typically produce 2 litters per season but the second litter is usually smaller than the first. The taiga vole engages in communal winter nesting. A small group, usually 5-10 individuals, will share a nest during the winter. They will build very extensive burrows that occasionally will even go into the water where they can swim out. Taiga voles living in more dense populations typically have greater body mass than those living in less dense populations. They also exhibit the use of alarm calls, particularly during the mating seasons to warn potential mates of danger. The taiga vole cannot go more than 24 hours without eating or they can starve to death. They do not have complex metabolisms designed for fasting. They can consume all of their liver glycogen in 4 hours or less. They do not use torpor like many other small rodents do, so they must find other ways to slow the basal metabolic rate. They will lower their body temperature by about .5 degrees Celsius to reduce energy costs. The taiga voles, as do many other voles, rely on fat reserves for thermoregulation, using brown fat adipose tissue to increase their thermogenic capacity. References Taiga Arctic land animals Mammals of the Arctic Mammals of Canada Mammals of the United States Rodents of North America Fauna of Alaska Mammals described in 1815 Least concern biota of North America Least concern biota of the United States