Watch out Mr Toad, Ratty's eating frogs

LONDON (Reuters) - British ecologists have discovered evidence that normally herbivorous water voles living alongside canals and rivers have been eating frogs' legs this Spring. The timid water vole, immortalised as "Ratty" in the "Wind in the Willows" children's novel and films, is Britain's fastest declining mammal and is known to have a largely vegetarian diet consisting of grass and plants.

05 May 2010 13:28 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - British ecologists have discovered evidence that normally herbivorous water voles living alongside canals and rivers have been eating frogs' legs this Spring.

The timid water vole, immortalised as "Ratty" in the "Wind in the Willows" children's novel and films, is Britain's fastest declining mammal and is known to have a largely vegetarian diet consisting of grass and plants.

However, a survey along the Kennet & Avon Canal in the southern English county of Berkshire has revealed that these shy, furry animals have developed a taste for continental cuisine and have been snacking on frogs' legs, as well as the odd snail, British Waterways said in a statement on its website.

British Waterways ecologist Robert Randall said his team found a number of typical water vole feeding areas that were littered with dead frogs, minus their legs.

"We're not really sure why it's happening, but as the evidence coincides with the water voles' breeding season, we think it may be that pregnant mothers are snacking on frogs' legs as they lack protein in their diet," he added.

"This is incredibly unusual behaviour and as far as we know this is the first recorded evidence we have of them eating frogs' legs, so it's a really exciting discovery."

British Waterways asked people to report any water voles they see or any other wildlife activity in the country's canals and rivers on its website at www.waterscape.com/wildlifesurvey.

(Reporting by Paul Casciato; Editing by Steve Addison)

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