Water Vole, voles, mammal, mammals, Scottish wildlife

Water Vole image The water vole is a rodent and our largest vole. The Water Vole (Arvicola amphibius or Arvicola terrestris) is a semi-aquatic mammal that resembles a rat. In fact, the water vole is often informally called the “water rat”. It is associated with wetlands and is found living in the banks of ditches and burns.
Water voles have rounder noses than rats, deep brown fur, chubby faces and short fuzzy ears; unlike the rat their tails, paws and ears are covered with hair. In the wild, they survive for 5 months on average, most do not survive a second winter. In captivity, they survive for a maximum of 5 years.
Water voles reach 5–9 inches in length (120–235 mm) plus a tail of 55%–70% of this. Adults weigh from 6–12 ounces (160–350 g), juveniles weigh less but must reach around 5–6 ounces (140–170 g) to be able to survive their first winter.
In Britain, water voles live in burrows excavated from the banks of calm rivers, ditches, ponds, and streams. They also live in reed beds where they will weave ball shaped nests if no suitable banks exist in which to burrow.
Water voles mainly eat grass and plants near the water. At times, they will also consume fruits, bulbs, twigs, buds, and roots.
The mating period lasts from March into late autumn. The female vole's pregnancy lasts for approximately 21 days. Up to 8 baby voles can be born, each weighing around one fifth of an ounce. The young voles open their eyes three days after their birth. They are half the size of a full grown water vole by the time they are weaned.
Water Voles are expert swimmers and divers. They do not usually live in large groups. Adult water voles each have their own territories, which they mark with a secretion from their bodies. They will attack if their territory is invaded by another vole.
You can identify if a water vole is present by the characteristic stems with bite marks and oval droppings. It was once widespread in the United Kingdom; however, numbers have declined dramatically in the last 10 years from an estimated 2.3 million in 1990 to 354,000 in 1998. Evidence shows that the introduced American mink has contributed to the extinction of local water vole populations. The fact that they survive in certain wetlands suggests that their habitat is vital for survival.

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