CreatureData

Taiga vole

Microtus xanthognathus (Leach, 1815)

LCLeast Concernrodents

The taiga vole (Microtus xanthognathus) is a species in the family Cricetidae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 92.7 g to 125.8 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

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Quick facts about the taiga vole

Weight
92.7 g – 125.8 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
8.18src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
2src 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 taiga vole live?

Not recorded

What is the taiga vole?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The taiga vole (Microtus xanthognathus) is a large vole found in northwestern North America, including Alaska and northwestern Canada. The name "taiga vole" comes from its living in the boreal taiga zone. It is also sometimes called the yellow-cheeked vole or chestnut-cheeked vole because of the rusty-yellow color on its face around its vibrisae (whiskers); The taiga voles derive their name from these features: "xantho" is Greek for yellow and "gnathus" is Greek for jaw. It is typically much larger than most other North American voles, especially those from the genus Microtus.

An adult taiga vole, excluding tail length, usually ranges from 186–226 mm (7.3–8.9 in) in length and usually weighs 140–170 g (4.9–6.0 oz).

This species is found in northern forests near water or bogs. It makes runways through the surface growth and burrows. It is usually found in colonies. It feeds on grasses, lichens, horsetails and berries. It stores food in its burrows for the winter. Like the singing vole, this animal may give a warning call to alert other members of the colony of danger.

The female vole has litters of 7 to 10 young. The vole population in a given area can vary greatly from year to year.

They are active year-round, usually during dark periods.

Although not commonly encountered, they can be locally abundant.

From the Wikipedia article “Taiga vole” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Taiga_vole&oldid=1347102803), 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 taiga vole endangered?

The taiga 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.

How is the taiga vole classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderRodentia
  5. familyCricetidae
  6. genusMicrotus
  7. SpeciesMicrotus xanthognathus (Leach, 1815)

Synonyms Arvicola xanthognatha

Other names and names in other languages (13)
  • Yellow-cheek voleEnglish
  • Yellow-cheeked voleEnglish
  • hraboš žlutolícíCzech
  • GelbwangenwühlmausGerman
  • Topillo de TaigaSpanish
  • kanadanruohomyyräFinnish
  • campagnol à joues jaunesFrench
  • タイガハタネズミJapanese
  • TaigamusNorwegian Bokmål
  • GeelwangwoelmuisDutch
  • nornik żółtolicyPolish
  • Campanhol-da-taigaPortuguese
  • Желтощёкая полёвкаRussian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the taiga 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

CompareTaiga vole vs Common voleTaiga vole vs Short-tailed field voleTaiga vole vs Tundra voleTaiga vole vs European pine vole

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the taiga vole?

An adult taiga vole weighs 92.7 g – 125.8 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the taiga vole endangered?

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

What kind of animal is the taiga vole?

The taiga vole (Microtus xanthognathus) 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). Taiga vole (Microtus xanthognathus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/taiga-vole

MLA

“Taiga vole (Microtus xanthognathus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/taiga-vole.

BibTeX
@misc{taiga_vole_2026,
  title = {Taiga vole (Microtus xanthognathus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/taiga-vole},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}