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Vole

The water vole has chestnut-brown fur, a blunt, rounded nose, small ears, and a furry tail.

Water voles are Britain's largest vole species.

Water voles are protected by law. They are in serious decline.

The water vole has chestnut-brown fur, a blunt, rounded nose, small ears, and a furry tail.

They need to eat 80% of their body weight a day and spend most of their time eating riverside vegetation and water plants.

The main difference between a water vole and a rat are their ears which are hidden in their fur, fur on their tail and a rounder head shape.

An adult water vole can grow to 20cm long plus a tail of 12cm.

Main Image

Water voles live in waterside burrows

Water vole swimming in the river Asker

Info

Find out more info here:
Young Peoples Trust for the Environment pages about water voles
Vole
Dorset Wildlife Trust
Dorset Council
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Vole Gallery

  • Deciding if the water is running too fast
    nicola dennis
  • Swimming down stream
  • Long strong orange front teeth are used for digging tunnels
  • Sometimes you only glimpse a tail disappearing into the bank.
  • Hard to see when they sit still
  • Clambering down the bank
  • You can hear them plop into the water when startled on the bank. This one surprised a moorhen.
  • They use their fronts paws to hold their food
  • they have special areas for toilets. Unlike rat poo, watervole poo is rounded at both ends
  • Their ears are covered by fur
  • burrow holes can be found upto a metre above water level
  • when they eat they leave a 45% cut

Water Voles Map

Voles

Voles live here - please be kind and think of this endangered animal, keep children, dogs and anything else that might be splash-y away from here if possible!

Voles

Voles live here - please be kind and think of this endangered animal, keep children, dogs and anything else that might be splash-y away from here if possible!

Legal Protection
Water voles have legal protection under Schedule 5 (Section 9) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act
1981 (as amended). This includes; intentional or reckless damage, destruction or obstruction to
access to any structure or place used for shelter or protection, intentional or reckless disturbance
to water voles whilst occupying a structure or place used for that purpose and intentional killing,
injuring or taking of water voles.

The maximum penalty for each offence in the Magistrates’ Court is a Level 5 (up to £5000)
and/or six months imprisonment.

Vole News

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