Myodes gapperi
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Red-backed Vole sighting in Edmonton on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 16th most-seen of the 20 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, July and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Red-backed Vole in Edmonton on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, April–June and August–October, 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.
Only Edmonton, in our data
Edmonton is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Southern Red-backed Vole sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Cricetidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Red-backed Vole that you can see in Edmonton (family Cricetidae, Hamsters, Voles, Lemmings, and Allies) are Muskrat (about 20%), Meadow Vole (about 10%) and Deer Mouse (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Red-backed Vole is recorded against all the mammals logged in Edmonton (14 verified sightings), 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.
