page_title: Red tree vole
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Red tree vole / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: An image of the discarded resin ducts fallen from a large Douglas-fir tree, collected by a red tree vole. Collected at Cold Springs on Titlow Hill, Humboldt County, California on 28 October 2012.
context_page_description: The red tree vole is a rodent of the Pacific Northwest, found in Oregon and California.
context_section_description: The red tree vole is a rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in coastal forests of Oregon and northern California. They eat exclusively the needles of conifers, mostly Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and occasionally other species.  They often spend their lives in just one tree, and many generations will live in different parts of the same tree.
  When eating Douglas-fir needles, they carefully remove the fine resin ducts (which resemble coarse, straight hairs) along each edge of the needle, discarding these or using them for nest lining. (see image below) They are nocturnal and very difficult to see, but they can be detected by finding piles or wads of these resin ducts on the ground.
  Red tree voles are about 6-8 in long, including the tail. When they are young they exhibit a dull brown coat and develop a more reddish colored coat with age.
caption: The characteristic pile of discarded resin ducts (which run along the outside edges of Douglas-fir needles) produced by a red tree vole when eating.
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