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Water Vole

Arvicola amphibius

Not yet photographed by the community

"Ratty" from Wind in the Willows; UK's fastest declining mammal.

Species Profile

UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Species; estimated 50% decline in populations; considered threatened due to habitat loss and mink predation.

Lifespan: 1–2 years in the wild, occasionally up to 3 years
Size & Weight: 14–22 cm body length; 20–40 g
Habitat: Freshwater wetlands including riverbanks, ditches, reed beds, and marshes with dense vegetation and stable water levels.
UK Distribution: Historically widespread throughout England, Wales, and Scotland, but now fragmented and absent from many regions; resident year-round where present.
Diet: Herbivorous, feeding on aquatic and semi-aquatic plants including reed, sedge, water lilies, and grasses; also eats roots and bark.
Predators: Herons, bitterns, owls, mink, otters, foxes, and domestic cats; pike and perch in water.
Mating Season: April to September
Breeding: Multiple broods per year (typically 2–3); litter size 4–8 young; gestation period approximately 20–21 days; young weaned at 3–4 weeks.
Behaviour: Predominantly nocturnal and crepuscular, spending much time in burrows or reed nests. Highly aquatic with partially webbed hind feet; excellent swimmers. Solitary and territorial outside breeding season.

Did You Know?

•Water voles create distinctive latrines of dark droppings deposited on rocks and logs to mark territory
•They construct burrows in riverbanks with entrances both above and below the waterline
•Often confused with brown rats, but water voles have blunter noses, smaller ears, and shorter tails
•American mink, introduced to the UK and now feral, are a major predator and have contributed significantly to water vole decline
•The water vole was immortalised as 'Ratty' in Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows' (1908)

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