MUSKRAT

also called Musquash (species Ondatra zibethica), ratlike, semiaquatic rodent belonging to the family Cricetidae (order Rodentia), found over most of North America, except in areas of treeless tundra, and introduced into parts of Europe. The muskrat is a compact, heavy-bodied rodent about 30 cm (12 inches) long, not including the long, scaly tail that is flattened from side to side. The eyes and ears are small; the hind feet, used in swimming, are partially webbed and fringed with stiff bristles. The musky secretion for which the muskrat is named comes from musk sacs in the anal region. The fur, a basic commodity of the fur industry, is medium to dark blackish brown and consists of a dense, soft underfur heavily overlaid with long, stiff, glossy guard hairs. The muskrat lives in marshes, shallow lakes, and streams and shelters either in a burrow dug in a bank or in a reed-and-rush mound constructed in the water. Its food consists of a wide variety of sedges, reeds, rootsmostly of water plantsand occasional freshwater mussels, crayfish, salamanders, and fish. Feeding usually takes place at special feeding sites, usually a flat rock or island of cut reeds. One or more litters of 1 to 11 young are produced each year after three to four weeks' gestation. The muskrat sometimes damages corn or burrows into earthen structures. It is edible, and its flesh is sold as marsh rabbit. A small, Newfoundland form is sometimes considered a distinct species, O. obscura. The round-tailed muskrat, or Florida water rat (Neofiber alleni), is another semiaquatic member of the family Cricetidae. It resembles a small muskrat about 36 cm (14 inches) in total length but is distinguished by its round, rather than flattened, tail. It is less aquatic than the muskrat and usually lives in heavily planted, watery areas, especially bogs.