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| {{Short description|Species of rodent}} | |||
| {{Taxobox | |||
| {{Speciesbox | |||
| | name = Water Vole | |||
| | name = European water vole | |||
| | status = LR/lc | status_system = IUCN2.3 | |||
| | status = LC | |||
| | image = water.vole.arp.jpg | |||
| | status_system = IUCN3.1 | |||
| | regnum = ]ia | |||
| | status_ref = <ref name="red-list-northern">{{cite iucn |title=''Arvicola amphibius'' |author1=Batsaikhan, N. |author2=Henttonen, H. |author3=Meinig, H. |author4=Shenbrot, G. |author5=Bukhnikashvili, A. |author6=Hutterer, R. |author7=Kryštufek, B. |author8=Yigit, N. |author9=Mitsain, G. |author10=Palomo, L. |amends=2016 |year=2021 |page=e.T2149A197271401 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T2149A197271401.en |access-date=17 February 2022}}</ref> | |||
| | phylum = ] | |||
| | image = Water Vole on Boot Hill (5592665124).jpg | |||
| | classis = ]ia | |||
| | |
| genus = Arvicola | ||
| | species = amphibius | |||
| | superfamilia = ] | |||
| | authority = (], ])<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Musser|id=13000176}}</ref> | |||
| | familia = ]<ref name="note-family">Note: according to Amori (1996) it will be transferred from family ] to ].</ref> | |||
| | synonyms = ''Arvicola terrestris'' {{small|(Linnaeus, 1758)}}<br /> | |||
| | subfamilia = ] | |||
| ''Mus amphibius'' {{small|Linnaeus, 1758}}<br /> | |||
| | genus = '']'' | |||
| ''Mus terrestris'' {{small|Linnaeus, 1758}} | |||
| | species = '''''A. amphibius'''''<ref name="red-list-northern">{{IUCN2006|assessors=Amori|year=1996|id=2149|title=Arvicola terrestris|downloaded=12 May 2006}}</ref> | |||
| | range_map = Arvicola_amphibius_range_map.png | |||
| | binomial = ''Arvicola amphibius'' | |||
| | binomial_authority = (], ]) | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| :''This article deals with the European Water Vole. For the article concerning the American species known as Water Vole, see ]'' | |||
| The '''European |
The '''European water vole''' ('''''Arvicola amphibius''''') or '''northern water vole''' is a ] ]. It is often informally called the '''water rat''', though it only superficially resembles a true ].<ref name="spot-ratty">{{cite web |url=http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/conservation/wvole/ratty.php |title=Tales of the Riverbank—How to spot 'Ratty' (previously "Water Volewatch 97") |access-date=2006-08-23 |last=Freeston |first=H. |year=1997 |publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925091301/http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/conservation/wvole/ratty.php |archive-date=September 25, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Water voles have rounder noses than rats, deep brown fur, chubby faces and short fuzzy ears; unlike rats their tails, paws and ears are covered with hair. | ||
| In the wild, on average, water voles only live about five months. Maximum longevity in captivity is two and a half years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mammal.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=223:the-water-vole-arvicolla-terrestris&catid=48:mammal-fact-sheets |title=The Mammal Society |publisher=Mammal.org.uk |access-date=2013-02-26}}</ref> | |||
| In the wild, they survive for 5 months on average; most do not survive a second winter. In captivity, they normally start to detiorate in condition as they approach their third winter; becoming thinner and losing much of their fur, nearly all die during their third winter. | |||
| == |
== Appearance == | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| Water voles reach {{Convert|14|-|22|cm|in|1}} in length, plus a tail which is about half the length of the body. Weights reported for adults are variable. It is possible for large, optimal adults to weigh as much as {{Convert|225|to|386|g|oz|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wildwoodtrust.org/files/water-voles-info.pdf |title=Ecology and Conservation of the Water Vole Arvicola terrestris amphibius |author=Forder, V. |publisher=Wildwood Trust |access-date=2015-02-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233540/http://www.wildwoodtrust.org/files/water-voles-info.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-03 }}</ref> However, these are peak weights. Elsewhere, the mean body mass has been reported as {{convert|60|to|140|g|oz|abbr=on}}, although this figure includes immature water voles.