by Art Jones
If you happen to be near almost any body of water in Saskatchewan chances are you'll see a small, paunchy animal swimming along the surface.
If you look closely you'll discover it's not a beaver, but rather it's a
muskrat.
One of the easiest ways to determine whether the animal you see is a beaver or a muskrat is to look at the size of the animal and at its tail. A beaver is quite large and has a broad flat tail. A muskrat is small, about 50 centimetres from its nose to the tip of its long thin tail. The tail is covered with a scaly skin that protects it from damage. It gets its name from a musky smelling substance it deposits along travel routes during mating season.
A muskrat's entire paunchy, 25-centimetre body is covered with a rich, waterproof layer of fur. The fur colour ranges from brown on the animal's head and back to greyish-brown on the belly.
A muskrat's hand-like front feet are used to build lodges, dig channels and burrows and hold food. Although the hind feet are used for swimming they are not webbed like the feet of the beaver or an otter. The four long toes on each of the muskrat's hind feet have a fringe of specialized hairs, which give the hind foot a paddle-like affect.
A muskrat tucks its front feet against its chest and swims with its hind feet. On the surface the tail is used like a rudder. Under water the tail is moved in a sculling action that helps push the animal through the water.
Muskrat houses are compact piles of dried and decayed plant material placed on top of a mound of soil. Inside the mound is a small area, above the water, that the muskrat lives in. Muskrats will also build a home by burrowing into a bank along the water's edge.
Now here's a question for you. When is a rat a mouse? When it's a muskrat!
"People often think muskrats are related to beavers but that's not the case. The muskrat is really a large field mouse that has adapted to life in and around water," says Mike Gollop of Saskatchewan Environment.
"The muskrats favourite food is bulrushes and other plants which they can eat underwater. They have evolved specialized front incisors that protrude ahead of the cheeks and they have lips that can close behind the teeth. So it can actually "eat with its mouth closed" something no other mammal, except a beaver, can do."
The muskrat is one of the North America's most successful species.
It can be found right across the continent and as far north as the Arctic Ocean and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Not only can it be found in natural waterways it has been able to adapt to man-made environments.
This native to North America animal was introduced to Europe in 1905 and has now spread across much of Europe and into northern Asia.
In North America several animals including mink, coyotes, foxes and even northern pike eat muskrats. Muskrat populations seem to naturally "crash" every seven to ten years. Scientists point to an as-yet-unknown reason, which affects the animal's health and leads to widespread death and reproductive failure.
"Muskrats are a favourite animal for trappers," says Environment's
Gollop.
"As a matter of fact muskrats contribute more to the total combined income of North American trappers than any other animal. As recently as 1975 Saskatchewan marketed over 60,000 muskrat pelts. The pelt harvest has declined in more recent years but still accounted for almost 23,000 pelts, second only to beaver, according to the most recent statistics."
While muskrats seem to be a favourite food for many animals and a good source of income for trappers their future in Canada seems to be bright. The species has never been considered as being endangered and, in fact, muskrat population numbers are healthy.
For more information contact:
Mike Gollop
Fur, Waterfowl and Problem Wildlife Specialist
Saskatchewan Environment
(306) 933-5767
mgollop@serm.gov.sk.ca
Or
Art Jones
Communications Consultant
Saskatchewan Environment
(306) 787-5796
(306) 536-8452 (cell)
ajones@serm.gov.sk.ca
If you happen to be near almost any body of water in Saskatchewan chances are you'll see a small, paunchy animal swimming along the surface.
If you look closely you'll discover it's not a beaver, but rather it's a
muskrat.
One of the easiest ways to determine whether the animal you see is a beaver or a muskrat is to look at the size of the animal and at its tail. A beaver is quite large and has a broad flat tail. A muskrat is small, about 50 centimetres from its nose to the tip of its long thin tail. The tail is covered with a scaly skin that protects it from damage. It gets its name from a musky smelling substance it deposits along travel routes during mating season.
A muskrat's entire paunchy, 25-centimetre body is covered with a rich, waterproof layer of fur. The fur colour ranges from brown on the animal's head and back to greyish-brown on the belly.
A muskrat's hand-like front feet are used to build lodges, dig channels and burrows and hold food. Although the hind feet are used for swimming they are not webbed like the feet of the beaver or an otter. The four long toes on each of the muskrat's hind feet have a fringe of specialized hairs, which give the hind foot a paddle-like affect.
A muskrat tucks its front feet against its chest and swims with its hind feet. On the surface the tail is used like a rudder. Under water the tail is moved in a sculling action that helps push the animal through the water.
Muskrat houses are compact piles of dried and decayed plant material placed on top of a mound of soil. Inside the mound is a small area, above the water, that the muskrat lives in. Muskrats will also build a home by burrowing into a bank along the water's edge.
Now here's a question for you. When is a rat a mouse? When it's a muskrat!
"People often think muskrats are related to beavers but that's not the case. The muskrat is really a large field mouse that has adapted to life in and around water," says Mike Gollop of Saskatchewan Environment.
"The muskrats favourite food is bulrushes and other plants which they can eat underwater. They have evolved specialized front incisors that protrude ahead of the cheeks and they have lips that can close behind the teeth. So it can actually "eat with its mouth closed" something no other mammal, except a beaver, can do."
The muskrat is one of the North America's most successful species.
It can be found right across the continent and as far north as the Arctic Ocean and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Not only can it be found in natural waterways it has been able to adapt to man-made environments.
This native to North America animal was introduced to Europe in 1905 and has now spread across much of Europe and into northern Asia.
In North America several animals including mink, coyotes, foxes and even northern pike eat muskrats. Muskrat populations seem to naturally "crash" every seven to ten years. Scientists point to an as-yet-unknown reason, which affects the animal's health and leads to widespread death and reproductive failure.
"Muskrats are a favourite animal for trappers," says Environment's
Gollop.
"As a matter of fact muskrats contribute more to the total combined income of North American trappers than any other animal. As recently as 1975 Saskatchewan marketed over 60,000 muskrat pelts. The pelt harvest has declined in more recent years but still accounted for almost 23,000 pelts, second only to beaver, according to the most recent statistics."
While muskrats seem to be a favourite food for many animals and a good source of income for trappers their future in Canada seems to be bright. The species has never been considered as being endangered and, in fact, muskrat population numbers are healthy.
For more information contact:
Mike Gollop
Fur, Waterfowl and Problem Wildlife Specialist
Saskatchewan Environment
(306) 933-5767
mgollop@serm.gov.sk.ca
Or
Art Jones
Communications Consultant
Saskatchewan Environment
(306) 787-5796
(306) 536-8452 (cell)
ajones@serm.gov.sk.ca
Comments