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  3. Common Muskrat

One of the 11 rats on WAnimals

Mammals · Rodentia · Cricetidae

Common Muskrat

Ondatra zibethicus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.

Spotted something wrong?

Despite its name and appearance it is not closely related to the true rats but is the largest member of the vole and lemming subfamily. Its populations follow boom-and-bust cycles every 6 to 10 years.

Weight

600 g – 2 kg

Size

23 cm – 36 cm

Life expectancy

1 year

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Family group

Lives in small family groups with close bonds.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Freshwater
37countries60parks4dive sites9same family

Fun facts

  • fisiologíaIt can stay under for as long as 20 minutes by cutting blood flow to non-essential organs while it dives.

Life cycle and biology

Skeleton type
Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat and environment
Swamps, marshes and freshwater wetlands of North America, widely introduced to Europe and Asia
Birth weight
Exact weight not found as a precise figure
Size at birth
Blind, hairless and wholly helpless at birth
Sexual maturity
4-6 months (faster in southern populations, slower in the north)
Gestation / incubation
28-30 days
Litter / clutch size
1 to 12 young per litter (5-7 most often), with 2-3 litters a year
Life expectancy in captivity
Documented record of up to 5.8-10 years in captivity

Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web; AnAge; Henry L. Ferguson Museum; Nevada Dept. of Wildlife; Mammal Age; Wikipedia; Animalia.bio; US Forest Service; Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Where to find it

Best time: All year round, at dawn and dusk, in channels, lagoons and rivers; its 'lodges' of vegetation are very obvious in winter.

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Where to see it

Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 14 of 64.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Common Muskrat — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

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Same taxonomic family
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Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about common muskrat.

Comments

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See full glossary
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The pins mark the parks and dive sites where its presence is documented.

See its range on the interactive map→
Danube DeltaRomania
EvergladesUnited States
Great Smoky MountainsUnited States
DenaliUnited States
AcadiaUnited States
Glacier BayUnited States
Wrangell-St. EliasUnited States
Mammoth CaveUnited States
Gros MorneCanada
FundyCanada
Fathom Five National Marine Park (Tobermory)Canada
Thunder Bay National Marine SanctuaryUnited States
White Star QuarryUnited States
Isle Royale National ParkUnited States
See all 60 parks
Common CarpLeast Concern

Common Carp

Cyprinus carpio

North American River OtterLeast Concern

North American River Otter

Lontra canadensis

Vulnerable

Southern Water Vole

Arvicola sapidus

Not Evaluated

American Beaver

Castor canadensis

Least Concern

Pond Slider

Trachemys scripta

Common Snapping TurtleLeast Concern

Common Snapping Turtle

Chelydra serpentina

CountriesUnited States
ParksDanube DeltaRomania
TagsOmnivore
Omnivore
Variable activity
Family group
Freshwater
Mammal

Europe30

Asia5

North America2

United States
Canada
Poland
Austria
Germany
Latvia
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Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
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