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Sculptures by Phyllis Bone

Water Vole, Arvicola terrestris

Suborder Sciurognathi

Water voles are the dominant herbivorous rodents in non-arid areas. They are frequent on the densely vegetated banks of rivers and ditches where the currents are slow. Their noses are blunter, their eyes and ears smaller, and their legs and tail shorter than those of rats and mice.

Water voles have very high crowned, rootless cheek teeth; adapted to chewing tough vegetation, including grass. They swim frequently and dive, but have no specific adaptations, such as webbed feet, for this. Fur brushes close off the diastema when the incisors are used for digging tunnels in which they live.