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Wiltshire Mammal Group’s Mammal of the Month…Water Vole! Latin Name Arvicola amphibius Overview 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: 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 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: 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 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 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