Muskrat Animal Information
Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) - A.K.A. Swamp bunny. Shivering from the cold and high in hopes, you approach your muskrat set. Your heart beats wildly as you see the wire has been moved. The anticipation is high as you remove your plug to find a gorgeous, plump little muskrat. Tonight will be spent by a warm wood stove tanning hides, telling tall tales and reflecting on the day’s catch. The muskrat acquired its name due to the strong musky secretion the male uses to mark his territory. Muskrats will live around or in the water most of their lives. They are great swimmers that use their long, rat-like tails for propulsion. This little swamp bunny can swim up to three miles an hour and even swim backwards. Like the beaver, they also have the ability to slap the water with their tails, warning other muskrats of nearby danger. Muskrat mounds are found in ponds, lakes, marshes, and riverbanks. They are constructed out of mud, canes, and other vegetation piled two to three feet above the water’s surface, with an underwater entrance. Muskrats are most active at night, near dawn and at dusk. They feed on aquatic vegetation, freshwater mussels, frogs, and small turtles. Because of their healthy diet, their meat is quite tasty for human consumption. Muskrats go through population cycles every six to ten years. Predators include mink, foxes, coyotes, wolves, lynx, large owls, and man. They are mainly trapped for their beautiful, soft fur. The colors of their fur range from a silvery brown to a dark brown, with a light colored belly. Their average length is 16 to 24 inches and they weigh, on average, 1 ½ to 4 pounds.
