Ratty and the Gang Change Kernow - Vol 2 Sneak Peek
Words: Rosie Brown
Illustration: Max Cornish-Garza
‘A brown little face, with whiskers.
A grave round face, with the same twinkle in its eye that had first
attracted his notice.
Small neat ears and thick silky hair.
It was the Water Rat!’
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
Water voles – no doubt that many of us are familiar with Ratty from The Wind in the Willows, a charming and well-loved character who spends his day leisurely boating upon the river. Despite his misleading name, the character is in fact a water vole, and he is not too dissimilar from his real-life counterpart, though perhaps without the boat.
Water voles (Arvicola amphibius) are often mistaken for the brown rat, with both dwelling in aquatic habitats. Brown rats have ears that protrude from their fur, a pointed nose, and a long, scaly tail. Whereas the water vole has smaller ears, a blunt rounded nose, and a shorter, furry tail. They are Britain’s largest vole, measuring up to 20cm, plus a tail around half the length of their body.
Water voles are true landscape engineers and a keystone species. They have been recorded eating up to 220 plant species, which aids in increasing wildflower biodiversity, benefitting pollinators and in turn, insect-eating birds and bats. Their burrows and feeding habits maintain the banks of rivers and streams, and they are prey for several species, such as otters, foxes, herons, and birds of prey.
Unfortunately, they are one of Britain’s most endangered species, it is estimated that 90% of the population has been lost since the 1970s. Their population decline stems from pollution, habitat loss and fragmentation, examples being overgrazing riverbanks and the conversion of streams into canals. However, it is widely known that one of the key factors driving the decline of the water vole is predation from the American mink…