What is the maximal age a European water vole reaches?
An adult European water vole (Arvicola amphibius) usually gets as old as 5 years.
European water voles are around 21 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 5 grams (0.01 lbs) and measure 4 cm (0′ 2″). As a member of the Cricetidae family (genus: Arvicola), a European water vole caries out around 4 little ones per pregnancy, which happens around 3 times a year. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 19.3 cm (0′ 8″).
As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.
The European water vole or northern water vole (Arvicola amphibius, included in synonymy: A. terrestris), is a semi-aquatic rodent. It is often informally called the water rat, though it only superficially resembles a true rat. 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.In the wild, on average, water voles only live about five months. Maximum longevity in captivity is two and a half years.
Animals of the same family as a European water vole
Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Cricetidae):
- Hairy-tailed bolo mouse with 4 babies per pregnancy
- Gerbil leaf-eared mouse bringing the scale to 17 grams
- North American brown lemming with 6 babies per pregnancy
- Southern big-eared mouse with 4 babies per pregnancy
- Aegialomys xanthaeolus bringing the scale to 79 grams
- Brucepattersonius iheringi bringing the scale to 43 grams
- Tien Shan red-backed vole with 4 babies per pregnancy
- Allegheny woodrat with 2 babies per pregnancy
- Spotted bolo mouse bringing the scale to 37 grams
- Strong-tailed Oldfield mouse bringing the scale to 77 grams
Animals that reach the same age as European water vole
With an average age of 5 years, European water vole are in good companionship of the following animals:
- Bushy-tailed jird usually reaching 5.33 years
- Mountain pocket gopher usually reaching 5 years
- Dark kangaroo mouse usually reaching 5.42 years
- White-tailed rat usually reaching 6 years
- Sundevall’s jird usually reaching 5.58 years
- Lesser mole-rat usually reaching 4.5 years
- Southern long-nosed bat usually reaching 5 years
- Canyon bat usually reaching 6 years
- Evening bat usually reaching 5 years
- Desert hedgehog usually reaching 4.5 years
Animals with the same number of babies European water vole
The same number of babies at once (4) are born by:
- White-tailed jackrabbit
- Dhole
- Rock squirrel
- Peromyscus maniculatus
- Mexican spiny pocket mouse
- Etruscan shrew
- Korean field mouse
- Akodon boliviensis
- Utah prairie dog
- Talas tuco-tuco
Weighting as much as European water vole
A fully grown European water vole reaches around 120 grams (0.26 lbs). So do these animals:
- Australian swamp rat with 106 grams
- Mountain viscacha rat with 124 grams
- Romanian hamster with 97 grams
- Plain brush-tailed rat with 105 grams
- Giant roundleaf bat with 115 grams
- Sooretamys with 100 grams
- Masked flying fox with 130 grams
- Whiskered flying squirrel with 108 grams
- Tete veld aethomys with 133 grams
- Broad-toothed mouse with 129 grams
Animals as big as a European water vole
Those animals grow as big as a European water vole:
- Northern Palawan tree squirrel with 21 cm (0′ 9″)
- Texas pocket gopher with 18.4 cm (0′ 8″)
- Bushy-tailed woodrat with 20.9 cm (0′ 9″)
- Microcebus coquereli with 23.1 cm (0′ 10″)
- Blazed Luzon shrew-rat with 19.5 cm (0′ 8″)
- Temotu flying fox with 17.5 cm (0′ 7″)
- San Joaquin antelope squirrel with 16.8 cm (0′ 7″)
- Central Texas pocket gopher with 16.5 cm (0′ 7″)
- Cape York rat with 18.9 cm (0′ 8″)
- Uinta ground squirrel with 21.9 cm (0′ 9″)