Voles Cut Grass To Shape Their Environment And Fend Off Their Foes

A rodent species that lives on the steppes of Russia and northern Asia shapes its environment by trimming unpalatable bunchgrasses to watch for predatory birds in an example of natural ecosystem engineering. (Guoliang Li/University of Exeter)

Suburbanites may have something in common with certain tiny rodents. Scientists have observed voles regularly trimming the tall grass in their neighborhoods, both to maintain them and to make them safer.

An international team of scientists studied the curious behavior of Brandt’s voles or steppe voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii), a rodent belonging to the Cricetidae family. The species can be found in northern China, Mongolia and Russia, making its home in grasslands and shrublands.