Monday 2 June 2014

Baby Water Voles at Play






Pleased with this video footage of what are almost certainly siblings messing about and play-fighting. The shot of the juvenile part-submerged shows how the water-repellent fur traps a layer of air, turning the vole silvery while it's below the surface. But a good shake when the animal climbs out and the coat is pretty much dry again. Grooming plays a big part in keeping fur waterproof.

2 comments:

WendyB said...

Wonderful video and photos!! I've just been watching 2 babies and an adult - these were concentrating more on eating, including bread thrown for the ducks.. I've noticed the babies seem to stray further out across the watercourse when swimming, and sometimes swim about in comical little circles - and zip about more rapidly in general.

Kate said...

You're right, the youngsters do a lot of circling, and sculling.