Mole or something else (description only)? - May 2018, N Germany (1 Viewer)

Greetings everyone,

a few weeks ago, I've encountered a mammal which I unfortunately couldn't get any picture of. The location was a rough bank loosely covered with vegetation between a lane and a smallish patch of forest right next to an extensive bog reserve in Holstein, N Germany.

The animal appeared "fat", bigger than a mouse or Bank Vole, with a short, tidy, and dense coat of a rich brown colour. There appeared to be some paler colouration on the belly. It never fully emerged from the ground and I didn't get to see either its tail or its feet. I only got a glimpse of what looked like a pink snout.
It moved in spurts of activity, apparently pulling something into its burrow, or pushing something out. At one point, it was lifting a considerable amount of leaf litter and ground covering above the apparent entrance of the burrow.

Is there any way this could be anything else than a mole? I was thinking that the only other option might be Water Vole; there was a shallow and murky moat on the other side of the lane, and the bog with its lakes not terribly far away, but the behaviour made me think of a mole.

Appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

- Andy

i have seen moles only on flatter ground and not with a paler underpart. noticeably lacking in ears with big pink paws! they are black not brown in my experience but soil could colour that. does sound like water rat (vole).

jape said:

i have seen moles only on flatter ground and not with a paler underpart. noticeably lacking in ears with big pink paws! they are black not brown in my experience but soil could colour that. does sound like water rat (vole).

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Well yeah, the animal was partly obscured and I didn't see any of the feet. The fur seemed quite clean, so I don't think there was soil on it. I've read that moles can show aberrant colouration, although I don't know how common it is. While I would be immensely chuffed to see a Water Vole (never had a confirmed sighting of that species before, whereas I've seen Eur. Mole at least once before, fully emerged from the ground), I still tend to lean towards mole based on the fur density and the behaviour.

Not a mole, moles are black. Most likely a Water Vole, but Field and Common Voles are also considerably bigger and fatter than Bank Vole.

jurek said:

Not a mole, moles are black.

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Like I said, there are apparently colour mutations in the wild. FWIW, it wasn't very much different in colour from the (seemingly smaller) specimen I encountered in a different part of the country, resized image attached below. It just seemed browner, but then again, lighting conditions were different. My main question is, can a Water Vole behave the way I described above?

Most likely a Water Vole, but Field and Common Voles are also considerably bigger and fatter than Bank Vole.

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I'm fairly certain I can exclude Field Vole on the grounds of size and fur texture (the latter being the only detail I could focus on, given the short duration of observation), and Common Vole because of size and colour.

do moles go up into banks?
were there any other molehills?
can you go back and visit?

In continental Europe it is not unknown for Water Voles to live away from water.

Lee

jape said:

do moles go up into banks?
were there any other molehills?
can you go back and visit?

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There were other molehills around (IIRC). Going back would not be impossible, but difficult and time-consuming.
Anyway, even if everyone voted in favour of Water Vole, I'd be hesitant to list it as a clear tick, as it'd be a lifer. Guess I'll have to wait for a better view...

Thanks for all the answers so far, although if anyone wants to add anything, they're welcome.