Muskrat Facts

The muskrat is a semi-aquatic rodent native to the wetlands of North America. This medium-sized rodent has superb adaptation skills, which have played a crucial role in its successful introduction in several parts of South America, Europe as well as Asia. Though this animal boasts of having a significant population spanning across all four continents, several interesting facts about it, including why it is referred to as muskrat, its adaptations or its semi-aquatic behavior, continue to be a mystery for many people in the world.

Facts about Muskrat

The muskrat derives its name from the fact that it has two scent glands, which give off a musky odor, located near its tail. This musky odor is used by the muskrat species to mark their territory. Even though it is referred to as a 'rat', it doesn't belong to the true rat family, i.e. genus Rattus. The scientific name of muskrat is Ondatra zibethicus, and it is the only species belonging to genus Ondatra in the sub-family Arvicolinae.

Habitat: The credit for the fact that muskrats are found in various parts of the world today goes to their exceptional adaptation skills. Though their native habitat - the wetlands, have suffered a huge loss owing to human encroachment, these rodents have successfully adapted themselves to newer habitats, like man-made canals and smaller irrigation channels. In North America, muskrats are found all over Canada and United States, while in South America, their population is predominantly restricted to Mexico.

Appearance: An adult muskrat can grow up to 16 to 24 inches in length, and gain a weight of 1.5 to 4 lb, which is quite a lot for a rodent species. When it comes to common muskrat, facts like it being the largest rodent in its sub-family do contribute to its popularity. This rodents sport a short, thick furred coat, which is generally dark brown in color. The color of the fur near the belly of muskrat is slightly lighter compared to the color of fur over the entire body.

Adaptations: The exceptionally long tail of this animal has vertical scales all over it. This unusual adaptation helps the muskrat to swim, and hence makes it one of the few semi-aquatic rodents in the world. When muskrats walk on the land, their tail rubs on the ground and makes obvious marks on it. These muskrat tracks make the task of tracking these rodents easier for wildlife enthusiasts and hunters. Even their fur has two layers, which helps them to adapt to the cold water in which they swim.

Diet: These omnivorous rodents are most often active at night or at dawn and dusk. They feed on a range of aquatic vegetation, such as Typha, as well as some small animals, such as frogs and small turtles. Inhabiting the wetlands also means that they have an exposure to a wide range of fish and other animals living in water for food. However, these hunters do become the prey when it comes to animals larger in size, such as foxes, wolves, snakes, alligators, hawks and owls. More importantly, being hunters as well as prey, makes these rodents an important part of the food chain in this region.

Muskrat meat is considered a delicacy in the region where it is found. Its fur is also used to make fur clothes which have a great demand in the international market. The fact that it is listed as 'Least Concerned' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), shows that excessive hunting for food and fur has not yet resulted in any damaging impact on the muskrat population in the world.