How big does a European water vole get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown European water vole (Arvicola terrestris) reaches an average size of 19.3 cm (0′ 8″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 5 years, they grow from 5 grams (0.01 lbs) to 120 grams (0.26 lbs). Talking about reproduction, European water voles have 4 babies about 3 times per year. The European water vole (genus: Arvicola) is a member of the family Muridae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
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
We found other animals of the Muridae family:
- Grant’s rock mouse with a weight of 40 grams
- Rudd’s mouse with a size of 9.3 cm (0′ 4″)
- Rwanda African mole-rat with 1 babies per litter
- Common rock rat with a size of 10.7 cm (0′ 5″)
- Oryzomys couesi with 3 babies per litter
- Texas mouse with 3 babies per litter
- Black-footed tree-rat with a size of 30.1 cm (1′ 0″)
- Yellow-spotted brush-furred rat with a size of 12.2 cm (0′ 5″)
- Luzon hairy-tailed rat with a size of 20.4 cm (0′ 9″)
- Southern vole with a weight of 35 grams
Animals with the same size as a European water vole
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as European water vole:
- Round-tailed ground squirrel with a size of 15.5 cm (0′ 7″)
- Sulawesi flying fox with a size of 20.1 cm (0′ 8″)
- Shrew-faced squirrel with a size of 21 cm (0′ 9″)
- Kowari with a size of 15.8 cm (0′ 7″)
- Crest-tailed mulgara with a size of 17.5 cm (0′ 7″)
- Mexican woodrat with a size of 18.4 cm (0′ 8″)
- Richardson’s ground squirrel with a size of 21.1 cm (0′ 9″)
- Tate’s woolly mouse opossum with a size of 16.8 cm (0′ 7″)
- Black rat with a size of 19.4 cm (0′ 8″)
- Yellow-faced pocket gopher with a size of 19.2 cm (0′ 8″)
Animals with the same litter size as a European water vole
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (4) as a European water vole:
- African pygmy mouse
- Gray four-eyed opossum
- Barbary striped grass mouse
- Sody’s tree rat
- Blanford’s jerboa
- Hodgson’s brown-toothed shrew
- Nectomys squamipes
- Akodon azarae
- European water vole
- Senegal gerbil
Animals with the same life expectancy as a European water vole
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a European water vole:
- Dark kangaroo mouse with an average maximal age of 5.42 years
- Coruro with an average maximal age of 6 years
- Little free-tailed bat with an average maximal age of 5 years
- Spinifex hopping mouse with an average maximal age of 5.17 years
- Striped field mouse with an average maximal age of 4 years
- Guyenne spiny rat with an average maximal age of 4.75 years
- Spix’s yellow-toothed cavy with an average maximal age of 4.58 years
- Saharan striped polecat with an average maximal age of 5 years
- Northern birch mouse with an average maximal age of 4 years
- Silky pocket mouse with an average maximal age of 5 years
Animals with the same weight as a European water vole
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Arvicola terrestris:
- Northern flying squirrel bringing 138 grams to the scale
- Tate’s woolly mouse opossum bringing 112 grams to the scale
- Broad-toothed mouse bringing 129 grams to the scale
- Himalayan field rat bringing 100 grams to the scale
- Siberian flying squirrel bringing 143 grams to the scale
- Tuft-tailed spiny tree-rat bringing 138 grams to the scale
- Pygmy marmoset bringing 124 grams to the scale
- Pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrel bringing 100 grams to the scale
- Tete veld aethomys bringing 133 grams to the scale
- Congo rope squirrel bringing 112 grams to the scale