Mammals

The Water Vole, or "Water Rat", is the species seen most often near water. It burrows in the banks of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. A good swimmer, it often dives into water to escape danger as people or other animals approach. Its main food is bankside vegetation, including sedges.

The Water Shrew is the smallest waterside mammal, and its habitats also include dry land well away from water. Like all shrews it feeds voraciously, spending very little time asleep and having to consume its own weight in food every day. It hunts both on land and in water, where its prey includes tadpoles, invertebrates and fish, and it burrows in the bank.

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