Muskrat
Description
Large aquatic rodent. Dense
fur, dark brown above and below with silky sheen when dry. Tail long,
round and sparsely haired. Hindfeet slightly webbed. Ears and eyes small.
Similar Species
Common Muskrat is larger,
with laterally flattend tail.
Breeding
Young produced in any
month ; 4 or 5 litters per year, each of 1-4 young; gestation
26-29 days.
Sign
House, or lodge, 1-2'
in diameter, of tightly woven grasses or sedges usually resting on a base
of decayed vegitation, located in shallow water or on wet ground near
water; similar to Common Muskrat's, but smaller and built with out mud.
Feeding platforms consisting of floating masses of cut vegitation.
Also cattail or other plant cuttings in marshes.
Habitat
Marshes
Other
Other