Water Vole - Arvicola amphibius

Water Voles have a short hair-covered tail, a blunt, rounded nose, and a small chubby face with small ears. They have a rich chestnut-brown coat, but individuals in Scotland often have black fur. The fur traps air that provides thermal insulation when swimming, and they also possess flaps of skin in the ear that prevent water from entering.

Brown rat

When looking for field signs try to record more than one - a combination of droppings or latrines, burrows and chewed vegetation will help to confirm presence.  Foot prints are hard to tell apart from Rat prints.

Densely vegetated banks of slow flowing rivers, ditches, lakes and marshes where water is present throughout the year.

All Year Round

Water voles are herbivores, feeding on a huge variety of waterside vegetation and consuming 80 percent of their body weight each day. Each year between April and September, one to five litters consisting of three to seven blind, naked pups can be produced.

Rapid decline over decades has made the Water Vole much scarcer in Britain than previously.

Uncommon in Leicestershire and Rutland.