Safety note: Bites when cornered — do not handle.
The Muskrat is a large, semi-aquatic vole with a laterally flattened, scaly tail it uses as a rudder while swimming. It builds dome-shaped lodges of cattails and marsh vegetation anchored in shallow water, similar in form to beaver lodges. Muskrats are a vital resource for wetland ecosystems, and their abandoned lodges provide nesting platforms for Canada Geese and other birds.
Habitat
Freshwater marshes, ponds, lakes, and slow rivers
Diet
Cattails, bulrushes, aquatic roots, and occasional fish
How common
Common
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