The water voles that dig under Glasgow like moles

Some water voles in Glasgow have been found far from their usual habitat

Glasgow's unusual water voles are among the city's mammals a new wildlife group is being asked to monitor.

The water voles were first discovered in grassy open spaces in the city about 16 years ago.

What conservationists found strange was that the animals were living far from any water, and had adapted to spending much of their lives digging underground like moles.

The Mammal Society hopes to set up a new group in Glasgow to help gather information on the voles and other wild mammals.

There are few other locations where water voles have been found to have abandoned their traditional wet habitat

The University of Glasgow, the city's council and Scotland's nature body NatureScot have been involved in conservation efforts.

The Mammal Society said the new group it hopes to set up is part of its wider efforts to understand urban mammals.

Similar groups are to be launched in Cardiff and London.

Water voles have long been recorded in wetland areas of Glasgow.

In 2008, they were found in grass land areas in the east end of the city.

They were far from their usual habitat and living in long burrows.

The behaviour has been recorded in only a few other places in the UK, and been seen in parts of continental Europe.

While safe from predators such as mink, a non-native species that hunts along rivers and streams, urban populations are at risk of falling prey to foxes and cats.

However, conservationists said the Glasgow east end voles had been found in high numbers.

The Mammal Society said: "With a bit of help, more wildlife like the water voles of Glasgow could find refuge in our urban environments.

"But without on-the-ground groups to help monitor and record these mammals, we can't understand how best to help them.

"With these mammal groups, we aim to help more people get involved with conservation and expand our knowledge of mammals in urban areas across the British Isles."