Overview
The Amargosa vole isone of 17 subspecies of the California vole (Microtus californicus). It was listed as endangered in 1984, and only a few hundred remain in the wild due to loss of habitat, extreme drought, and anthropogenic alterations to the hydrologic regime.
Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Physical Characteristics
Coloration is bright brown, ranging from cinnamon-buff to buckthorn brown.
The Amargosa vole is stout-bodied and measures about 7.9 inches in total length including the tail.
Habitat
The Amargosa vole depends upon, and is closely associated with, wetland vegetation dominated by Olney’s three-square bulrush (Schoenoplectus americanus). Bulrush is used by the Amargosa vole as a vital food source, and bulrush litter layers (up to 3.3 feet in depth) provide for thermoregulation, nesting and predator avoidance.
Life Cycle
Amargosa voles can reproduce year-round, but breeding is generally associated with green vegetation production starting near mid-September, with a peak of reproductive rates from March through April. Vole litter sizes range from one to six pups.
Geography
The Amargosa vole occupies an approximately 10-mile stretch of wetland habitat near the communities of Shoshone and Tecopa in southeastern Inyo County, California.
Timeline
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