Recognising ratty

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Click here if you have seen a water vole!

Both water voles and brown rats can be found near to water and are similar in size, but a closer look reveals that there are some pronounced differences between the two species.

Water Vole

 

• rounded face with blunt nose
• small ears hidden in fur
• rich chestnut brown colour
• tail covered with fine hairs

Brown Rat

Other Voles

There are two other species of vole in mainland UK: the field vole and the bank vole. Both have the same rounded appearance as the water vole, but are considerably smaller. Whilst the water vole is a similar size to a brown rat, the other two voles are much closer in size to a mouse, measuring around 10cm in length. The field vole lives mostly in areas of rough, ungrazed grassland whilst the bank vole prefers mixed woodland, scrub and hedgerows.

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