<ref>Saucy, F. (1994). ''Density dependence in time series of the fossorial form of the water vole, Arvicola terrestris''. Oikos, 381-392.</ref> The minimum weight to successfully breed as well as to survive winter is reportedly {{convert|112|g|oz|abbr=on}} in females and {{convert|115|g|oz|abbr=on}} in males.<ref name= Yavuz>Yavuz, Güliz, Ercüment Çolak, and Teoman Kankılıç. ''Investigations on the Ecology of Eurasian Water Vole, Arvicola amphibius (Rodentia: Mammalia) in Ankara Province.'' Pakistan Journal of Zoology 45.6 (2013): 1599-1605.</ref> As a species the mean body mass is claimed as {{convert|140|g|oz|abbr=on}}.<ref>Morand, S., & Poulin, R. (1998). Density, body mass and parasite species richness of terrestrial mammals. Evolutionary Ecology, 12(6), 717-727.</ref> | |||
| Overall, European water voles are a uniform dark brown colour, with slightly paler coloration on the underside. Their pelage is quite thick and they are furred over their entire body, including their tail, unlike ]s. Their dark colour allows them to blend in well in the densely vegetated areas they inhabit.<ref>Niethammer, J. 1990. ''Water Voles (Genus *Arvicola*)''. Pp. 242-245 in S Parker, ed. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals, Volume III. NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.</ref> | |||
| Water voles reach 140–220mm in length (5–9 inches) plus a tail of 55%–70% of this. Adults weigh from 160–350 g (6–12 ounces), juveniles weigh less but must reach around 140–170 g (5–6 ounces) to be able to survive their first winter. | |||
| ==Species name== | |||
| The binomial applied to the Water Vole is ''Arvicola amphibius'', it was formerly known by the junior synonym '''''A. terrestris'''''. The confusion stems from the fact that Linnaeus described two species of Water Vole on the same page of the same work. Those two forms are now universally considered the same species. Musser and Carleton (2005) recognized ''A. amphibius'' (Linnaeus, 1758) as technically correct because the first source to unite the two forms that Linnaeus had treated separately into a single species chose ''A. amphibius'' as the valid name. Since ''A. amphibius'' and ''A. terrestris'' are literally tied in when they were named, priority is determined on the basis of the decision of the first reviewer. This reviewer used ''A. amphibius'' to refer to both forms. The species is more widely known by the synonym ''A. terrestris'' which for many decades was treated as the valid name. | |||
| == Taxonomy == | |||
| There are three species in the genus ''Arvicola''; ''A. amphibius'' the Northern Water Vole, ''A. sapidus'' the Southern Water Vole and ''A scherman'' the Montane Water Vole. | |||
| The binomial applied to the European water vole is ''Arvicola amphibius''; it was formerly known by the ] ''A. terrestris''. The confusion stems from the fact that ] described two species of water vole on the same page of the same work. Those two forms are now universally considered the same species. It has been recognized as ''A. amphibius'' (Linnaeus, 1758) because the first source to unite the two forms, which Linnaeus had treated separately, into a single species chose ''A. amphibius'' as the valid name.<ref name=MSW3/> The species is widely known by the synonym ''A. terrestris'', which for many decades was treated as the valid name. | |||
| Some authorities consider the ] (''Arvicola sapidus'') to be the same species, but it is now generally considered distinct.<ref name="red-list-northern" /><ref name="red-list-southern">{{cite iucn |author=Rigaux, P. |author2=Vaslin, M. |author3=Noblet, J.F. |author4=Amori, G. |author5=Palomo, L.J. |date=2008 |title=''Arvicola sapidus'' |volume=2008 |page=e.T2150A9290712 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T2150A9290712.en |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref> | |||
| ==Range== | |||
| The water vole ''Arvicola amphibius'', also known as the Northern water vole, is found in much of ], northern and central ] and in parts of ].<ref name="red-list-northern" /> | |||
| == Range == | |||
| There is another water vole found in northwestern United States, and southwestern Canada. Some sources classify the ] as a separate species, either ''Microtus richardsoni'' or ''Arvicola richardsoni''. They are also known as Bidgee. | |||
