A semi aquatic rodent found in most of GB,
northern and eastern Europe and parts of Russia. It lives in excavated
burrows along rivers, streams, ditches and ponds, where there is lush
vegetation that will provide important cover. Their diet consists mainly
of grass and aquatic vegetation, with buds, fruits and roots also eaten
when available. They are very short lived, with few living past their
second winter. The American mink and unsympathetic farming and water
management have long been causes of the decline of the water vole.
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