The UK is home to dozens of species of mammal, found across the land, air and sea. Grey squirrels, rabbits and foxes dominate many of our landscapes, but there’s one species that trumps them all.
Rodents are the largest order of mammals in the world, found on every major landmass on Earth. So it’s perhaps no surprise that the most common mammal in the UK belongs to this group.
What’s the most common mammal in the UK?
The most abundant mammal in the UK is the field vole, Microtus agrestis. There are believed to be around 75 million, hidden among the grassland, heathland, moorland and in gardens around the nation.
Field voles favour areas of long grass, as they burrow under it to create a network of tunnels.
Historically, they were only found in England, Scotland and Wales, but in recent years they have also been recorded in Ireland.
These small, grey-brown rodents are a key part of the food chain, forming an important part of the diet for predators such as foxes, stoats and weasels, cats and birds of prey. They are native to the UK and their diet is dominated by leaves and grasses.
What’s the difference between a field vole and a bank vole?
These two voles look very similar, but they have rather different tails. The tail of a field vole is proportionally shorter than its body, while a bank vole’s tail is about half the length of its body.
Main image: field vole. Credit: Getty
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