The sagebrush vole (''Lemmiscus curtatus'') is a tiny

vole Voles are small rodents that are relatives of lemmings and hamsters, but with a stouter body; a longer, hairy tail; a slightly rounder head; smaller eyes and ears; and differently formed molars (high-crowned with angular cusps instead of lo ...

found in western North America. This is the only member of genus ''Lemmiscus''. They are somewhat similar in appearance to

lemming A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae) together with voles and muskrats, which form part of the superfamily Muroidea, which also incl ...

s. They have chunky bodies with short legs and a very short tail which is covered in fur and lighter below. They have fluffy dull grey fur with lighter underparts. They range from 11–14 cm in length with a tail length of around 1.8-2.7 cm and a mass of around 21-39 g. These animals are found in dry open brushy areas in the western

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and southern parts of western

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. They feed on grasses and leaves in summer and

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus '' Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub '' Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west. Following is an al ...

, bark and twigs in winter. Predators include

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological ni ...

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IU ...

s and

weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender ...

s. Female voles have 5 or more litters of 4 to 6 young in a year. The young are born in a nest in a burrow. They are active year-round, day and night, but are usually more active near sunrise and sunset. They make trails through the surface vegetation and also dig burrows with many entrances. They burrow under the snow in winter. These animals are often found in colonies.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1762716 Arvicolini Mammals described in 1868