California Vole

California Voles (Microtus californicus) are found along the Pacific Coast of North America. They average 7 inches in length, with much variety in size, and are sometimes mistaken for mice. Coats range from gray to brown, with reddish markings. They eat mostly grasses and roots, as well as sedges, fruits, and flowering herbs. Voles spend much of their time below ground, using burrows connected by above-ground runways they use to find food, rarely venturing far from their burrows. They communicate with one another via urine—a behavior that makes them particularly vulnerable to diurnal (daytime) predators. Raptors, like hawks, that see ultraviolet light where urine appears flourescent. Other predators include owls, egrets, long-tailed weasels, coyotes, skunks, mountain lions and garter snakes. A vole's lifespan is short, with most living for less than a year, even in the absence of predators.