🐹 Our mystery animal is the water vole!

The scientific name of this animal is 𝘈𝘳𝘷π˜ͺ𝘀𝘰𝘭𝘒 𝘡𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘡𝘳π˜ͺ𝘴.
Ratty, from Wind in the Willows, was really a water vole. 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.
Water voles like to live in burrows, which they dig in the banks of rivers, ditches, ponds, and streams. They are the largest vole species found in Great Britain and can weigh up to 350 grams.
They eat grasses, flowering plants and other vegetation found near water. On the European continent, where their population can reach more than 500 per hectare, they have caused extensive damage to crops and severe economic losses to farmers.
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Curious for more? Head to the link below to discover more about these amazing creatures.

 

Learn more here!