Part 10

The chestnut-cheeked vole (Microtus xanthognathus), the largest mouse in the park, has a body length of 6 or 7 inches, tail length of about 2 inches, and weighs up to about 6 ounces. These mice live in isolated colonies but where found may be abundant. Not recorded in the park since 1907 when it was abundant along the Toklat River.

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The tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus macfarlani) is a large vole widely distributed, and is especially fond of dense grass or sedge habitats. Its body length is 5 to 5½ inches, and tail length a little less than 2 inches. Its brownish-gray color is similar to the common meadow mouse.

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The meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus tananaensis) is common in interior Alaska, so far as known, but is rare in the park. With more investigation, it may be found plentiful in places along the north boundary. This is a common vole over much of Canada and the Rocky Mountain, central and eastern states. It prefers moist habitats. The body length is about 5 inches, tail about 2 inches, and the color is dark brown.

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The northern red-backed mouse (Clethrionomys rutilus dawsonii) lives in both the open tundra and the woods. Generally, it has a reddish back, but in a dark color phase, the back is blackish. These mice are fond of berries, their teeth being stained blue during the blueberry season. They also feed on seeds, stems, and leaves.

The several species of mice vary in abundance from year to year. In places where some of them have been studied, a well-defined 3 or 4 year cycle has been noted. The mouse populations have a tremendous influence on our wildlife economy. Foxes, martens, weasels, owls, hawks and a host of others feed extensively on this fauna and react to its abundance. When the lemming increase in the north, the snowy owls (and others) increase, and when the lemming become scarce, these owls come south in search of food and we have the snowy owl invasions, especially in north-central and eastern states. In 1955, when mice were abundant, the hawk owls in the park reached a high point, but again became scarce when the mouse population dropped.

Checklist of The Mammals of Mount McKinley National Park

Transcriber’s Notes

—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by underscores.