Narrow-headed Vole (Kyr cheke momoloy).
Body length up to 125 mm, tail length up to 40 mm (from 1/5 to 1/3 of body length). Color ranges from light ochre to dark brown, often with a characteristic mottled pattern from a mix of dark and light hair tips. There is often a vague black longitudinal stripe on the nape and in the front part of the back, especially distinct in young individuals.
The narrow-headed vole is distributed almost throughout the territory of Kyrgyzstan. Its habitats are very diverse: mainly high mountains, but they can descend to mid-mountain areas, forest belts, and lower. They live in groups of 2–5 families, which unite into colonies. They also settle in various cultivated areas, homestead lands, in haystacks, and during winter in residential premises. Their burrows are similar to those of other vole species; in soft meadow and steppe soils, the network of tunnels is located at a depth of 10—25 cm; one burrow can have up to ten or more exit holes and from one to five nesting chambers and storages.
Active throughout the day, but most active in the evening and at night. The narrow-headed vole feeds on many species of herbaceous plants. It consumes a variety of wild and cultivated plants, their roots, seeds, and green parts, preferring legumes and broadleaf grasses. In the north, the diet mainly consists of sedges, cotton grass, and low-growing polar willows. It makes large food caches for the winter.
Very prolific, producing from 1 to 7 litters per year, with an average of 3—7 offspring. In some species, males also participate in caring for the young. They reproduce throughout the warm season, and some species also in winter, under the snow. The gestation period lasts 16—30 days. Young individuals become independent by the 8th—35th day and soon reach sexual maturity. Due to their high reproductive potential, vole populations are subject to sharp fluctuations from year to year. Their lifespan in the wild ranges from a few months to 1—2 years.
Red Book
