 Our Local EcologyStreams & PondsMuskrat Muskrat – Ondatra zibethicus  | Characteristics The name muskrat is misleading since it is not a rat at all but is very closely related to the common field mouse. It weighs two to four pounds, is brown in colour and has a scaly, laterally flattened tail that acts like a rudder when swimming. The hind feet are not webbed but the hind toes have a fringe of stiff hairs that act like webs. It is noted for its dome shaped houses (one to four feet in height) which it builds from aquatic vegetation in marshes. As with the beaver houses, the entrances (usually two) are tunnels opening under water. Dens in stream banks are also made. |
HabitatHighly aquatic, the muskrat frequents marshy edges of streams and ponds preferring large shallow marshes, particularly of cat-tails. Due to its wide distribution and great abundance, the muskrat is one of the most important fur-bearers in North America. This prolific rodent is common throughout Prince Edward Island. It can tolerate heavy trapping pressure because each female can produce up to three litters of four to ten young each year (average seven). Breeding begins shortly after the ice melts, usually in April. The first litter is born in May, either in a den in the bank or in muskrat houses built in the marsh. Blind and helpless at birth, the young grow rapidly. They can leave the nest to forage on their own after only one month, when the mother has her second litter. Muskrats are almost entirely vegetarians, eating chiefly roots, stems and leaves of aquatic plants. A very small part of their diet may include fresh water clams and other animal matter. | |
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