The Northern water vole is Europe’s largest native vole. It is only in the UK that water voles are dependent on living by water, so ours is a unique population. The water vole was once a common and familiar mammal. Over the last 20 years the water vole has undergone a catastrophic decline. It is now a priority species, has a Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), and has legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
The water vole has a rich, silky, yellowish-brown to dark brown coat, a blunt nose, a rounded body and a long hairy tail. The adults weigh 200-350g. It is 12-20cm long, with a tail of
7-11cm. The males are usually slightly larger than females, except during pregnancy, when the female becomes larger.
Water voles are more active during the day than at night. Although the water vole swims and dives well, it is not particularly adapted to water; it is very buoyant and swims high out of the water, doggy-paddle style. When it enters the water it makes a distinctive ‘plop’. If you hear one, look for the V-shaped wake that the swimming water vole makes in the water. Water vole burrows can stretch down below the surface of the water for up to two metres. The most common sites are vegetated banks of ditches, rivers, streams, canals, ponds, and marshes with still water or little flow, and where water is present all year round. As these suitable habitats decline, water voles are increasingly using reed bed pools and ditches.
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