I turned my head instinctively when I heard a splash in the water yesterday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge? What had made the splash? There were no logs on which a turtle might have been sunning, so I assumed it was one of the many diving ducks that have spent the winter with us. I watched and waited for the duck to resurface so that I could identify its species.
Imagine my surprise when a furry rather than feathered head broke the surface of the water from below. I only had to hesitate a second before I decided that it was a muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) rather than a North American Beaver (Castor canadensis). Why? It was midday and beavers are generally active only at dawn and dusk; the animal was really small and beavers tend to be a lot bigger in size; and I had a really good look at the tail that was a long, thin “rattail” and not flat like a beaver’s tail.
In the past most of the muskrats that I have seen swimming have kept their tails in the water, often using it for propulsion. Maybe this muskrat was simply treading water, watching me as I watched it. It has been a long time since I have seen a muskrat, so this sighting was a nice treat for me.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice Mike! Where we used to live a local Wildlife Area had quite a few muskrats! It was interesting to see them swimming by early in the morning. But they also did quite a bit of damage to the trees along the paths!
Thanks, Reed. I have personal experience with beavers being more destructive than muskrats and remember fences being put up around certain trees to make sure the beavers did not chew on them. It is always a challenge to manage a wildlife habitat in a way that lets the animals stay wild without unduly interfering with human activities. I think that is an easier task when the wildlife area is a big one.
Oh the fun of that!
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
Great capture, Mike.
It’s funny to see it with its tail held up like that as if it doesn’t mind a wet body, but draws a line at a wet tail.
🙂
He looks very cute!
Never seen a raised tail like that – great capture, Mike. We used to see muskrats when we were kids, but not so many in recent years. Not sure why as the beaver population has rebounded since they changed the trapping laws in the 90s.
I used to see muskrats more often when I visited a marshland park a lot. Sometimes I would get pretty close-up shots of them like the ones in this posting from 2014. Of course, I am a child of my generation, so I always think of Captain and Tennille whenever I see a muskrat. 🙂 (https://michaelqpowell.com/2014/02/07/muskrat-at-dusk-more-shots/)
Here’s a recent article about research into muskrat decline: https://news.psu.edu/story/622069/2020/06/08/research/many-factors-may-contribute-steep-decades-long-muskrat-population
Thanks for sharing that article, Eliza. I had no idea that muskrat populations had declined so significantly. The article makes it clear that there are a wide range of possible factors for the decline–I am impressed by the extensive efforts made by so many scientists to understand the problem better.
What surprised me was how widespread it was, I thought it was just regional, but it seems to be species-wide. Rather troubling… they used to be so common.
That tail lift is pretty interesting and something I’ve not seen one do before. Muskrat love! 🙂
Muskrat Susie or Muskrat Sam? You make the call. 🙂
🙂
Great splashing surprise for all of us!!
Yes, a muskrat! I saw one once a long time ago in Clopper Lake. They look like a mini-beaver with, as you say, a more rat-like tail. Cool!
One of my favorite memories of seeing a muskrat was one winter when the ponds had frozen over and I spotted a muskrat swimming under the ice with its tail undulating back and forth.
Cool tail shot!
A lot of guys say they are looking for a little tail, but this more what I have in mind when I say something like that. 🙂
Haaa. Yes. If I’d ever say that, I better have my bags packed and a helmet on because I’m thinking my wife would be holding the front door open with a frying pan in her hand! Haaaaa!