| The European water vole (''Arvicola amphibius'') is found in most of Europe, Russia, West Asia and Kazakhstan.<ref name="red-list-northern" /> | |||
| ==Habitat== | == Habitat == | ||
| ], Germany]] | ], Germany]] | ||
| In Britain, water voles live in burrows excavated |
In Britain, water voles live in burrows excavated within the banks of rivers, ditches, ponds, and streams. Burrows are normally located adjacent to slow moving, calm water which they seem to prefer. They also live in reed beds where they will weave ball-shaped nests above ground if no suitable banks exist in which to burrow. | ||
| Water voles prefer lush ] vegetation which provides important cover to conceal animals when they are above ground adjacent to the water body. Areas of heavily grazed and trampled riparian habitats are generally avoided.<ref>Strachan, R. and Moorhouse, T. (2006). ''Water Vole Conservation Handbook'' (2nd edition). Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford.</ref> Water voles may be displaced by the introduction of riparian woodland and scrub as they prefer more open wetland habitats away from tree cover. | |||
| ==Diet== | |||
| Water voles mainly eat grass and plants near the water. At times, they will also consume ]s, bulbs, twigs, buds, and roots. In Europe, when there is enough food to last water voles a long time, water vole "plagues" can take place. Water voles eat ravenously, destroying entire fields of grass and leaving the fields full of burrows, during these plagues. | |||
| As well as frequenting typical lowland wetland habitats dominated by rank marginal aquatic vegetation, water voles are also just as at home in areas upland 'peatland' vegetation where they utilize suitable small ditches, rivers, and lochs surrounded by moorland up to 1,000 m asl (e.g., northern Scotland).<ref name="Harris & Yalden">Harris, S. and Yalden, D.W. (2008). ''Mammals of the British Isles: Handbook'', 4th Edition. The Mammal Society.</ref> | |||
| ==Breeding== | |||
| The mating period lasts from March into late autumn. The female vole's ] lasts for approximately 21 days. Up to 8 baby voles can be born, each weighing around 10 g (one fifth of an ounce). The young voles open their eyes three days after their birth. They are half the size of a full grown water vole by the time they are weaned. | |||
| In Europe and Russia, they may venture into woods, fields, and gardens. They live under the snow during the winter. | |||
| ==Behaviour== | |||
| Water Voles are expert swimmers and divers. They do not usually live in large groups. Adult water voles each have their own territories, which they mark with a ] from their bodies. They will attack if their territory is invaded by another ]. | |||
| Water voles are currently being reintroduced as a threatened species in Yorkshire, England. In the Massif Central area of France, however, farmers are campaigning for action to be taken against water voles, where plagues of these rodents are causing major damage to crops.{{Citation needed|date=March 2017}} | |||
| ==Conservation== | |||
| The water vole ] in the UK has fallen from its estimated pre-1960 level of around 8 million to 2.3 million in 1990 and to 354,000 (other source: 750,000) in 1998. This represents a 90-95% loss. It is still declining dramatically, the most recent estimate for 2004 is around 220,000. This decline is partly attributed to the ], an aggressive predator of the vole, together with unsympathetic farming and watercourse management which destroyed parts of the water vole's ]. | |||
| == Diet == | |||
| On 26 February 2008 the UK Government announced full legal protection for Water Voles would be introduced from 6 April 2008.<ref name="legal protection">{{cite web|url=http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=355365&NewsAreaID=2))|title=Press release on Government news network|date=26 February 2008}}</ref> | |||
| ] | |||
| Water voles mainly eat grass and other vegetation near the water, but will also consume fruits, ]s, twigs, ]s, and roots when given the opportunity. In Europe, rich harvest periods can cause water vole "plagues" to take place, during which the voles eat ravenously, destroying entire fields of grass and leaving the fields full of burrows. Water voles in some parts of England have been shown to occasionally prey on frogs and tadpoles; it has been speculated that this is to make up for a protein deficiency in the voles' diet.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/8654410.stm | work=BBC News | title=Water voles get a taste for frogs | date=30 April 2010}}</ref> | |||
