#0172 · 🦊 mammals

Southwestern Water Vole

🇳🇱 West-Europese Woelrat ·Arvicola sapidus

NTnear threatened 🦊 Mammals 📍 in Europe, not in NL

7 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

1. © Íker Sánchez · CC BY-NC 4.0
2. © Eliot Stein-Deffarges J. · CC BY-NC 4.0
3. © David Perez · CC BY 4.0
4. © Eliot Stein-Deffarges J. · CC BY-NC 4.0
5. © mmarinho · CC BY-NC 4.0
6. © Eliot Stein-Deffarges J. · CC BY-NC 4.0
7. © Eliot Stein-Deffarges J. · CC BY-NC 4.0

what is it?

The southwestern water vole or southern water vole ( Arvicola sapidus ) is a large amphibious vole found in most of France and south-westwards through Spain and Portugal. Although historically considered to be a member of the same species as the Eurasian water vole, Musser and Carleton (2005) considered it distinct enough to warrant full species status. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable. It is threatened for many of the same reasons as the...

base stats

NL sightings 0iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 372iNaturalist observations
threat NTnear threatened

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
372 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named by Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. in 1908 (118 years ago).