Muskrats Facts: Habitat, Diet, Size, and Hunting Methods Verified
“MUSKRAT Range: Most of North America. Common in wetland areas across the South and Midwest. Habitat: Marshes, ponds, ditches, slow creeks. Anywhere with shallow standin' water and cattails. Diet: Cattails, aquatic plants, roots, and the occasional mussel or crawfish when they can get one. Average Size: 2 to 4 pounds. A lot smaller than people think. Most folks see one swimmin' and think it's a beaver until they see how little he is. Season: Fall and winter fur season in most states. Method: Body-grip traps and footholds in their runs and feed beds. Muskrats are creatures of habit. They swim the same trails every night. Find the trail, set the trap, and they'll be in it by mornin'.”
Summary
Muskrats occupy most of North America, thriving in wetlands such as marshes, ponds, ditches, and slow creeks, especially where cattails grow. They feed on aquatic plants, roots, and occasionally small animals like mussels or crawfish, and adults typically weigh 2–4 lb and measure about 18–25 in total length. Their fur is harvested mainly in fall and winter, and body‑grip traps and foothold traps are standard methods for capturing them.
Sources 60 searched
- Ondatra zibethicus, common muskrat | US Forest Service Research and Development
Common muskrats are distributed across North America from northern Alaska and Canada south to parts of the Gulf Coast and northern portions of Mexico [1]. They are found in northern and central California, parts of southern Arizona, northern Utah and Nevada, most of New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, ...
- Muskrat | Game Commission | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The nation’s most abundant furbearer, ... to a lesser extent, faster streams. The species is found throughout most of North America north of the Rio Grande, including the coastal tidal marshes....
- Muskrats are one of the most prolific furbearers in North America
Florida and rare in some southern states. ... The muskrat is a small mammal that flourishes in North Carolina.
- Muskrat Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Muskrats weigh from two to four pounds (0.9–1.8 kg). They measure 10–14 inches (26–36 cm) in length, excluding their 8–11 inch (20–28 cm) tails. Their coats consist of soft, dense underfur and long, coarse, shining guard hairs.
- Muskrat | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
Muskrats weigh 2 to 4 pounds and reach lengths of 18 to 25 inches, including their 8- to 11-inch, sparsely haired tails. Their coat color is generally dark brown, but individuals can range from black to almost white.
- Muskrat - NYSDEC - Department of Environmental Conservation
Adult muskrat weigh between 2.5 and 4 pounds, and total length may range from 23-26 inches, with a tail length of 8-11 inches. A scaly, laterally compressed tail with a fringe of coarse hair along the underside of the tail is a feature muskrats share with no other New York State mammal.
- James E. Miller Professor Emeritus Mississippi State University
Muskrats are not ... The average number of young per litter varies with location. Litters born in northern locations (e.g., above 37° N · latitude) average 4 to 7 kits per litter, with 3 or fewer litters · per year. Southern locations tend to have smaller litter · sizes (i.e., usually 3 to 4 kits per litter), but breeding occurs
- Muskrat
Muskrats are much smaller than beavers, measuring 18-25 inches long (including the tail) and weighing between 2-4 pounds. The head is broad and blunt with short ears barely visible above the fur.
- Muskrat | Mass.gov
Their body length is 40.6–63.5 cm (16–25 in), including a 17.8–30.5 cm (7–12 in) scaly, naked tail. Their tail is vertically flattened and comes to a point at the end, which provides balance on land and steering in the water. Muskrats have small eyes and ears and webbed hind feet.
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