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Hunting Common Muskrat Page
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Common Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
Habitat: Muskrats are semiaquatic animals occupying practically all aquatic habitats, from cat-tail marshes and ponds to lakes and rivers. In Colorado they range from the edges of the alpine tundra through all other ecosystems in the riparian zone. At highest elevations they are largely restricted to beaver ponds. In agricultural areas they frequently use irrigation ditches for movement to more permanent water sources. They live in burrows in banks along the water source or in conical houses constructed of leafy vegetation.
Diet: Muskrats are primarily herbivorous but they will eat carrion, fish, crayfish, and mollusks, especially when plant materials are scarce or animal matter is readily available.
Description: The body is stocky with a large, rounded head. The laterally flattened, scaly tail is about as long as the head and body. The hindfeet are enlarged and partially webbed, with stiff hairs fringing the toes. The forefeet are small and dexterous. The mouth can be closed behind the incisors, and the ears are valvular, both adaptations for their semiaquatic life. The eyes are relatively small and the ears are short, rounded, and barely visible above the surrounding fur. Most muskrats in Colorado have rich reddish brown to blackish brown pelage with slightly paler underparts. The gray-brown underfur is very soft, overlain by longer, coarser guard hairs. The dense underfur is nearly impervious to water. The winter pelage has a lustrous sheen. Measurements are: total length 450-550 mm; length of tail 200-250 mm; length of hindfoot 65-78; length of ear 19-21 mm; weight 650-1800 g.
Range in Colorado: Muskrats occur statewide, wherever there is sufficient permanent water and a food supply, from the edges of alpine tarns to riparian wetlands on the plains and in semidesert valleys.
Status: CDOW Furbearer
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