Download July – Water Vole

Wiltshire Mammal Group’s Mammal
of the Month…Water Vole!
Latin Name
Arvicola amphibius
Overview
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Rat sized with a blunt nose
Dark chestnut-brown to black fur
Short rounded ears and hair covered tail
Yellow/orange teeth
Average size 140-220mm and tail 95-140mm
Average weight 150-300g
Average Life Span 5-9 months, with maximum longevity of 2 years in captivity
Also known as Ratty in Wind in the Willows
When and where to see water vole
Water voles can be seen all over the UK. However, in Wiltshire the best place to see them is along
the rivers and canal systems within Wiltshire. The Canal & River Trust have caught water voles on
camera on the Caen Hill Flight in Devizes. (Link to article can be found in the more information
section)
Water voles are present all year round and tend to be more active in the day time. Their mating
season is between April and September and they can produce between 3 and 5 litters in this time,
mating season is a good time to try and see them.
Water voles live in burrows; they have a number of entrances often both under water and above
the water. Water voles tend to make their burrows in the steeper side of
the bank, there are normally several layers to a burrow and sleeping
chambers to protect from short flooding events.
What to look for
There are a number of things to look out for when trying to spot water
voles:
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Latrines, these are piles of flattened droppings, which are shiny
and cigar shaped, that they use to mark their territory during
breeding
They tend to sit and eat in the same place, their piles of nibbled
grass all cut at a 450 angle
Water Vole Lawn & Burrow
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Water vole lawns, during breeding season females eat the grass down around their
burrows so she does not have to go too far from her young
Runs, down at ground level it is possible to see vole shaped runs where they have moved
thought the grass
Tracks, but be careful they can be mistaken for rat tracks. Water vole tracks are a four toed
star shaped foot print, the difference between rats and water vole prints is the angle
between the toes; in water voles it is 90 degrees , but less in rats, and sometimes in rat
prints a tail drag can be seen between the prints
Sound, if you are lucky you may hear the Plop sound of a water vole entering the water
Burrows, they are found in steep sided banks the entrance is often round at about 4-8cm
across.
Impacts on the Species
There has been a long term decline of water voles in Britain of 94% from former sites. There are a
number of reasons for this decline of the water vole population; Habitat loss plays a part in their
loss and this is even more significant when considering the recent weather conditions. River bank
modification, dredging and flooding are just a few causes of habitat loss. A second factor is
predation from the non-native American Mink, in the case of the American Mink the water voles
normal method of fleeing from predation by leaping into the water and disturbing sediment do not
work, or fleeing down a burrow that mink can fit down. There are a number of other impacts on
the species that has contributed to the decline including Eutrophication that cause algal blooms
and loss of the food plants of the water vole.
What is being done?
Water voles are under legal protection; Schedule 5 of Wildlife and Country Side Act 1981, makes it
an offence to disturb, obstruct or damage the burrows of water voles or injure or kill a water
vole.
The Wildlife Trust is taking a number of actions in order to protect water voles:
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Making improvements to river banks
Controlling American Mink
Water vole reintroduction
The Canal & River Trust are also rebuilding river banks and running ‘Give a Vole a Home
campaign’.
More Information
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http://www.wildwoodtrust.org/files/water-voles-info.pdf
http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/news/water-voles-caught-on-camera
http://www.wsbrc.org.uk/EnE0wzXNUUKzvDCF1QqvKA%3D%3D/Species.aspx
http://www.mammal.org.uk/sites/default/files/factsheets/watervole_complete.pdf
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http://www.link2nature.org.uk/landscape-map/background/building-on-the-wiltshire-andswindon-biodiversity-action-plans.html
http://www.sussexotters.org/pdf/How%20to%20be%20a%20water%20vole%20spotter.pdf