days – 23 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.5 – 3.8src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 47 dayssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 4src 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 prairie vole live?
Not recorded
What is the prairie vole?
The prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) is a small vole found in central North America.
From the Wikipedia article “Prairie vole” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prairie_vole&oldid=1368887882), 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 prairie vole endangered?
The prairie vole is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the prairie vole classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderRodentia
- familyCricetidae
- genusMicrotus
- SpeciesMicrotus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842)
Synonyms Arvicola austerus, Arvicola austerus minor, Arvicola cinnamonea, Arvicola haydenii, Hypudadeus ochrogaster, Hypudaeus ochrogaster, Microtus ludovicianus, Microtus ochrogaster ludovicianus, Microtus ochrogaster ohioensis, Microtus ochrogaster similis, Microtus ochrogaster taylori, Pitymys ochrogaster
Other names and names in other languages (11)
- hraboš prériovýCzech
- PräriewühlmausGerman
- Metorito de pastizalSpanish
- preeriamyyräFinnish
- campagnol des prairiesFrench
- プレーリーハタネズミJapanese
- PræriemusNorwegian Bokmål
- PrairiewoelmuisDutch
- nornik preriowyPolish
- Campanhol-das-pradariasPortuguese
- Желтобрюхая полёвкаRussian
Relatives of the prairie vole
Other species in the same genus Microtus.
Common vole
Microtus arvalis
Short-tailed field vole
Microtus agrestis
Tundra vole
Microtus oeconomus
European pine vole
Microtus subterraneus
East European vole
Microtus levis
Social vole
Microtus socialis
ComparePrairie vole vs Common volePrairie vole vs Short-tailed field volePrairie vole vs Tundra volePrairie vole vs European pine vole
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the prairie vole?
An adult prairie vole weighs 38 g – 46.7 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the prairie vole endangered?
The prairie vole is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the prairie vole live?
The prairie vole has a recorded lifespan of 5.3 years.
How long is the prairie vole pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 20 days – 23 days.
What kind of animal is the prairie vole?
The prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) 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.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · 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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · 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).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/prairie-vole
“Prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/prairie-vole.
@misc{prairie_vole_2026,
title = {Prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/prairie-vole},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}