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About the river Wildlife Water Vole
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Water Vole
(Courtesy of the Northumberland Biodiversity Partnership)
The water vole is the largest of the British voles weighing between 200 and 350 grams, with male voles normally being slightly larger than females. As a result of their size they are commonly mistaken for the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus.
Distinguishing features are:
- Rounded body
- Blunt muzzle
- Short tail
- Almost invisible ears
- Darker colour
- Buoyancy (body is visible above surface of water)
Water voles favour a slow-flowing water course with thick herbaceous riparian vegetation, where extreme fluctuations in water levels are rare. The upper reaches of rivers, small backwaters, ditches and ponds are strongholds for the species. They avoid excessively shaded watercourses with extensive shrub and tree cover.
The water vole was formerly a common sight to anglers and passersby on many inland waterways across the country. Populations have declined by almost 70% nationally since the 1960's. The principal reasons for the decline in the water vole populations are inappropriate wetland management and the introduction of the North American Mink, Mustela vison, which as a semi-aquatic mammal is able to follow its prey overland, under water and into burrows.
