South Dakota mammals

Western Meadow Vole in South Dakota

Microtus drummondii

Native to South Dakota SNR Unranked in South Dakota

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

IUCN Red List status

NE – Not Evaluated

Not yet assessed against IUCN Red List criteria.

Western meadow vole Talkeetna alaskaWestern Meadow Vole (Microtus drummondii)Western Meadow Vole (Microtus drummondii)Western Meadow Vole (Microtus drummondii)Western Meadow Vole (Microtus drummondii)
Photo: Key towel · CC BY-SA 4.0Western meadow vole Talkeetna alaskaPhoto: aeshnidae28 · CC BY 4.0Western Meadow Vole (Microtus drummondii)Photo: Jared Lincenberg · CC BY 4.0Western Meadow Vole (Microtus drummondii)Photo: Jared Lincenberg · CC BY 4.0Western Meadow Vole (Microtus drummondii)Photo: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0Western Meadow Vole (Microtus drummondii)

Western Meadow Vole in South Dakota, by the numbers

Occasional in South Dakota 63rd most recorded of 100 mammals logged in South Dakota

13 occurrence records
13 with iNaturalist photos
Dec 7, 2024 Last seen in South Dakota

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Western Meadow Vole in South Dakota

Most sightings fall in August to September.

13 South Dakota occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly South Dakota records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March1
April1
May1
June1
July0
August3
September4
October1
November0
December1

Monthly western meadow vole occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in South Dakota, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in South Dakota, with recorded sightings peaking in August–September.

Occurrence map

Where Western Meadow Vole has been recorded in South Dakota

13 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

13 South Dakota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Badlands National Park 3
Black Hills National Forest 2

Protected places with the most western meadow 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 South Dakota

CountyRecords
Minnehaha County 3
Jackson County 3
Sanborn County 2
Davison County 1
Pennington County 1
Faulk County 1
Lawrence County 1
Custer County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 8 South Dakota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Western meadow voles carry no NatureServe state rank in South Dakota, SNR unranked, and all 13 of the state’s records come from iNaturalist with no GBIF specimen data, meaning casual sightings, not trapping surveys, document what’s known here despite this being a genuinely difficult species to spot given its small size and dense grass-cover habits.

Records scatter thin across seven months with a September peak (3 sightings), too sparse a pattern to draw a confident seasonal trend from beyond confirming the vole turns up occasionally at sites like Badlands National Park.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist.

Western meadow vole Talkeetna alaska
Full species profile Western Meadow Vole Microtus drummondii Size 13–20 cm5.1–7.9 in Weight 39 g1.4 oz Lifespan Up to 2.9 yr View the full profile

More mammals in South Dakota 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"