common vole vs Eurasian red squirrel

Microtus arvalis compared with Sciurus vulgaris

Key Differences

• common vole is Near Threatened while Eurasian red squirrel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	common vole	Eurasian red squirrel
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order same	Rodentia (Rodents)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Cricetidae	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Microtus	Sciurus (Tree Squirrels)
Species	Microtus arvalis	Sciurus vulgaris

Evolutionary Relationship

common vole and Eurasian red squirrel share a common ancestor at the Order level: Rodentia. (Rodents)

Conservation Status

common vole

NT — Near Threatened

Eurasian red squirrel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	common vole	Eurasian red squirrel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

common vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Eurasian red squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Asia (Georgia) and Europe (5 countries).

common vole

common vole (Microtus arvalis) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Eurasian red squirrel

Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden