Biodiversity Trail
Stop 16:
Field Vole
(Microtus agrestis)
The Field Vole, also known as the short-tailed vole, is a small rodent with greyish-brown fur. They have been present in mainland Britain since the last glaciation 11,000 years ago. Its body is approximately 4 inches in length and it has a blunt, round face. The Field Vole eats leaves and grass stems and on occasions mosses.
Field Voles are found in the long grasses of the fields on Brimpts Farm. They make burrows under the shelter of grass and move around through a network of tunnels and runways.
Field Voles can have up to six litters of up to eight young in a single year. The young are born in a nest of shredded grass. The Field Vole is a vital link in the food chain providing sustenance for many predators including the Common Buzzard found circling the skies of Dartmoor.