Many people confuse voles with rats due to their similar appearance. Despite some superficial resemblances, voles and rats are distinct animals with different characteristics and behaviors. Understanding their unique features is helpful for accurate identification and managing potential issues. This article will clarify the primary distinctions between these two common rodents.
Distinguishing Physical Characteristics
Voles have a stocky, compact body, often resembling a field mouse. Rats are larger and more slender, with an elongated body. Voles have short, furry tails, often less than half their body length. Rats have long, hairless, scaly tails that can be as long as or longer than their bodies.
Voles have a blunt, rounded snout, giving their face a softer appearance. Rats, conversely, have a more pointed, triangular snout that tapers towards the nose. Vole ears are small and often partially concealed by thick fur. Rat ears are larger and stand out more visibly.
Contrasting Habitats and Behaviors
Voles are outdoor dwellers, preferring natural environments like grassy fields, gardens, and dense vegetation. They construct intricate burrow systems beneath the soil, forming networks of tunnels for shelter and foraging. Their diet consists almost exclusively of plant matter, including grasses, seeds, bulbs, and the bark of young trees.
Rats are highly adaptable omnivores found in diverse settings, frequently associating with human environments. They are notorious for inhabiting urban areas, sewers, basements, and the interior of buildings like homes and sheds. Their diet is broad, encompassing human food waste, grains, fruits, vegetables, and even small invertebrates or carrion.
Identifying Associated Damage
Evidence of vole activity often appears in lawns and gardens, where they create distinct surface runways or tunnels through the grass. These narrow, interconnected paths, roughly one to two inches wide, indicate their frequent travel routes. Voles also damage plants by gnawing on the bark of young trees and shrubs, particularly around the base, a process known as girdling. They can also consume underground flower bulbs, leading to the disappearance of plantings.
Signs of rat presence typically involve structural damage and contamination within human dwellings. Common indicators include gnaw marks on wood, plastic, and electrical wires, which can pose fire hazards. Droppings, small and pellet-shaped, are frequently found along their travel paths or near food sources. Greasy rub marks along walls or baseboards, caused by their oily fur, also suggest active rat pathways.