The European Water Vole or Northern Water Vole, Arvicola amphibius (formerly A. terrestris), is a semi-aquatic rodent. It is often informally called the Water Rat, although 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, they survive for 7 years on average. In captivity, they normally ...
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The European Water Vole or Northern Water Vole, Arvicola amphibius (formerly A. terrestris), is a semi-aquatic rodent. It is often informally called the Water Rat, although 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, they survive for 7 years on average. In captivity, they normally start to deteriorate in condition as they approach their third year, becoming thinner and losing much of their fur; most do not survive a second winter. They nearly all die during their third winter.
The water vole is legally protected in the United Kingdom.
Water voles reach 140–220 millimetres (5.5–8.7 in) in length plus a tail of 55–70 millimetres (2.2–2.8 in) of this. Adults weigh from 160–350 grams (5.6–12.3 oz), juveniles weigh less but must reach around 140–170 grams (4.9–6.0 oz) to be able to survive their first winter.
The binomial...
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