European water vole

The European water vole (Arvicola amphibius) or northern water vole is a semi-aquatic rodent. It is often called the water rat, but it looks different from a true rat. Water voles have rounder noses, deep brown fur, chubby faces, and short fuzzy ears. Their tails, paws, and ears are covered with hair, which makes them look softer than rats.

These animals love to live near water, such as rivers, lakes, and canals, where they build burrows and search for food like plants, insects, and small creatures. They are good swimmers and spend much of their time in or near the water.

In the wild, water voles usually live about five months, but in safe places like captivity, they can live up to two and a half years. They are important for keeping water areas healthy by eating plants and helping to control other small animals.

Appearance

European water voles are medium-sized rodents. They are usually dark brown, a bit lighter on their bellies. They have thick fur all over, even on their tails, which makes them look different from rats.

These voles are about 14 to 22 centimeters long, not counting their tails. Their tails are about half the length of their bodies. The heaviest adults can weigh up to about 386 grams, but most weigh between 60 and 140 grams.

Taxonomy

The European water vole is named Arvicola amphibius. It was once called A. terrestris, but scientists found both names described the same animal. Now, A. amphibius is the correct name.

Some people thought the southwestern water vole (A. sapidus) was the same as the European water vole, but now they are known to be different species.

Range

The European water vole lives in many parts of Europe, Russia, West Asia, and Kazakhstan. It likes wet places such as rivers, ponds, and marshes.

Habitat

Water voles live in burrows dug into the banks of rivers, ditches, ponds, and streams, especially near calm, slow-moving water. They also make ball-shaped nests in reed beds when there are no suitable banks.

They like areas with lots of tall plants near the water, which help hide them. Water voles avoid places where animals have trampled the plants. They can also live in upland areas with peatland vegetation and small ditches, and they stay under the snow during winter. In Europe and Russia, they can be found in woods, fields, and gardens.

Diet

Water voles mostly eat grass, sedges, rushes, herbs, and other plants near water. They might also eat fruits, seeds, bulbs, twigs, buds, and roots when they find them. In some places, they eat a lot and can sometimes damage grass fields. In some parts of England, they may eat water snails, freshwater mussels, frogs, and tadpoles to get more protein.

Breeding

The European water vole mates from March until late autumn. After a pregnancy of about 21 days, a female can have up to 8 babies. The baby voles open their eyes three days after they are born. By the time they are weaned, they are about half the size of an adult water vole.

Behaviour

Water voles are strong swimmers and can dive underwater. They usually do not live in large groups. Each adult water vole has its own space. They mark special spots near their home or where they go in and out of the water. These spots help us know how many water voles are nearby. They also leave a special smell on their fur, but it is hard to notice. If another water vole comes into their space, they may get upset.

Predation

The European water vole has many predators. Many of these predators usually hunt other small animals like Microtus voles and wood mice because they are more common. Wildcats, red foxes, hawks such as the common buzzards, and owls like the barn owl and Eurasian eagle-owl are known to hunt them. Small weasels and both European and American mink are also threats. The invasive American mink has caused water vole numbers to drop in Britain.

Conservation

United Kingdom

In 2006, water voles returned to Lindow Common nature reserve in Cheshire after being away for many years.

On 26 February 2008, the U.K. Government said that water voles would get full legal protection starting on 6 April 2008.

In 2015, the People's Trust for Endangered Species started a new project to help protect water voles in the U.K. The National Water-Vole Monitoring Programme (NWVMP) is the first ongoing plan to watch over these animals in the U.K. It brings together information from many places to see how the water vole population is doing each year. In September 2019, the Box Moor Trust added water voles to the River Bulbourne in Hemel Hempstead as part of a three-year plan.

Literary appearances

A water vole named "Ratty" is a main character in the 1908 children's book The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Many people think these animals are a type of rat because of this book, but they are not. Water voles also appear in the books of Redwall by Brian Jacques.

In the funny book and movie Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, a character named Urk calls the woman he likes his little water vole. He often talks to the water voles on the farm.

A poem called "Shelter" by C. S. Calverley tells the story of a shy young woman near a lake. The song "Live with Me" by The Rolling Stones mentions feeding water voles to geese.