Arvicolirae

 Arvicolirae

__Suborder Characteristics__ ~all have tails ~all have external ears ~all have four legs ~all have fur/hair

__Characteristics Of Family__ ~Generally smaller ~All have five toes ~All above ground (mainly)

__Classification Break Down__ Order- Rodentia Suborder- Myomorpha Family- Didodidae, Geomyidae, Muridae Subfamily- zapodinae, arvicolinae, Murinae, Sigmodontinae

__Species in that Family__ (Muskrat) Muskrat: ~length:8-12inches, Tail:7-12inches ~ live all over minnesota in ponds, lakes, ditches, and small rivers. ~make a small den called a lodge, made of cattail leaves and other soft green plant material. ~ eat herbivore, carnivore to a much lesser extent, aquatic plants, roots, cattail, and bulrush shoots, dead fish, crayfish, clams, snails, and baby birds. ~ identify the muskrat by a glossy dark brown, lighter on the sides and belly. ~ have long naked tail thats covered with scales and slightly vertically flattened, small round ears, with tiny eyes. ~ tracks are 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 from there hind paw. ~ live anywhere from 3 to 10 years. ~ nocturnal, and are active all year they do not hybernate. ~ The lodges they make to live in are made of mud, and cut vegitation, occasionally many lodges will dot the surface of a shallow lake. (Northern Lemming) (Southern Lemming) Southern Bog and Northern Bog Lemming: ~The size of the Southern Lemming is 1/2 to 1 inch while the Northern Lemming is 3/4 to a inch long. ~The Southern Bog lives in grassy meadows, mixed and confierous forests. ~The Northern Bog lives in bogs (swamp), spruce woods, and a tundra. They both live in the very North tip of Minnesota. ~ eat herbivore, grass, clover, and other green plants. You can identify a lemming by its uniquely shaped with head apperaing larger than body. ~The redish or brown above, gray to silver below. Round ears are small but visible, extremely short tail. ~Southern Female has 6 mammary glands while the Northern has 8. Northern has buff-colored hairs at base of ears. ~The hind paw is 3/4 inch with 5 toes, forepaw slightly smaller with 4 toes. ~ The Lemmings on average live one to two years. ~They move in a system of underground tunnels, most only about 6inches below the surface of the ground.

Southern Red-backed Vole: ~The size of this voles tail is 1-2 inches while the length is 3-4 inches. ~live in all of Minnesota except the Southern part. ~There habitat is in coniferous forests, spruce bogs, swamps, and wetlands. ~They nest with a hallow center, made of plant material, 3-4 inches wide, underneather a log or among tree roots. ~The southern Red-backed vole eats insectivore, herbivore, insects, green leaves, fruit, seeds, leaf buds, bark off of young trees, and fungi. ~You can identify them by a rusty red back with lighter brown sizes. ~Black belly hair with white tips, making belly appear silvery white. ~Rounded snout. ~Small round ears. ~ Small dark eyes, with a short tail.

(Meadow Vole)

Meadow Vole: ~Size is 4-5 inches and the tail is 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches ~its weight is about 1 to 2 1/2 ounces ~Ball shaped nests with a hollow center, made of dried grass, often under a log or rock. ~lives above ground and belowground, maintains a system of trails and tunnels ~They eat Herbivore, green grass, seeds, sedges ~You can identify them by overall dark gray with rusty red highlights and peppered with black. Gray chest and belly. ~short round snout ~Ears are small but visible ~tail is dark above light below ~they live one to two years ~hind paw 3/4 inches long with 5 toes. ~forepaw is 1/2 inches long with 4 toes. ~sometimes mistakenly called Meadow mouse or Field Mouse. (Prairie Vole)

Prairie Vole: ~Size is 4-5 inches and the tail is 1-1 1/2 inches ~there weight is 1 1/4 to 2 ounces ~They live in a ball-shaped mest with a hollow center, made from dried grass ~Herbivore, insectivore, seeds, green grass, roots, tbers, insects ~You can identify them by a gray brown to yellow brown above, lighter gray below. gray-tipped or black-tipped hair gives it a grizzled appearance. ~short round snout ~short bicolored tail, dark above, lighter below. ~ears are small and barely visible. ~only 5 toe pads on the hind feet. ~they live one to two years ~there hind paws are 3/4-1 inch long with 5 toes ~forepaw 1/2 inches long with 4 toes Sources: Mammals Book [] [] []