Species: Ondatra zibethicus

Common Muskrat
Species
    Ondatra zibethicus
    Kingdom
    Animalia
    Phylum
    Craniata
    Class

    Mammalia

    Order

    Rodentia

    Family

    Cricetidae

    Genus

    Ondatra

    Classification
    Other Global Common Names
    Muskrat - rat musqué
    Informal Taxonomy
    Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Rodents
    Formal Taxonomy
    Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Rodentia - Cricetidae - Ondatra
    Migration
    true - false - false
    Non-migrant
    true
    Locally Migrant
    false
    Food Comments
    Diet mainly consists of aquatic plants, particularly cattails (TYPHUS spp.), cordgrass, and bulrush. Also eats crustaceans and mollusks; may eat large numbers mussels in some areas (Hanson et al. 1989). Builds rooted feeding platforms. Eats mainly upland vegetation in some areas.
    Reproduction Comments
    Gestation lasts 28-30 days. Average of 2-3 litters/year. Litter size is 1-12 (usually averages about 5-6). Weaned and fairly independent after about 1 month. Sexually mature in 4-6 months. In Saskatchewan, polygyny was common (Marinelli and Messier 1993). Typically high rate of mortality in young.
    Ecology Comments
    Generally solitary but several may use same general area; in winter several may congregate in single den. Territoriality common (Caire et al. 1989), mostly in breeding season. <br><br>Home range sizes relatively small; usually does not forage more than 11 m from home site (Baker 1983). In marginal areas, foraging excursions greater. Seasonal home range may range from less than 0.1 ha to several hectares (see Marinelli and Messier 1993). Home ranges generally less than 100 m in diameter (Takos 1944, Boutin and Birkenholz 1987). However, along linear waterways, home ranges average 411 meters long (Willner et al. 1980). <br><br>Populations fluctuate, density up to about 90/ha, usually much less (6/ha, 24/ha, and 36/ha in three studies cited by Marinelli and Messier 1993). <br><br>In Manitoba, spatial and temporal variation in vegetation response to flooding contributed to variation in the density dependence of both survival and recruitment; reductions in emergent vegetation caused by flooding resulted in decreased winter survival (Clark and Kroeker 1993).
    Length
    62
    Weight
    1816
    NatureServe Global Status Rank
    G5
    Global Status Last Reviewed
    1996-11-13
    Global Status Last Changed
    1996-11-13
    Other Status

    LC - Least concern

    Conservation Status Map
    <img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.AB=S5&CA.BC=S5&CA.LB=S5&CA.MB=S5&CA.NB=S5&CA.NF=S5&CA.NT=S5&CA.NS=S5&CA.NU=SNR&CA.ON=S5&CA.PE=S5&CA.QC=S5&CA.SK=S5&CA.YT=S4&US.AL=S5&US.AK=S5&US.AZ=S4&US.AR=S5&US.CA=SNR&US.CO=S5&US.CT=S5&US.DE=S5&US.DC=S4&US.GA=S5&US.ID=S5&US.IL=S5&US.IN=S4&US.IA=S5&US.KS=S5&US.KY=S5&US.LA=S4&US.ME=S5&US.MD=S5&US.MA=S5&US.MI=S5&US.MN=SNR&US.MS=S5&US.MO=SNR&US.MT=S5&US.NN=S4&US.NE=S5&US.NV=S5&US.NH=S5&US.NJ=S5&US.NM=S4&US.NY=S5&US.NC=S5&US.ND=SNR&US.OH=SNR&US.OK=S4&US.OR=S5&US.PA=S5&US.RI=S5&US.SC=SNR&US.SD=S5&US.TN=S5&US.TX=S5&US.UT=S4&US.VT=S5&US.VA=S5&US.WA=S5&US.WV=S5&US.WI=S5&US.WY=S5" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
    Global Range
    North America, north to the treeline, including Newfoundland; south to the Gulf Coast, Rio Grande, and lower Colorado River valleys; introduced and now widespread in Old World.
    ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103944