Water vole  (Arvicola terrestris)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Description

The water vole is the largest and most famous of the British voles (5). 'Ratty' in Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows was not a rat, but a water vole; water rat is a local name for the species (5). 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 (2), 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 (5).

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