European snow vole
Chionomys nivalis
Emanuele Santarelli · Campo Imperatore
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 29.5–62 g, head and body 107–143 mm
- Diet
- Herbivore, leaves, seeds, roots
- Status in Georgia
- Rocky mountain sites, stable
- Habitat
- Scree and rock crevices
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Conservation
- LC / LC
The European snow vole is a relict of the ice age: back then its range reached the British Isles, and today it survives in scattered patches in the mountains of Europe and southwest Asia. It lives among rocks and scree, in crevices where the temperature is steady and the air is humid. It does not hibernate, and in summer it dries and stores plants for winter. In Georgia it is known from Bakuriani, Tsalka, the Tskhratskaro Pass and other mountain sites. It looks very much like the Caucasian snow vole, so do not name the species from an animal that flashes between rocks.
Identification
European snow vole: how to identify it
A medium-sized vole with soft, long, dense fur. The back is pale grey with a brownish tinge and the tail whitish. The nose is rounded, the eyes are black and beady and the whiskers are long and whitish. It looks most like the Caucasian snow vole.
Head and body 107–143 mm, tail 40–75 mm, weight 29.5–62 g. It varies a lot in size, tail length and colour: some populations are short-tailed, others long-tailed, and even neighbouring populations can look quite different.
Animals from humid regions are darker, with a dark brown back and a dull grey belly. Those from dry regions are paler, with a light buff back and a greyish white belly. Intermediate colours also occur.
The Caucasian snow vole looks very similar, and the differences lie mainly in the skull and teeth: the European snow vole has a deeper skull and larger ear bullae. Robert's snow vole is larger and darker, with black whiskers and a long tail. So do not name the species with confidence from an animal seen in the wild.
The European snow vole is a specialist of rocky ground. It lives in scree and rock crevices, where the temperature is steady and humidity high. Such places are more common high in the mountains, but the species occurs from sea level up to 4700 m and enters forest wherever there is scree. It prefers sites with grass and sparse vegetation. In Georgia it is known from Bakuriani, Tsalka, the Tskhratskaro Pass, Mount Shavi Klde, Didi Arakali, the Chirukhi steppe, Akhaldaba (Shuakhevi) and other sites.
The European snow vole map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. Records are still too few to mark any region.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
The European snow vole eats leaves, stems, flowers, seeds and roots. Mosses and lichens can be an important part of its diet, and it also eats berries. On average it eats 51.9 g of fresh food a day. For winter it gathers plants, dries them and stores them under stones or in crevices out of the rain.
The European snow vole does not hibernate. Its daily rhythm is flexible: it is active at dusk all year round, mainly at night in summer and by day in winter. Out of the nest it tries to stay close to the rocks, walking, running and climbing. It sometimes shelters in mountain huts. It breeds during the snow-free period, so the higher it lives, the shorter its breeding season. Gestation lasts 20–22 days, and a litter has 1–4 young, usually twice a year. The young open their eyes at 13 days and leave the nest at 2–3 weeks. Female home ranges do not overlap, while a male's range covers those of several females and is marked with urine and droppings.
The European snow vole is not threatened. In Georgia the 2021 national assessment rates it Least Concern (LC), with a stable population. Globally it is also Least Concern (LC, 2016). It is not on the Red List of Georgia. Its habitat is naturally split into "islands" of rock and scree, so each such site holds a population of its own.
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Yes, in rocky mountain places. It is known from Bakuriani, Tsalka, the Tskhratskaro Pass, Mount Shavi Klde, the Chirukhi steppe and other sites. The Caucasus populations are treated as a separate subspecies, trialeticus. Its population in Georgia is stable.
In the field you almost cannot. Both are grey, soft-furred rodents with a pale tail. The European snow vole varies more in size and colour, has a deeper skull and larger ear bullae. They rarely share a site, but only a study of the animal gives a sure answer.
No, it does not hibernate. It spends the winter among rocks, feeding on the dry plants it stored in summer. At that time it is active mainly by day. It sometimes shelters in mountain huts too.
Plants: leaves, stems, flowers, seeds and roots, and sometimes mosses and lichens. On average it eats 51.9 g of fresh food a day. In summer it dries plants and stores them under stones as a winter supply.
It is not threatened. In Georgia the 2021 assessment rates it Least Concern (LC) with a stable population, and globally it is LC too (2016). It is not on the Red List of Georgia. Still, it depends on scattered rocky sites, so keeping scree undisturbed is what matters most for it.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
