Water voles are the largest British vole and are often mistaken for a rat. In fact, Ratty from Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows' was actually a water vole.

Life span
Up to 2 years.

Statistics
Body length: 12-20cm, Weight: 70-320g.

Physical description
Water voles have dark fur, a round body and a short, fat face. They have a long, fur-covered tail.

Distribution
They range across Europe, east to East Siberia and Mongolia. They were once widespread across mainland Britain, but have suffered a significant decline. However, in the Cairngorm area in Scotland the species still occurs in considerable numbers. Here they have been found on hillsides at altitudes as high as 900 metres.

Habitat
Water voles inhabit the banks of ditches, dykes, slow-moving rivers and streams, and grassland.

Diet
They feed mainly on grasses and other plant material.

Behaviour
Water voles are expert swimmers, but are not particularly specialised for a life in the water, unlike beavers and otters. They burrow into riverbanks and make a nest, which they line with grass. They are active both day and night.

Males have ranges of about 130m along the river banks, whereas females have smaller ranges of about 70m.

Reproduction
They produce up to five litters from April to September. Females give birth to an average of six young after a gestation period of 20-23 days. The young leave their mother after about 22 days, when she has her next litter.

Conservation status
Water voles are legally protected in Britain,and were included on Schedule 5, Section 9 (4) a & b of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) in 1998 as numbers have plummeted by more than 90 per cent in the UK in recent years.American mink that have escaped from fur farms are a devastating predator of water voles and changes in farming and flood control over the last 60 years have resulted in the loss of habitat.