Arkansas mammals

Prairie Vole in Arkansas

Microtus ochrogaster

Native to Arkansas S5 Secure in Arkansas

Not listed as nonindigenous in Arkansas by USGS NAS; native to its Arkansas range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

AI-generated image: Prairie Vole alert in a grassy meadow, stocky grizzled brown-gray body and short tail. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Prairie vole foraging between grass stems. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Prairie vole at the entrance of a grass runway. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
AI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyPrairie Vole alert in a grassy meadow, stocky grizzled brown-gray body and short tailAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyPrairie vole foraging between grass stemsAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyPrairie vole at the entrance of a grass runway

Prairie Vole in Arkansas, by the numbers

Occasional in Arkansas 47th most recorded of 78 mammals logged in Arkansas

40 occurrence records
13 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 15, 2023 Last seen in Arkansas

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Prairie Vole in Arkansas

Most sightings fall in November to December.

40 Arkansas occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Arkansas records (table)
MonthRecords
January3
February3
March6
April4
May4
June2
July0
August1
September1
October1
November6
December9

Monthly prairie vole occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Arkansas, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Arkansas, with recorded sightings peaking in November–December, with a smaller rise in March.

Occurrence map

Where Prairie Vole has been recorded in Arkansas

40 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

40 Arkansas records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Chensey Prairie Natural Area 1

Protected places with the most prairie vole sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Arkansas

CountyRecords
Pulaski County 16
Benton County 4
Craighead County 4
Washington County 3
Clay County 3
Lonoke County 2
Greene County 2
White County 2
Poinsett County 2
Newton County 1
Drew County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 11 Arkansas counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Prairie voles carry a NatureServe S5 secure rank in Arkansas, and the record leans toward GBIF (36 of 40 records) over iNaturalist, reflecting how thoroughly trapping surveys, rather than casual sightings, have documented this grassland vole across the Ozarks.

December alone accounts for 9 of the 40 records, close to a quarter of the total, with July showing zero records, a pattern that likely tracks survey timing rather than any real seasonal shift in the vole’s own activity, since prairie voles stay active under grass and snow cover year-round.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

AI-generated image: Prairie Vole alert in a grassy meadow, stocky grizzled brown-gray body and short tail. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Full species profile Prairie Vole Microtus ochrogaster Size 12.4 cm4.9 in Weight 47 g1.7 oz Lifespan Up to 5.3 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Arkansas in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"