| Food remains alone are not a reliable indicator of the presence of this species, as other smaller voles can also leave remains of large grasses and rushes.<ref>Ryland, K. and Kemp, B (2009). "Using field signs to identify water voles - are we getting it wrong?", ''In Practice, Bulletin of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management''. '''63''', March 2009 (pp. 23-25).</ref> | |||
| Consequently, the water vole is the UK's fastest declining mammal and efforts are under way to protect the water vole and its habitat from further destruction. One aspect of water vole conservation in the UK is focussed on non-linear habitats such as ] which support extensive networks or metapopulations. Other areas supporting healthy populations of water voles are large conurbations such as ] and ] and some upland areas where American Mink are scarce. Across the UK the ] and other organisations are undertaking many practical projects to conserve and restore water vole populations. | |||
| == Breeding == | |||
| Water voles have recently returned to ] nature reserve in Cheshire, UK, after many years of absence.<ref name="ranger-news">{{cite web|url=http://www.macclesfield.gov.uk/standardpage.asp?pageid=10564 |title=News from Lindow |accessdate=2006-08-23 |accessmonthday= |accessyear= |author=] Borough Council's '''Countryside and Ranger Service''' |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate=}}</ref> The reserve rangers credit this to conservation management, which included thinning of woodland. | |||
| The mating period lasts from March into late autumn. The female vole's ] lasts for approximately 21 days. Up to 8 baby voles can be born, each weighing around {{Convert|10|g|oz|1}}. The young voles open their eyes three days after their birth. They are half the size of a full grown water vole by the time they are weaned. | |||
| == Behaviour == | |||
| There are also indications that the water vole is increasing in numbers in UK areas where the ] has made a return.<ref name=>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5331740.stm |title=Otters 'prompt vole resurgence' |accessdate=2006-09-11 |accessmonthday= |accessyear= |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-09-10 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=BBC |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate=}}</ref> The otter predates on the American Mink. | |||
| Water voles are expert swimmers and divers. They do not usually live in large groups. Adult water voles each have their own territory, which they mark with fecal latrines located either near the nest or burrow, or at favoured water's edge platforms where voles leave or enter the water.<ref name="Harris & Yalden"/> Latrines are known to be a good survey indicator of this species, and can be used to gauge abundance of animals.<ref>Strachan, R. and Moorhouse, T. (2006). Water Vole Conservation Handbook (2nd edition). Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, ].</ref> They also scent-mark by using a ] from their bodies (a flank gland), although this is not normally detectable during a field survey. They may attack if their territory is invaded by another water vole. | |||
| == |
== Predation == | ||
| As a large and common microtine rodent, the range of predators faced by the European water vole is extensive. However, many species of predator prefer other ]s, such as '']'' ]s and ], due to their greater numerical abundance.<ref name= Yavuz/> ]s, ]es, most species of ] (especially ]s), ] (especially the ], genus '']'', and ]) and ] (in large numbers by the ]) in their range are among their reported predators. A very large number are also taken by ]s. Reportedly small '']'' weasels as well as ] and introduced ] may take the largest number of water voles of any predator due in part to aligning habitat preferences.<ref name= Yavuz/><ref>Macdonald, D. W., Sidorovich, V. E., Anisomova, E. I., Sidorovich, N. V., & Johnson, P. J. (2002). ''The impact of American mink Mustela vison and European mink Mustela lutreola on water voles Arvicola terrestris in Belarus''. Ecography, 25(3), 295-302.</ref> The rarely checked invasive population of American mink has reportedly caused a decline of water voles in ].<ref>Jefferies, D. J., Morris, P. A., & Mulleneux, J. E. (1989). ''An enquiry into the changing status of the water vole Arvicola terrestris in Britain''. Mammal Review, 19(3), 111-131.</ref> | |||
