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REPRODUCTIVE AND BEHAVIORAL BIOLOGY OF THE GRAY-TAILED VOLE
Citation:
Wolff, J., D. Edge, AND R. Bentley. REPRODUCTIVE AND BEHAVIORAL BIOLOGY OF THE GRAY-TAILED VOLE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-95/361.
Description:
The report describes the reproductive biology of the gray-tailed vole and relates behavioral and morphological features in the mating system. he breeding season extended from March through December, mean litter size was 4.4 young, and hip (scent) glands were prominent in adult males and females throughout the breeding season. uvenile dispersal was male-biased, and home ranges of opposite-sex relatives did not overlap when juveniles became reproductively active. ray-tailed voles were sexually dimorphic, and males had larger home ranges than did females, indicative of a polygynous or promiscuous mating system. owever, males had relatively small testes, which is characteristic of monogamy or. single-male harems. e conclude that the mating system of the gray-tailed voles cannot be inferred from behavioral and morphological correlates as has been attempted for other species of Microtus.