Myodes gapperi
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The southern red-backed vole or Gapper's red-backed vole (Clethrionomys gapperi) is a small slender vole found in Canada and the northern United States. It is closely related to the western red-backed vole (Clethrionomys californius), which lives to the south and west of its range and which is less red with a less sharply bicolored tail.
These voles have short slender bodies with a reddish band along the back and a short tail. The sides of the body and head are grey and the underparts are paler. There is a grey color morph in the northeast part of their range. They are 12–16.5 cm (4.7–6.5 in) long with a 4 cm tail and weigh about 6–42 g; average 20.6 g (0.21–1.48 oz; average 0.72 oz).
These animals are found in coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests, often near wetlands. They tend to follow paths they have established, runways through the surface growth in warm weather and tunnels through the snow in winter. They are omnivorous, feeding on green plants, underground fungi, seeds, nuts, and roots, as well as insects, snails, and berries. They can store foods such as roots, bulbs, and nuts to feed on later.
Southern red-backed... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Red-backed Vole sighting in Banff National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 26th most-seen of the 29 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June–August and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Red-backed Vole in Banff National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September and November–May, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Red-backed Vole sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Southern Red-backed Vole sightings, Banff National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Red-backed Vole is recorded against all the mammals logged in Banff National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