| *A water vole named ''Ratty'' is a leading character in the children's book '']'' by ]: the locality used in the book is believed to be ]. | |||
| == Conservation == | |||
| *In the movie and comic novel, ], by ], one of the characters, ''Urk'', refers to the subject of his unrequited love, ''Elfine Starkadder'', as his little water vole. Throughout the story Urk spends a lot of time talking to the water voles on the farm. | |||
| === United Kingdom === | |||
| ]]] | |||
| On 26 February 2008, the U.K. Government announced full legal protection for water voles would be introduced from 6 April 2008.<ref name="legal protection">{{cite web|url=http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=355365&NewsAreaID=2))|title=Press release on Government news network|date=26 February 2008}}{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
| Water voles have recently returned to ] nature reserve in Cheshire, after many years of absence.<ref name="ranger-news">{{cite web |url=http://www.macclesfield.gov.uk/standardpage.asp?pageid=10564 |title=News from Lindow |access-date=2006-08-23 |author=Macclesfield Borough Council's "Countryside and Ranger Service" |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070118220242/http://www.macclesfield.gov.uk/standardpage.asp?pageid=10564 |archive-date=2007-01-18}}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| <references /> | |||
| *Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894-1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. | |||
| In 2015, ] launched a new project to try to coordinate conservation efforts for the water-vole in the U.K. The National Water-Vole Monitoring Programme (NWVMP) is the first ongoing monitoring scheme for this species in the U.K. and aims to bring together data from several hundred sites to allow the status of this animal to be assessed year-on-year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ptes.org/get-involved/surveys/countryside-2/national-water-vole-monitoring-programme/ |title=PTES website for the National Water Vole Monitoring Programme |publisher=PTES |access-date=2015-05-09}}</ref> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| In September 2019, the ] re-introduced 177 water voles in to the ] in ] as part of a three-year plan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxmoortrust.org.uk/2019/09/03/ratty-returns-to-hemel-hempstead/|title=Ratty returns to Hemel Hempstead!|date=2019|publisher=The Box Moor Trust|access-date=September 6, 2019}}</ref> | |||
| * | |||
| ==Literary appearances== | |||
| A water vole named "Ratty" is a leading character in the 1908 children's book '']'' by ]: the locality used in the book is believed to be ] in ], ], and the character's name "Ratty" has become widely associated with the species and their riverbank habitat, as well as the misconception that they are a species of rat.<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--lead container name--> |title=Water Voles: The Return of Ratty |work=BBC |date=2009 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/articles/2006/02/03/water_voles_a_z_feature.shtml |access-date=2013-02-26}}</ref> There are also watervoles in the works of ] by ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eulalia! |url=https://www.wikidata.org/Q3060319 |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=www.wikidata.org |language=en}}</ref> | |||
| In the comic novel and film '']'' by ], one of the characters, Urk, refers to the subject of his unrequited love, Elfine Starkadder, as his little water vole. Throughout the story, Urk spends a lot of time talking to the water voles on the farm.{{cn|date=November 2024}} | |||
| ], a 19th-century writer of (among other things) light verse, in his poem "Shelter", beginning: | |||
| <blockquote><poem>By the wide lake's margin I mark'd her lie— | |||
| The wide, weird lake where the alders sigh—</poem></blockquote> | |||
| Tells of an apparently shy, easily frightened young female by a lakeside, who in the last line of the poem, it is revealed that: | |||
| <blockquote>For she was a water-rat.</blockquote> | |||
| ] song "Live with Me" includes the line "My best friend he shoots water rats and feeds them to his geese", referring to ]'s habit of shooting water voles in the moat of his ] home.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Rolling Stones - Live With Me (Official Lyric Video) |date=31 October 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXuoe02Dd1c |publisher=ABKCOVEVO |access-date=10 February 2023}}</ref> | |||
