Click to Enlarge     Muskrats by Laura Stroup, photos by Jim Rathert These pint-sized, furry rodents love the water and the plants that grow near it. A small lodge in the middle of a pond looks a lot like a pile of weeds and sticks, but is actually a home shared by up to 12 family members. The entrance to the home is underwater. A tunnel leads from there to the main room. “Who lives here?” you ask. Let’s take a closer look. From the home’s description, you might think it belongs to a beaver. Although beavers build homes in lakes and ponds, they use tree branches and tree trunks for their lodges. And, their lodges are much bigger, sometimes towering 7 feet high and spreading out over 40 feet. This lodge is much smaller and is made from grasses, roots and other plant materials, carefully piled together with mud. A medium-sized rodent known as the muskrat built the house. Muskrats grow to be around 1.5 feet in length. This length includes a long, hairless, fl at tail. Muskrats live throughout the United States and Canada (except for the Arctic tundra). They are also found in parts of Europe and Asia. They are fond of water and are usually found near or in it. Although many live in ponds, they also live in rivers and streams. When living in deeper water, muskrats sometimes dig into a bank instead of building a lodge. These bank dens have a long tunnel connecting them to the outside world. Usually, the tunnels open underwater. Missouri’s muskrat population thrives because of the wealth of farm ponds available where they can build a shelter and raise their young. Sometimes, though, muskrats may ruin farm ponds by digging holes in dams or by stirring up mud and clouding the water. Muskrats need a lot of space to raise their young. They usually have as many as seven babies in one litter, and they may have three litters in one year. Their first litter may be ready to have babies of their own by the end of summer. Most muskrats are born in the spring. Hairless and weighing less than an ounce at birth, baby muskrats depend on their mothers for food and for warmth. Although helpless at first, muskrats grow quickly and can take care of themselves in no time. A 2-week-old muskrat can swim, and by four or five weeks of age, it is ready to leave home. But its adventure is just beginning. Muskrats of all ages must keep an eye out for predators. Minks, coyotes and large birds such as hawks and owls will take a muskrat for a meal. You can count people among their predators as well. We use their durable fur for clothes, their musk for perfumes and their meat for food. Did you know? Many other animals use muskrat lodges. Ducks, snakes, frogs, turtles, skunks, toads, ants and spiders will use muskrat lodges for basking sites. Adult muskrats can survive without drinking water in the summer if they have succulent plants to eat. Succulent plants have thick leaves and stems that can store water. Young muskrats are able to swim and dive when they are just 2 weeks old. A muskrat’s tail is flattened vertically instead of horizontally like the beaver’s tail. The muskrat’s dark brown fur is wonderfully waterproof for its aquatic habitat. Muskrats have small front feet for grasping, as well as large back feet that are partially webbed to help them swim. Although muskrats move slowly on land, they swim gracefully in the water. Using their hind feet to paddle, they hold their front feet under their chin and keep their eyes above the water to watch where they are going. They can paddle forward or backward and swim underwater for long periods of time. Muskrats have been known to stay underwater for 15 minutes or more. Muskrats often search for food under the water. They like to eat the stems and roots of aquatic plants. They’re not strict vegetarians, though. They also eat clams, snails, crayfish and fish. Muskrats are interesting and useful creatures. They play an important role in our ecosystem by clearing vegetation from wetlands to create areas with more open water. They provide food for larger carnivores, and people trap them for their beautiful fur. So next time you see what looks like a pile of sticks in a pond, look a little closer and investigate a little further. You may have found a muskrat lodge. Words Worth Knowing We often think of litter as trash, but the word also means a group of young born to an animal at the same time. For example, there are litters of dogs, cats or muskrats. An ecosystem is made up of all the plants and animals that live in a place, as well as the place itself. It’s a “system” because each part is influenced by other parts. Carnivores are animals (or plants) that eat other animals. Animals of the order of Carnivora, like dogs, bears and seals, have fangs.