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Project Noah Nature School
Microtus pennsylvanicus
These jaw bones and another set of rodent jaws were found in the largest owl pellet I've ever seen. The pellet was 3 times the normal size for a Great Horned Owl.
Thanks for the ID zoomanallen! Meadow Voles are common in the fields where I found the owl pellet containing these bones.
It is definitely a vole, the only question is which. The good thing is you can ID from molars. From consulting my field guide I'm gonna go with meadow vole. I could only find upper tooth row drawings and photos but the meadow vole's looks the most similar.
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/42...
Emily, it'll be a couple days before I can actually measure the bones, but I'd guess it's 1.5" to 2" from tip of fang to the end of the jaw bone.
Informative pics Tom! I let a colleague borrow my good ol' trusty skull book - which I am now having separation anxiety over! ;) These pictures are excellent for identification. When I get the book back, I will take a stab at IDing the animal for you. In the meantime, could you tell me approximately how big the jaw bone is in length?
Spotted on Apr 5, 2013
Submitted on Apr 7, 2013