| == References == | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| == External links == | |||
| {{Commons|Arvicola terrestris}} | {{Commons|Arvicola terrestris}} | ||
| * (Archived; <2011) | |||
| * {{cite web |url=https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/12-fascinating-facts-you-might-not-know-about-water-voles/ |title=European water vole guide: identification, diet and habitat |date=2020 |author=Bray, G. |publisher=DiscoverWildlife (BBC) |access-date=2021-06-27 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210627083725/https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/12-fascinating-facts-you-might-not-know-about-water-voles/ |archive-date=2021-06-27 |url-status=live}} | |||
| {{Arvicolinae}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 19:42, 18 November 2024
Species of rodent
| European water vole | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
| |
| Conservation status | |
 Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Arvicolinae |
| Genus: | Arvicola |
| Species: | A. amphibius |
| Binomial name | |
| Arvicola amphibius (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Arvicola terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
The European water vole (Arvicola amphibius) or northern water vole is a semi-aquatic rodent. It is often informally called the water rat, though it only superficially resembles a true rat. Water voles have rounder noses than rats, deep brown fur, chubby faces and short fuzzy ears; unlike rats their tails, paws and ears are covered with hair.
In the wild, on average, water voles only live about five months. Maximum longevity in captivity is two and a half years.
Appearance
Water voles reach 14–22 centimetres (5.5–8.7 in) in length, plus a tail which is about half the length of the body. Weights reported for adults are variable. It is possible for large, optimal adults to weigh as much as 225 to 386 g (7.9 to 13.6 oz) However, these are peak weights. Elsewhere, the mean body mass has been reported as 60 to 140 g (2.1 to 4.9 oz), although this figure includes immature water voles. The minimum weight to successfully breed as well as to survive winter is reportedly 112 g (4.0 oz) in females and 115 g (4.1 oz) in males. As a species the mean body mass is claimed as 140 g (4.9 oz).
Overall, European water voles are a uniform dark brown colour, with slightly paler coloration on the underside. Their pelage is quite thick and they are furred over their entire body, including their tail, unlike rats. Their dark colour allows them to blend in well in the densely vegetated areas they inhabit.
Taxonomy
The binomial applied to the European water vole is Arvicola amphibius; it was formerly known by the junior synonym A. terrestris. The confusion stems from the fact that Linnaeus described two species of water vole on the same page of the same work. Those two forms are now universally considered the same species. It has been recognized as A. amphibius (Linnaeus, 1758) because the first source to unite the two forms, which Linnaeus had treated separately, into a single species chose A. amphibius as the valid name. The species is widely known by the synonym A. terrestris, which for many decades was treated as the valid name.
Some authorities consider the southwestern water vole (Arvicola sapidus) to be the same species, but it is now generally considered distinct.
Range
The European water vole (Arvicola amphibius) is found in most of Europe, Russia, West Asia and Kazakhstan.
Habitat
In Britain, water voles live in burrows excavated within the banks of rivers, ditches, ponds, and streams. Burrows are normally located adjacent to slow moving, calm water which they seem to prefer. They also live in reed beds where they will weave ball-shaped nests above ground if no suitable banks exist in which to burrow.
Water voles prefer lush riparian vegetation which provides important cover to conceal animals when they are above ground adjacent to the water body. Areas of heavily grazed and trampled riparian habitats are generally avoided. Water voles may be displaced by the introduction of riparian woodland and scrub as they prefer more open wetland habitats away from tree cover.
