How can you tell the difference between a rat and a water vole?
The brown rat has a pointed face with obvious ears and large eyes; the water vole has a rounded muzzle and ears which are half hidden in fur. The brown rat has a long, hairless tail, almost as long as its own body whereas the tail of a water vole is about half its body length and often remains tucked away.
What is the difference between a bank vole and a field vole?
Like all voles, it has small eyes, a short tail and a rounded snout. Bank voles have large ears (but not as large as mice) which distinguish them from other UK vole species. Not to be confused with: the field vole. Field voles have a shorter tail (around 30% the length of its body, compared to 50% for the bank vole).
How do you do a water vole survey?
A water vole survey involves searching the banks of the watercourse for evidence of water vole, including: burrows, latrines, footprints, runs in the vegetation, grazed ‘lawns’, feeding remains and actual sightings.
Does a water vole have a tail?
The water vole has chestnut-brown fur, a blunt, rounded nose, small ears, and a furry tail.
What do vole feet look like?
Voles have short legs and small, delicate feet and forefeet with only four toes, like other rodents. Moles have very large, broad forefeet with webbed toes, as well as hindfeet that are small and narrow with slender, sharp claws. Look at the tail.
What do voles feet look like?
Study the feet. Shrews have five clawed toes on each foot. Voles have short legs and small, delicate feet and forefeet with only four toes, like other rodents. Moles have very large, broad forefeet with webbed toes, as well as hindfeet that are small and narrow with slender, sharp claws.
What color is a vole?
A vole, also called a meadow mouse, has rounded ears and body and is reddish or brown and black in color with a gray underside.
What does an adult vole look like?
What do they look like? Adult voles range in length from 5-8 inches including their short fur covered tail. Voles have a short stocky body, short legs, small dark eyes, and fully developed ears that are partially hidden from view. Voles range in color from brownish to black.
How can you tell a mole from a vole?
While voles have those open entranceways and make tunnels that aren’t raised, moles dig visibly raised tunnel ridges, leave mini volcano-shaped soil mounds, and create more of a closed tunnel system without visible entrance holes.
Are water voles protected in UK?
Water voles are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is an offence to intentionally: kill, injure or take them. possess or control them (alive or dead)
How big is a water vole UK?
Water voles reach 14–22 centimetres (5.5–8.7 in) in length, plus a tail which is about half the length of the body.
What does a UK vole look like?
The field vole is grey-brown above, and pale grey below. It has shaggier fur than the similar bank vole and a proportionally shorter tail (less than 30% of its body length). Voles have blunter, rounder faces, smaller ears and eyes, and shorter tails than mice.
What does a vole look like compared to a mouse?
Since voles and mice are both around five to eight inches long and have gray or brown fur, it may take a closer look to tell them apart. Voles are stockier than mice with shorter tails, larger eyes, and smaller, less prominent ears.