Tree vole


The genus Arborimus is a group of voles found in western North America. The genus name is Latin for "tree mouse".
These animals live in forested areas and two species live in trees. They are small rodents with short ears and long legs. They are primarily herbivorous. Predators include owls and mustelids.
Some sources include this genus with the heather voles, genus Phenacomys.

Classification

The complete list of species is:
Based on mitochondrial DNA, A. pomo and A. albipes are more closely related to one another than either are to A. longicaudus. This is in contrast to previous suggestions of A. albipes being the most basal species in the genus.