As well as frequenting typical lowland wetland habitats dominated by rank marginal aquatic vegetation, water voles are also just as at home in areas upland 'peatland' vegetation where they utilize suitable small ditches, rivers, and lochs surrounded by moorland up to 1,000 m asl (e.g., northern Scotland).
In Europe and Russia, they may venture into woods, fields, and gardens. They live under the snow during the winter.
Water voles are currently being reintroduced as a threatened species in Yorkshire, England. In the Massif Central area of France, however, farmers are campaigning for action to be taken against water voles, where plagues of these rodents are causing major damage to crops.
Diet
Water voles mainly eat grass and other vegetation near the water, but will also consume fruits, bulbs, twigs, buds, and roots when given the opportunity. In Europe, rich harvest periods can cause water vole "plagues" to take place, during which the voles eat ravenously, destroying entire fields of grass and leaving the fields full of burrows. Water voles in some parts of England have been shown to occasionally prey on frogs and tadpoles; it has been speculated that this is to make up for a protein deficiency in the voles' diet.
Food remains alone are not a reliable indicator of the presence of this species, as other smaller voles can also leave remains of large grasses and rushes.
Breeding
The mating period lasts from March into late autumn. The female vole's pregnancy lasts for approximately 21 days. Up to 8 baby voles can be born, each weighing around 10 grams (0.4 oz). The young voles open their eyes three days after their birth. They are half the size of a full grown water vole by the time they are weaned.
Behaviour
Water voles are expert swimmers and divers. They do not usually live in large groups. Adult water voles each have their own territory, which they mark with fecal latrines located either near the nest or burrow, or at favoured water's edge platforms where voles leave or enter the water. Latrines are known to be a good survey indicator of this species, and can be used to gauge abundance of animals. They also scent-mark by using a secretion from their bodies (a flank gland), although this is not normally detectable during a field survey. They may attack if their territory is invaded by another water vole.
Predation
As a large and common microtine rodent, the range of predators faced by the European water vole is extensive. However, many species of predator prefer other rodents, such as Microtus voles and wood mice, due to their greater numerical abundance. Wildcats, red foxes, most species of hawk (especially common buzzards), owl (especially the barn owl, genus Strix, and Eurasian eagle-owl) and falcon (in large numbers by the common kestrel) in their range are among their reported predators. A very large number are also taken by mustelids. Reportedly small Mustela weasels as well as European and introduced American mink may take the largest number of water voles of any predator due in part to aligning habitat preferences. The rarely checked invasive population of American mink has reportedly caused a decline of water voles in Britain.
Conservation
United Kingdom
On 26 February 2008, the U.K. Government announced full legal protection for water voles would be introduced from 6 April 2008.
Water voles have recently returned to Lindow Common nature reserve in Cheshire, after many years of absence.
In 2015, People's Trust for Endangered Species launched a new project to try to coordinate conservation efforts for the water-vole in the U.K. The National Water-Vole Monitoring Programme (NWVMP) is the first ongoing monitoring scheme for this species in the U.K. and aims to bring together data from several hundred sites to allow the status of this animal to be assessed year-on-year. In September 2019, the Box Moor Trust re-introduced 177 water voles in to the River Bulbourne in Hemel Hempstead as part of a three-year plan.
Literary appearances
A water vole named "Ratty" is a leading character in the 1908 children's book The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame: the locality used in the book is believed to be Moor Copse in Berkshire, England, and the character's name "Ratty" has become widely associated with the species and their riverbank habitat, as well as the misconception that they are a species of rat. There are also watervoles in the works of Redwall by Brian Jacques.
In the comic novel and film Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, one of the characters, Urk, refers to the subject of his unrequited love, Elfine Starkadder, as his little water vole. Throughout the story, Urk spends a lot of time talking to the water voles on the farm.
C. S. Calverley, a 19th-century writer of (among other things) light verse, in his poem "Shelter", beginning:
By the wide lake's margin I mark'd her lie—
The wide, weird lake where the alders sigh—
Tells of an apparently shy, easily frightened young female by a lakeside, who in the last line of the poem, it is revealed that:
For she was a water-rat.
