Water Vole
Water Vole
Mammal
The water vole is a plump, chestnut-brown riverside mammal with a blunt nose and furry tail. Once common along Britain's waterways, it grazes on bankside plants and is now one of our most threatened mammals.
💡 Fun Facts
- The water vole is Britain's largest vole, with a blunt, rounded nose, chubby face and a furry tail — it is often mistaken for a small rat.
- This is the animal behind "Ratty" in the classic book The Wind in the Willows.
- Water voles dig burrows in the banks of rivers and ditches, and dive underwater with a distinctive "plop" when startled.
📅 Through the Year
- Breeding:April to September
- Active:March to October
Name Story
Arvicola amphibius
means “field-dweller of two lives”
What does its name mean?
- arvum — fieldLatin
- colere — to live in, to dwellLatin
- amphi — bothGreek
- bios — lifeGreek
The two halves of this name pull in different directions — and that's what makes it fun. Arvicola means 'field-dweller', which fits voles in general. But amphibius means 'two lives', and that's the clue to this one: it lives both on land and in water, swimming and diving along the riverbank.