Muskrat
From Freepedia
| Muskrat Conservation status: Lower risk Fossil Range: Late Pliocene - Recent | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Image:Common Muskrat FWS.jpg | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766) |
The Muskrat or Musquash (Ondatra zibethicus), the only species in genus Ondatra, is a large aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe. Adult body length is usually between 25-40 cm long, with a strong, laterally compressed tail 20-25 cm long. The body is covered in thick, brown waterproof fur; the underparts are paler. They have partially webbed hind feet and small able hand-like front feet. The weight is up to 1700 g, about four times the weight of a Brown Rat.
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Natural habitat
They live in wetlands: ponds, lakes, marshes and river banks, hence the nickname "swamp bunny". The are very good swimmers, using their tail for propulsion in the water. They are found in Alaska, Canada, the United States and northern Mexico. Extensive burrow systems are dug in the ground adjacent to the water with an underwater entrance. In marshes, lodges are constructed from cattails and mud. They also build feeding platforms in wetlands. Muskrats help maintain open areas in marshes, which helps to provide habitat for aquatic birds.
These animals are most active at night or near dawn and dusk. They feed on cattails and other aquatic vegetation, freshwater mussels, frogs, crayfish and small turtles. Their predators include mink, foxes, coyotes, wolves, lynx and large owls. They are also trapped for their fur and, in some communities, for their meat.
The male muskrat marks his territory with a strong musky secretion which gives this animal its name. Females have 2 to 3 litters of 6 to 8 young. Muskrat populations appear to go through a regular pattern of rise and dramatic decline spread over a 6 to 10 year period.
While much wetland habitat has been eliminated due to human activity, new muskrat habitat has been created by the construction of canals or irrigation channels and the muskrat remains common and wide-spread.
Muskrat as an exogenous species in Europe
At the beginning of the 20th century (around 1905), the muskrat was introduced in the European wildlife by fur traders who thought to make a profit with the animals. Some animals escaped, other were set loose after it turned out that the business wasn't profitable. Due to their rapid breeding and lack of predators, the species quickly spread out over continental Europe, from the North Sea to the Black Sea and beyond.
Hunting Muskrat
European countries such as Belgium and The Netherlands consider it to be a pest which must be exterminated. Therefore the animal is hunted to keep the population down. The main reason the animal is considered a pest is because its burrowing causes damage to dykes and levees.
Many people who have muskrats in their ponds (espesially dammed ponds) dislike muskrats because they burrow into dams and levees, eventually causing structual problems. Therefore muskrats are hunted year-round to control their numbers, although it is difficult to do so effectively since they breed so rapidly. Often traps are set to catch them, in addition to hunting.
In Belgium and The Netherlands, killed animals are sometimes sold to restaurants and served as waterkonijn (water rabbit).
External links
- Everything Muskrat
- Hinterland Who's Who
- How the Muskrat Became a Fish
- Mouthwatering muskrat meals to go, Detroit Free Press
- How Muskrat Created the World - Native American Legends
