He was a source of pocket money for many of us country boys when growing up and still holds an important part in some trappers’ winter activities. At one time around 100 permits to trap this animal for its fur were issued on the New York DEC Tonawanda and Oak Orchard wildlife management areas as well as on the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Today only about half a dozen trappers apply for permits. The reason of course is that the bottom has fallen out of the fur industry with prices offered for pelts being very low.
The muskrat is not a rat but is referred to by trappers as “rats.” They are aquatic animals that live and feed in marshes, lakes, creeks and other wetlands. Their main food source is cattails and other aquatic vegetation but they will also feed on small animals such as mussels, frogs, crayfish and small turtles. It has crucial effects on the ecology of wetlands and is actually a resource of food and fur for us. Yes, that’s right, a rat for food! Although he does look like a large rat his habits and feeding make his meat a very good choice for us. When I was trapping in my younger days my mother would often cook up the hindquarters and back of straps of the muskrats I had trapped. Although not an item found in grocery stores in our area other nearby states do have grocery stores that provide muskrat meat to their customers. Several of our local trappers get almost as much money for the dressed-out carcasses, from a local buyer who sells out of state, as they do for the fur. The fur of course is very rich looking and warm and at one time was very popular for making fur coats for women. Today a muskrat pelt only brings $2 to $3, no where near the value of the dollar from past eras.
Adult muskrats are about 10 to 14 inches in length, excluding the tail which is 8 to 12 inches. It is flattened vertically, is scaly and used for steering while swimming. Muskrats are covered with short, thick fur that is a reddish-brown color. The hind legs are large and the feet are webbed which are the main source of propulsion. They weigh between 1.5 and 4 pounds. They spend most of their time in the water and can stay underwater for 12 to 20 minutes. They can remain submerged for long periods because their bodies are less sensitive to carbon dioxide buildup than other mammals. They have a second set of lips that closes behind their front incisors so they can dive underwater, chew and eat without swallowing water.
“Rats” that live along the creeks and streams burrow into the banks to create living quarters that have an entrance under the water with a living area above water level at the end. In our local wildlife management areas they do become a problem along the various marsh dikes with these underground burrows as they can cause leakage of the marshes which requires annual maintenance before they become a serious problem. The marsh-dwelling “rats” that have no banks to burrow into construct their own “houses” that rise like mounds above the water level. They are built by piling aquatic matter (cattails and mud are the main building materials) out in the water away from the shoreline. Sometimes these “houses” are built on an old stump or clumps of aquatic brush but most of the time their construction starts at the bottom of the marsh. These mounds are roughly 4 to 6 feet in diameter and 2 to 3 feet high above the water. They are then burrowed into from under the water and a living quarters chewed out inside above water level. During the winter when the marshes freeze over they have underwater “runs” going to the entrance that they use to leave the “house” to gather aquatic food and bring it back to the inside living area.
Predators of muskrats include mink, fox, eagles, coyote, great horned owls, raccoon, snapping turtles (young muskrats) but the otter is the most deadly.
Muskrats normally live in families consisting of a male and female and their young. They are mostly nocturnal although you will see them out during the day sucking up the sun. During the spring, they often fight with other muskrats over territory and potential mates which can result in some nasty gashes in their skin or even death. Like most rodents, they are prolific breeders with females having two or three litters a year of six to eight young each. The babies are born small and hairless and take about a year to fully mature. Their populations appear to go through a regular pattern of rise and dramatic decline spread over a six- to 10-year period. Muskrat populations are important to the health of the marshes so trapping is an important management tool as is the management of marsh water levels.
Although he looks like an overgrown common city rat the muskrat has none of his undesirable characteristics.