California vole vs slender thistle

Microtus californicus compared with Carduus tenuiflorus

Key Differences

• California vole is Least Concern while slender thistle is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	California vole	slender thistle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Cricetidae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Microtus	Carduus
Species	Microtus californicus	Carduus tenuiflorus

Conservation Status

California vole

LC — Least Concern

slender thistle

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	California vole	slender thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

California vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

slender thistle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Japan), Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

California vole

The California vole (Microtus californicus) is a species in the genus Microtus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.