Voles spend most of their time in which type of habitat?

• A. Subterranean runs
• B. Above-ground nests
• C. Water burrows
• D. Open fields

Answer: (A)

Voles are best described as living in a network of shallow underground tunnels just beneath the soil surface. These subterranean runs provide shelter, buffering from predators and weather, and easy access to food like roots and tubers. Because they spend most of their activity moving and foraging through these underground passages, this type of habitat—the subterranean runs—is where they spend the majority of their time. Above-ground nests are used only occasionally, water burrows aren’t typical vole homes, and open fields expose them to predators and harsh conditions, making them less suitable as the main living area. You can often see surface runways in turf—that’s evidence of their extensive underground network.