The Rolling Stones song "Live with Me" includes the line "My best friend he shoots water rats and feeds them to his geese", referring to Keith Richards's habit of shooting water voles in the moat of his Redlands, West Wittering home.
References
- ^ Batsaikhan, N.; Henttonen, H.; Meinig, H.; Shenbrot, G.; Bukhnikashvili, A.; Hutterer, R.; Kryštufek, B.; Yigit, N.; Mitsain, G.; Palomo, L. (2021) . "Arvicola amphibius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T2149A197271401. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T2149A197271401.en. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- Freeston, H. (1997). "Tales of the Riverbank—How to spot 'Ratty' (previously "Water Volewatch 97")". Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on September 25, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
- "The Mammal Society". Mammal.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
- Forder, V. "Ecology and Conservation of the Water Vole Arvicola terrestris amphibius" (PDF). Wildwood Trust. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-02-12.
- Saucy, F. (1994). Density dependence in time series of the fossorial form of the water vole, Arvicola terrestris. Oikos, 381-392.
- ^ Yavuz, Güliz, Ercüment Çolak, and Teoman Kankılıç. Investigations on the Ecology of Eurasian Water Vole, Arvicola amphibius (Rodentia: Mammalia) in Ankara Province. Pakistan Journal of Zoology 45.6 (2013): 1599-1605.
- Morand, S., & Poulin, R. (1998). Density, body mass and parasite species richness of terrestrial mammals. Evolutionary Ecology, 12(6), 717-727.
- Niethammer, J. 1990. Water Voles (Genus *Arvicola*). Pp. 242-245 in S Parker, ed. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals, Volume III. NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.
- Rigaux, P.; Vaslin, M.; Noblet, J.F.; Amori, G.; Palomo, L.J. (2008). "Arvicola sapidus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T2150A9290712. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T2150A9290712.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- Strachan, R. and Moorhouse, T. (2006). Water Vole Conservation Handbook (2nd edition). Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford.
- ^ Harris, S. and Yalden, D.W. (2008). Mammals of the British Isles: Handbook, 4th Edition. The Mammal Society.
- "Water voles get a taste for frogs". BBC News. 30 April 2010.
- Ryland, K. and Kemp, B (2009). "Using field signs to identify water voles - are we getting it wrong?", In Practice, Bulletin of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. 63, March 2009 (pp. 23-25).
- Strachan, R. and Moorhouse, T. (2006). Water Vole Conservation Handbook (2nd edition). Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford.
- Macdonald, D. W., Sidorovich, V. E., Anisomova, E. I., Sidorovich, N. V., & Johnson, P. J. (2002). The impact of American mink Mustela vison and European mink Mustela lutreola on water voles Arvicola terrestris in Belarus. Ecography, 25(3), 295-302.
- Jefferies, D. J., Morris, P. A., & Mulleneux, J. E. (1989). An enquiry into the changing status of the water vole Arvicola terrestris in Britain. Mammal Review, 19(3), 111-131.
- "Press release on Government news network". 26 February 2008.
- Macclesfield Borough Council's "Countryside and Ranger Service". "News from Lindow". Archived from the original on 2007-01-18. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
- "PTES website for the National Water Vole Monitoring Programme". PTES. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
- "Ratty returns to Hemel Hempstead!". The Box Moor Trust. 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- "Water Voles: The Return of Ratty". BBC. 2009. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
- "Eulalia!". www.wikidata.org. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- "The Rolling Stones - Live With Me (Official Lyric Video)". ABKCOVEVO. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
External links
- General information on Water Voles (Archived; <2011)
- Bray, G. (2020). "European water vole guide: identification, diet and habitat". DiscoverWildlife (BBC). Archived from the original on 2021-06-27. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Arvicola amphibius |
|
| Mus amphibius | |